Outstanding rookie performances played a large part in the Tampa Bay Rays’ success in the 2018 season. On the current roster, players who exceeded rookie limits last season include Willy Adames, Austin Meadows, Christian Arroyo, Ryan Yarbrough, Jalen Beeks, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Wilmer Font, Hunter Wood, and Ryne Stanek. Add guys who weren’t rookies but had breakouts, and that makes for a much longer list.
But now it’s 2019 and those guys are old news, right? Well, no.