{"id":670056,"date":"2026-04-08T10:44:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/670056\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T10:44:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:44:20","slug":"home-again-at-the-trop-the-rays-are-back-where-they-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/670056\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Again at The Trop, the Rays Are Back Where They Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Members of the Tampa Bay Rays line up along the base path prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday, April 6, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Mike Carlson\/MLB Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of baseball\u2019s most interesting franchises for years, dating back to their stunning 2008 turnaround<\/a> from perennial cellar-dwellers into a consistent underdog World Series-contender. I\u2019ve often highlighted the fact that, if the \u201cDevil Rays\u201d and \u201cRays\u201d were two separate franchises, the former would easily rank as the worst in MLB history<\/a> by winning percentage, while the latter would rank second-best ever (trailing only the Yankees):<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

There have been many consistent themes to the Rays\u2019 journey ever since, including their early<\/a> and total embrace of analytics<\/a>, an uncanny ability to outperform their meager payroll<\/a> \u2014 the latter perhaps correlated with the former \u2014 their unrelenting roster turnover<\/a>, and a shrewd accumulation of talent from other franchises<\/a> that often leaves opposing GMs \u201cfleeced\u201d<\/a>. But one that doesn\u2019t always get mentioned is also a factor that was missing last season<\/a> as the team sputtered to its worst winning percentage (.475) since 2016.<\/p>\n

Tropicana Field in downtown St. Petersburg is not much to look at. In fact, it\u2019s been called a \u201cdump\u201d<\/a> and compared to a giant warehouse<\/a>; Yelp reviewers detailed their experiences<\/a> with cockroaches in the stands; it has frequently been rated<\/a> as one of (if not the) worst ballparks in MLB. Former Rays C\/DH John Jaso likened the experience<\/a> of playing there to being in \u201ca circus tent\u201d with its fabric roof and weird catwalks<\/a>. By most accounts, redeeming qualities for The Trop would appear to be in short supply.<\/p>\n

And yet, it has also been a secret weapon for Tampa Bay over the years \u2014 one which the Rays are hoping will help power another turnaround<\/a> this season.<\/p>\n