2010 Cincinnati Reds, 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, Let’s Compare Shall We

It isn’t very often in baseball that teams just come out of no where. Sure, there have been a variety of teams that have won the World Series in years past, but usually the teams don’t come in and surprise people for even being involved in the playoff conversation. I mean, lets be honest – if the Royals or Pirates made the playoffs anytime this decade it would be a f**king miracle.

The team that came out of no where after being the bottom dweller in the AL East for many years was the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2008, they went from a team that was always in last place, constantly getting the #1 pick, to a team that went on to represent the American League in the World Series. They were a team that was built on Athleticism and Pitching, filled with young players that were surrounded by a few veterans to bring leadership when needed.

The 2010 Cincinnati Reds have followed that strategy to a tee, and it is working out amazingly. In fact, let’s take a look at how these two teams really compare.

Athleticism -The 2008 Rays were a young team that played fantastic defense. With players like Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton, and Carl Crawford leading the way, not only was there speed on defense obvious, but their base running ability is what set them apart. The 2010 Reds are not only athletic, but they have some of the best, young defensive outfielders in the game. While Drew Stubbs’ and Jay Bruce’s batting averages may not be the greatest, the range they take up in the outfield along with their speed around the bases more than makes up for it – especially when both of these guys can also provide instant power at any time. The Reds lead the NL in runners going from first to third base on base hits, and the young talent/speed has everything to do with it.

Veteran Leadership In All The Right Places – When you have a team that is young, yet extremely talented, you need a few veterans in there to lead during the dog days of summer. In the line-up, the Rays had Carlos Pena, who even though isn’t THAT old, he had been around long enough to know how to act like a professional to be an example for these younger guys. The Reds have Scott Rolen. A no-non sense kind of guy that can still put up middle of the order like numbers. Not to mention he will put a douche like Chris Carpenter in his place when he yells at their manager during a brawl. In the bullpen, the Rays had Troy Percival, the Reds have Francisco Cordero. Both of these guys are/were in there mid-to-late 30′s, and they are the veteran closer that is/was needed to win ballgames. Not only do Rolen/Pena, Percival/Cordero do their jobs on the field, but they are the veterans that are needed to help these guys off the field.

Star Rookie Pitchers- In 2008, the Rays called up David Price, and he instantly helped a bullpen that was already one of the best in the league. He was a starter in the making that came up in September, throwing as hard as anyone else in the majors. Well, the Reds have just called up Aroldis Chapman, and he has been nothing short of lights out. In two innings, he has gotten out all 6 batters he has faced with ease, striking out 3, while the other 3 have hit the weakest grounders I have ever seen. He has been clocked as high as 104mph, and the electricity he brings to the stadium is showing in the way the Reds have played since his arrival.

And while these are just a few of the similarities between these two organizations, the fact that both of these teams are able to do this with so many young players is astounding. Last night, when Yonder Alonso made his first Major League at-bat, he was the 10th player this year for the Reds to make his first ML appearance. 10 different rookies have played this year for the Reds, yet they are still 22 games over .500 and lead the NL Central by 8 games. It just goes to show that having a young team that actually gives a f**k about baseball is probably the most important aspect of winning in the Majors. All of this, and I still haven’t mentioned the best player on their team, Joey Votto, who is close to putting up Triple Crown like numbers.

The Rays would go on to lose in the World Series to the Phillies in 2008, but it was a turn-a-round in the way the Rays were viewed as a franchise. The Reds have been a pretty s**tty, irrelevant team since the early 90′s, but hopefully this will be the year that gives them the confidence that they can play this way for years to come.

Plus, even if the Reds were to get to the World Series and lose to the Yankees, I am pretty sure the fans of Cincinnati would be ok with that. I mean, usually in October, Reds fans are already half way through their Buckeye season and could give two s**ts about playoff baseball.

Could this be the year for the Cincinnati Reds?