Sure, the Rays lost the A.L.D.S. for the second year in a row to the Texas Rangers. That doesn’t erase the fact that the Rays won the Wild Card in the A.L. while finishing in second place in the A.L. East with a 91-71 record, only six games behind the Yankees. Not bad for a team that slashed the payroll big time last winter. Here is a look at the things that stood out to me in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 30-year old switch-hitting 2B/RF Ben Zobrist gets this award over Evan Longoria, because he didn’t miss any time to injury. Zobrist played in 156 games for the Rays in 2011 and he was 158 for 588 (.269 avg, .822 OPS) with 99 runs scored, 46 doubles, 6 triples, 20 homers, 91 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

BEST PITCHER: 29-year old righty starting pitcher James Shields was truly “Big Game James” during the regular season for the Rays in 2011. He pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Rays in 2011 and he was 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Shields was a workhorse for the Rays as he threw 11 complete games and 4 shutouts in 2011, saving the bullpen a lot of wear and tear every five days.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 28-year old lefty swinging 1B Casey Kotchman started the season with the Durham Bulls. He bided his time and the Rays called him up in April. Kotchman took over as the starting 1B shortly after his call up and he played Gold Glove caliber defense while giving the Rays a much needed solid bat. Kotchman played in 146 games for the Rays in 2011 and he was 153 for 500 (.306 avg, .800 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 10 homers, 48 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 39-year old righty swinging DH Manny Ramirez was signed last winter to provide some thump in the middle of the Rays’ batting order. He didn’t last too long. Ramirez played in 5 games for the Rays in 2011 and he was 1 for 17 (.059 avg, .118 OPS) with 1 run scored. Ramirez was suspended for 100 games last April and he decided to retire on the spot from the Rays and Major League Baseball.