The 2022 series on team offense continues with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays finished second in the majors and the American League in 2021 with 5.29 runs scored per game.
This season I am using FanGraphs Roster Resource Depth Charts as the source of default lineups. That Kevin Cash batting order is plugged into the Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) using Musings Marcels as the batter projections. That information produces the following results (Runs per game):
- Best lineup: 5.12
- Probable lineup: 5.02
- Worst lineup: 4.80
- Regressed lineup: 4.61
It looks like the Rays will continue bat Brandon Lowe first in the batting order. In his career, that is the slot he filled the most, and with excellent results. Note that there are a few lineups in the top thirty where Lowe bats second, and it strikes me his power would do a bit more good there. I would like him batting first more if another good OBA hitter came up ninth, and the LAT suggests Yandy Diaz.
It’s also possible that Wander Franco develops more power in the sophomore year, and that would make the Lowe-Frano duo both table setters and table clearers at the top of the order.
I suspect it also gives the opponents a bit of a scare when the batting order comes around for the third time. An opposing manager might go to the bullpen sooner facing Lowe than facing a high OBP, low power hitter.
This lineup looks strong enough for the Rays to post a winning record in 2022.
You can follow the data for the series in this Google spreadsheet.
Previous posts in this series:
*This is the best version of this information I’ve seen, with everything you might want to know on one page.