The Tampa Bay Rays are heading into the All-Star break with plenty to feel good about, but one omission stands out above the rest: Nick Martinez.
Tampa Bay has spent the first half of the season playing like one of the American League’s best teams, opening up a solid lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees. That kind of run usually comes with a few obvious All-Star selections, and the Rays will indeed be sending multiple players to Philadelphia. Still, Martinez was the one who seemed most deserving of a spot and didn’t get it.
The veteran right-hander has been one of Tampa Bay’s most effective arms all season. He owns a 7-2 record with a 2.61 ERA across 100 innings, and while the strikeout totals aren’t eye-popping, the results have been there. Among Rays pitchers, he has posted the highest WAR, which only strengthens the case that he should have been included.
What makes Martinez’s season even more impressive is where he started. Tampa Bay signed him this past winter expecting depth, whether at the back of the rotation or in a swingman role out of the bullpen. Instead, he has turned into one of the best signings in baseball.
He’s not the only Rays player left off the roster. Shane McClanahan and Jonathan Aranda also missed out. But Martinez is the biggest snub of the group.
As the Rays move into the second half, the hope is simple: keep this version of Martinez rolling. Along with McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen, he has helped form one of the best trios in the game so far this year. If that level holds, Tampa Bay will have a real shot at winning the pennant in the AL.
In Other News...
Rays Still Feel Snubbed As A Surprise No 2 Plan Emerges
The Rays are heading into All-Star Weekend with a division lead and four players on the roster, but there is still a familiar edge to the conversation around them. For a club that has spent much of the season looking like one of the American Leagues best teams, the All-Star count has not fully matched the way Tampa Bay sees its own body of work, especially with several other names around the clubhouse drawing snub talk.
At the same time, the organization may be lining up for a major draft decision that could shape the next wave of talent. Analysts have begun linking Tampa Bay to high school shortstop Grady Emerson with the No. 2 pick, a move that would fit the Rays usual appetite for upside and long-term value, even as the draft board could force them to weigh a different path if the top of the board breaks a certain way. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Veteran Finally Got The Recognition Fans Knew He Deserved
Nick Martinez has given the Rays exactly what they hoped for when they brought him in back in February: steady starts, dependable innings and a presence that has mattered as much in the clubhouse as it has on the mound. The numbers have backed it up, too, with Martinez stacking up strong results while helping Tampa Bay win the majority of the games he has started.
Now he gets to carry that momentum into one more outing before the break, with a Friday start against the Mariners set as his final tune-up before the All-Star Game. Around the Rays, the recognition feels overdue for a pitcher teammates and Kevin Cash have leaned on all season, even if the bigger question still lingers after the roster move that put him there. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Rasmussen Suddenly Needs This All-Star Break More Than Ever
Drew Rasmussens first half had already earned him an All-Star nod, and for much of June he looked every bit like one of the American Leagues most dependable starters. The Rays right-hander was coming off a month that brought him the AL Pitcher of the Month Award, a reminder of how quickly he had settled into a key role for Tampa Bays rotation alongside Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz and Bryan Baker on the clubs All-Star list.
July has been a different story, though, with Rasmussen taking a couple of uncharacteristic hits in his last two starts and seeing his season numbers drift the wrong way. The break now arrives at a useful time for Tampa Bay, because it gives him a chance to reset physically and mentally before the second half puts him back in the middle of the Rays plans. [Read more 🡒]