The Tampa Bay Rays started the season really hot, got into a slump and then finished the first half strong. They are 54-34 on the season which has them in second place in the A.L. East, only two games behind the Yankees. They would be the Wild Card team in the A.L. if the playoffs started today. The Rays have had some pleasant surprises and some disappointments in the first half of the season and here’s a look at them:

Pleasant Surprises: Offensively, rookie 26-year old lefty swinging John Jaso has been the biggest surprise for the Rays. Jaso has played in 57 games for the Rays this season and he is 48 of 175 (.274 avg, .771 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 3 homers, 29 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. His play is the reason that Dioner Navarro is playing in AAA right now and the Rays hope Jaso keeps up the good work in the second half of the season. 27-year old righty starting pitcher Jeff Niemann always seems to get overlooked. He got snubbed for the Rookie of the Year Award in 2009 and he certainley deserved to be on the All-Star Team this season but won’t be pitching in it. Niemann has started 18 games for the Rays this season and he is 7-2 with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He has only given up 94 hits in 117 innings this season which is outstanding. The surprise isn’t that he’s pitching well…..it’s just how well that he is pitching. 24-year old David Price had a disappointing 2009 season but you wouldn’t know it watching him this year. Price has started 17 games for the Rays this year and he is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has only given up 95 hits in 115 1/3 innings this season as he has been “The Man” for the Rays this year. If he has a second half like his first half he will without a doubt win the Cy Young Award in 2010. When the Rays signed 32-year old righty reliever Joaquin Benoit to a minor league deal over the winter they weren’t expecting much. Benoit has been outstanding this season as he has worked himself from the minor leagues to be the set up man for the Rays. Benoit has pitched in 29 games (0 starts) this season for the Rays and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 0.65 ERA and a 0.51 WHIP. He only gave up 10 hits and walked only 4 batters in 27 2/3 first half innings this year for the Rays while whiffing 40 batters. Those are eye popping stats!

Disappointments: 25-year old righty swinging CF B.J. Upton certainly has athletic talent but he’s still not a good baseball player. He is lazy and it seems like he’s not interested in changing his approach at either the plate or in the field. Upton should be hitting the ball on the ground but he thinks of himself as a power hitter…..which he is not. Upton has played in 83 games for the Rays this season and he is 67 of 291 (.230 avg, .715 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 7 homers, 31 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. No one has ever doubted his talent but Upton is regressing as a baseball player to the point that the Rays seem willing to deal him. 30-year old Jason Bartlett was outstanding in his first two years with the Rays but this year he has been banged up and unproductive. Bartlett has played in 69 games for the Rays this season and he is 56 of 242 (.231 avg, .649 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 2 homers, 33 RBIs and only 4 stolen bases. Bartlett, like Upton, could be on the trading block for the Rays due to how well Reid Brignac played while he was out of action. 26-year old catcher Dioner Navarro was so awful this season that he is in AAA playing for the Durham Bulls right now. Navarro played in 37 games for the Rays this season and he is 22 of 105 (.210 avg, .576 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. I don’t see him getting back to Tampa any time soon. Pat Burrell was the starting DH for the Rays at the start of the year. He played in 24 games for the Rays and he was 17 of 84 (.202 avg, .625 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers and 13 RBIs. The Giants have signed him and put him in the field…..and now he’s hitting the ball.