The Tampa Bay Rays are, without a doubt, MLB’s best team in 2023.
Both the numbers and the eye test show it: they are a tier and a half above everyone else.
With two wins against the New York Yankees over the weekend, the Rays record is now at 28-7.
It’s a historically good performance, one that puts them in elite company.
“The @RaysBaseball are the fifth team in the World Series era to start 28-7 or better through 35 games. The previous four teams to do so all made the World Series in that same season, going 3-1,” OptaSTATS tweeted.
The @RaysBaseball are the fifth team in the World Series era to start 28-7 or better through 35 games.
The previous four teams to do so all made the World Series in that same season, going 3-1. pic.twitter.com/DcnPlHXYtM
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 8, 2023
With their high-level performance over the first five weeks of the season, the Rays are already looking like a favorite to make the World Series.
The closest team in MLB’s overall standings are the 24-11 Atlanta Braves, leaders of the NL East.
They are four games behind Tampa.
The previous four teams that accumulated 28 victories or more over their first 35 games went on to make the Fall Classic, and three of them won it.
Depending on how you view it, it’s a meaningless piece of information or a really telling one.
No, it won’t guarantee the Rays a trip to the last series of the season, but it does show they are on the right path toward the ultimate goal.
They have the offense and the pitching to go for it all, and the farm system and player development staff to find solutions from within should they need to.
The Rays are, with some difference, the best and most prepared organization in MLB at the moment.
NEXT: The Rays Are Part Of Yet Another Historic Group
