Rays Win Total Prediction
After having one of the worst records in MLB in 2016, will the Tampa Bay Rays be able to bounce back in 2017?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Rays over/under for wins in 2017 has been set at 78. The over carries a money line of -130 while the under is set at +100. Their odds to win the 2017 World Series are listed at 100/1 currently, while their odds to win the ALCS are at 50/1.
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The Rays struggled in 2016, going just 68-94. That placed them 25 games out of first in the AL East. The 68 wins was the fewest the team has had since 2007. Kevin Cash returns for his third season as manager after going 148-176 in his first two years with the team. He has yet to lead the team to the postseason.
Tampa was in a loaded AL Central and didn’t have the bats to compete. The Rays scored just 672 runs a year ago, more than 200 fewer than what the Red Sox did. It was the second-fewest in the AL. Only four hitters had over 50 RBI last season, led by Evan Longoria, who had 98 RBI with 36 HR. He also hit .273. Brad Miller added 30 HR and 81 RBI. Logan Forsythe had 20 HR and 52 RBI, but he was traded to the Dodgers. The team gave Kevin Kiermaier a six-year extension, but he is coming off a 2016 where he hit just .246 with 12 HR and 37 RBI.
When it comes to the pitching staff, the team parted ways with Matt Moore last season, but they still have some solid arms in the rotation. Jake Odorizzi was 10-6 with a 3.69 ERA last season while Chris Archer was 9-19 with a 4.02 ERA, but had 233 strikeouts. Blake Snell started 19 games, going 6-8 with a 3.54 ERA. In the bullpen, Alex Colome had 37 saves in 2016 with just a 1.91 ERA. Xavier Cedeno and Erasmo Ramirez also had double-digit holds.
The Rays are being asked to get 10 more wins than they did last year, but they certainly don’t seem to be much better. They are down a few young arms in the rotation and still don’t have a great lineup at the plate. While Odorizzi is solid and Archer can certainly rack up the strikeouts, they don’t have a roster that should be able to contend in the loaded AL East.
2017 MLB SEASON WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY RAYS UNDER 78