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Perhaps the turning point came with moves like the shrewd acquisitions of free-agent reliever Troy Percival this past off-season and of first baseman Carlos Pena who was signed to a minor-league contract before the 2007 season.
Others will point to the steadying influence of third-year manager Joe Maddon, a sure-fire selection for American League manager of the year.
Some will argue the coming of age of their young talent, the reward for a decade of losing no fewer than 91 games a year, is the main reason behind their rags-to-riches 2008 season.
More likely it is a combination of all three of those factors that has led to the rapid rise of the surprising Tampa Bay Rays, who hope to carry their momentum into tonight's first game of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria, right, and Gabe Gross wait their turns in the batting cage during an American League Championship Series baseball practice Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Boston Red Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 on Friday. (Chris O'Meara/AP)
Just don't call them this season's Cinderella story.
“What do you expect?” Tampa Bay pitcher Matt Garza told MLB.com. “Everybody is always looking for that next Cinderella story. You can give us that title, but this isn't a fluke.
“Boston wins with pitching and defence, it's called tradition. We win with pitching and defence, it's called a Cinderella story. So you go figure it out.”
“They've got a good, young team,” added Atlanta Braves utility player Greg Norton. “And this isn't going to be a one-year thing. They're going to be there for a while.”
In winning the American League East by two games over the Red Sox and then taking out the Chicago White Sox 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, the Rays are intent on proving their season was no accident.
They are heading into the ALCS full of steam, knowing they won the season series against the Red Sox, the World Series defending champions, 10-8.
“They haven't had any success going into this year and all of a sudden they went from the bottom to the top,” Boston manager Terry Francona told reporters earlier in the week. “It's a great story for baseball. It made our life a little bit more miserable this year.”
The Rays have a payroll of $44-million (U.S.), second lowest in major-league baseball, the by-product of a team that, with an average age of 27.4 years, is the fourth-youngest in postseason history.
Their years of futility allowed the Rays the luxury of high draft choices, which finally began to pay dividends this season with the likes of outfielders Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton, along with third baseman Evan Longoria – who should win the AL's rookie-of-the-year award – all in the starting lineup.
And when you consider that Longoria, Crawford and left-handed pitching ace Scott Kazmir all missed chunks of the season with injuries, the Rays still showed enough poise to hold off a late charge by the Red Sox and hang onto first place.
“They've been really remarkable,” Alex Anthopolous, the Toronto Blue Jays assistant general manager, said. “When you look at losing a guy like Longoria, a guy like Crawford and Kazmir, their front office has done a great job.”
It should be a tough, exciting series based on what went on during the regular season, when eight of the 18 games were decided by one or two runs.
While Tampa's offence might have to take a back seat to what the Red Sox have to offer – Boston's .358 on-base percentage led the AL while their .280 team batting average was second – the Rays did hit 180 home runs, fifth highest in the league.
It should be a stellar pitching series, too, with tonight's game featuring 18-game winner Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Red Sox against Tampa Bay's James Shields, who has won eight of his past 11 home starts – including Game 1 against the White Sox last week.
Kazmir will take the ball for the Rays for tomorrow's Game 2 against Boston ace Josh Beckett, who has been struggling with a right oblique injury.
When the best-of-seven series resumes at Fenway Park in Boston on Monday, the Rays' Matt Garza will face Jon Lester, who has been practically unbeatable at home this season for Boston with an 11-1 record and a 2.41 ERA in 17 starts.
Andy Sonnanstine is expected to start Game 4 for Tampa Bay on Tuesday against Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.
