2016 Tampa Bay Rays

2016 Tampa Bay Rays / Franchise: Tampa Bay Rays / BR Team Page

Record: 68-94, Finished 5th in AL Eastern Division (2016 AL)

Managed by Kevin Cash

Coaches: Rocco Baldelli, Stan Boroski, Tom Foley, Jim Hickey, Charlie Montoyo, Jamie Nelson and Derek Shelton

Ballpark: Tropicana Field

History, Comments, Contributions

On March 22nd, the 2016 Tampa Bay Rays played an exhibition game against the Cuban national team at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, Cuba. This marked the first time a Major League Baseball team traveled to Cuba since the 1999 Baltimore Orioles-Cuban National Team Exhibition Series. Tampa, which had been chosen by lottery among the many teams who had wanted to represent MLB on this occasion, won the game 4-1 behind a strong pitching performance by Matt Moore and three RBIs by 1B James Loney, who hit a two-run homer in the 4th.

The Rays managed to hang on with the big boys in the AL East for the first couple of months of the season, but the wheels began to come off in June. In the second half of the month and in early July, they went through a stretch in which they lost 17 of 20 games to fall completely off the pace.

Awards and Honors

• All-Star: Alex Colome
• AL Gold Glove: Kevin Kiermaier (CF)

Further Reading

• Bill Chastain: "Cuba trip a 'special moment' for Rays, MLB: Rays are first team to visit island nation since '99 Orioles", mlb.com, March 20, 2016. [1]
• Doug Miller: "Hello, Havana: Historic Cuba trip begins", mlb.com, March 20, 2016. [2]
• Jorge L. Ortiz: "As Rays make way to Cuba, they're eager for 'authentic interaction'", USA Today Sports, March 20, 2016. [3]
• Jesse Sanchez: "Rays have day they'll 'never forget' in Cuba", mlb.com, March 22, 2016. [4]

2016 MLB season by team