The Rays are good and the American League is bad.
That was going to benefit Tampa Bay from the outset. Then the Rays constructed one of their best starts ever while the Yankees and Red Sox struggled.
Add it up and you have a team with probably a 75 percent chance to make the playoffs — perhaps better — while hitting Ji-Man Choi third in most games and Brandon Lowe fourth. Anonymity should not be confused with quality.
The Rays thrive at run prevention and this season offensively were on pace for the best on-base and slugging percentages in their history.