Rays Continue to Get Disrespected in MLB Playoff Rankings

By no surprise, the national media continues to sleep on this Tampa Bay Rays roster. 

There's not much more the team can do to impress. They had the best record in the American League. They're sitting on a bye week, waiting for either the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox to meet them in Tampa Bay on Saturday for the American League Division Series. Yet, when they are ranked against other playoff teams this October, they continue to not get the credit they deserve. 

That happened again on CBS Sports this week. The website released multiple rankings covering the pitching staff, the offense, and even specific players who will be playing in the postseason this year. For the most part, Tampa Bay was disrespected. 

The Rays had two pitchers make the All-Star game, as well as the American League pitcher of the month in September, but somehow are only good enough for the fifth-best pitching staff in baseball. Add to that the best closer this season in Bryan Baker, and the ranking being so low is such a head-scratcher. 

The rankings place both potential opponents in Boston and New York ahead of Tampa Bay when it comes to pitching rankings, and place the New York Yankees at the very top. 

As for the Tampa Bay offense, it's below average compared to other playoff teams, according to the recent rankings. The team came in seventh of 12 teams and once again trailed the New York Yankees. 

"The Rays lineup isn't overly deep, but they have one of the best power hitters in baseball -- and he isn't just a power hitter -- in Junior Caminero, along with the AL stolen base leader Chandler Simpson, who hit over .300," said CBS Sports writer Matt Snyder. "Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Díaz are good-to-great hitters, and Liam Hicks has been an excellent addition since the trade deadline. Victor Mesa Jr. closed the season on a heater as well. Though the Rays aren't elite at OPS, they finished eighth and second in average and are the toughest team in baseball to strike out."

Now, I'm not saying both the pitching staff and offense are the best in baseball, but by no stretch of the imagination is this team anything close to average. 

Maybe it's biased, or maybe they believe that Tampa Bay is a playoff pretender. There's only one way to find out, and that begins Saturday as they begin their chase for their first-ever World Series title.