Long chided as the nerds of th...

TORONTO, ONTARIO — The then-unbeaten Tampa Bay Rays dressed up as their third baseman, Yandy Daz, on their trip from Tampa to Toronto. To put it plainly, the 31-year-old Cuban is insanely jacked. His arms are bigger than other professional players' arms, much like the 2023 bases are bigger than the 2022 bases. And, apparently, he prefers fashion to emphasize this fact – tight sweaters, sleeveless shirts, and the like.

Brandon Lowe received the concept from Zach Eflin, a starting pitcher signed to a team-record free-agent contract over the winter, and it spread from there. ("One of the great things about bringing in guys from other organizations," Lowe remarked of the idea.) Lowe packed his shift sleeves with muscles to make Daz happy.

Apart from rookie rites, it was the first time the squad dressed up for a road trip under manager Kevin Cash. It's not the first time in his career that the Rays have been successful — only the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers have won more games since the start of 2019, respectively — but it's the first time they (or any other club in recent history) have been that good.

Caricature demands distinctive features and a level of notoriety in order for them to be recognized. The Rays have always been criticized for being anonymous — a solid team made up of not always outstanding players; more than the sum of its parts, for better or worse.

'Kudos to the front office, kudos to those players'

To be honest, there is some truth to the general conception of the Rays as an ace-producing machine. Unheralded pitchers enter, while pitchers who have perfected their pitches and committed to a use strategy that maximizes them emerge.

"It's impressive," stated Shane McClanahan. "You have to wonder how they do it. They pick a guy from the middle of Alaska who throws 95 mph with 24 inches of carry and say, 'This man, this guy's going work.'"

McClanahan isn't one of them. The first-round selection made his playoff debut in 2020, was the Opening Day starter his second year, and was named the American League All-Star Game starter last year.

Last year was good, this year can be better

"We have more talent than we have in a long time," stated general manager Peter Bendix.

It's a depressingly easy explanation for the team's league-leading 13-2 start. But why shouldn't that be the solution? Last year's club ranked 17th in batting average, 25th in slugging, and 21st in total runs scored, earning a wild-card slot on the basis of run prevention before being swept out of the postseason. Despite losing their opening series in Toronto, the 2023 Rays lead the league in runs, home runs, and OPS. Ironically, the lineup is practically similar.

Wander Franco, the exception to the team's often-cited thriftiness, the face of a faceless club, the future longest-tenured Tampa Bay Ray, is at the center of it all. Franco made his debut in 2021, capping off a spectacular climb for the promising talent. However, assuming he stays healthy, this will be his first complete season. Of course, it's early in the season and in his career, but pencil him in as a perennial MVP candidate. He's never looked better.

What the streak hath wrought

"I've been seeing this for years. When asked if this is the best incarnation of the young phenom he has seen yet, McClanahan answered, "This isn't new to me." "It's as if they're saying, 'Wander did this, Wander did that.'" "I've seen this for five years, brother," I say.

The Rays will have to get accustomed to people recognizing them and expressing surprise that the small-market team renowned for doing just enough to be in the hunt is now leading the pack. Starting the season with 13 victories will do that.

Bendix claims he has avoided checking Fangraphs' playoff chances to see what the run has wreaked, which is prudent given that it is mid-April.

But if he looked closely, he'd notice that the Rays' odds of winning the World Series had more than doubled. They've gone from a projected third-place finish behind the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays to the division's most likely winner. If they thrived on low expectations and secrecy, they'll need to find new incentive. Because, while the run has ended, the bullseye it placed on Tampa Bay's back has not.