Not much was expected from Tampa Bay this season, and in true Devil Ray form, the team has lived down to those expectations. The Devil Rays opened the season with a win over Toronto. Then they proceeded to lose their next seven games, and it hasn't gotten much better. Larry Rothschild was fired, and Hal McRae was hired. Same ol' D-Rays. The pitching (5.63 ERA), hitting (.253) and defense has contributed to the worst record in baseball. So was there anything positive from the first half? Here's a look at the good (not much), bad (plenty) and ugly (same).
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D-Rays first-half comparison
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2000
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2001
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W-L
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34-51
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27-61
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HR leader
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McGriff, 18
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Vaughn, 21
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BA leader
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Williams, .283
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McGriff, .330
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ERA
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Trachsel, 4.76
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Sturtze, 5.24
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First-half MVP: Although Greg Vaughn has put up solid numbers (.244, 21 HR, 60 RBI) and was named the Devil Rays' All-Star representative, the choice for MVP is Tampa native Fred McGriff in a landslide. McGriff was bothered by a hamstring in June, which forced him to only play as the designated hitter. In that role, his production didn't take a hit. He batted .330 with 15 HRs and 53 RBI in the first half. McGriff has been the Devil Rays' most consistent threat all season, which means he'll continue to be the subject of trade rumors until the July 31 trade deadline passes. While McGriff loves the Tampa area, don't be surprised if the Devil Rays move him.
Biggest surprise: Jason Tyner has made a nice contribution in the outfield and (.328, 18 runs, seven SB), and Brent Abernathy looks like he could be a spark at second base (.289 BA in 45 AB). That said, we'll go with LHP Joe Kennedy, who is one of the key pieces to the Devil Rays' pitching future. Kennedy was 3-1 with an ERA of 3.98 in 40.2 innings pitched in the first half. With a little help, those numbers could have been better. In two starts in June against the Yankees and Red Sox, the 22-year-old pitched 12 innings and allowed four earned runs. He's clearly not there yet, but he could be in the future.
Biggest disappointment: Where do we start? And we're not even counting the disgruntled (in Tampa anyway) and now-departed Vinny Castilla and Gerald Williams. There's Ben Grieve and his .240 BA and .365 slugging pct. Also, don't forget starter turned reliever turned horrible Paul Wilson (2-7, 7.59). But with all due respect to those two, this should go to Albie Lopez. The right-hander came into this season hoping for a big year, which would mean either a trade to a contender on July 31 or big bucks in the offseason when he's a free agent. Yikes! After his brutal first half, don't bet on the latter. Lopez would need a huge second half to get his money, and that likely won't happen in a Devil Rays' uniform. Pitching is always at a premium, and some team out there will take a chance, even if the chance is 4-11 with an ERA of 5.61.
Second-half goals: Once again, there will be no division title or playoff hopes in Tampa this summer, so the Devil Rays' best bet is to start playing for 2002 and beyond. Trading the likes of McGriff, Vaughn and Lopez for prospects is certainly the way to go. At this juncture, wins and losses don't matter and the development of Grieve, Abernathy and Kennedy do. The future of this team starts with its youngsters, and next season should begin in the second half.
Minor-leaguer to watch: If Josh Hamilton is healthy, the Devil Rays believe the 1999 No. 1 pick is a future star. However, the staying healthy part is the question with Hamilton. He's been sidelined since late April with a back problem, but has recently been reassigned to Class A Charleston. The Devil Rays won't rush their top prospect to the major leagues, but a September call-up is not out of the question if Hamilton produces like the team thinks he can.
Grade:  -- Based on wins and losses, the Devil Rays failed with flying colors. Based on player development, the judgment is still out. This was the worst team in baseball in the first half, and the statistics didn't prove otherwise.
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best)
We told you what we thought of the Devil Rays' first-half performance, here's what you had to say about the D-Rays' first half.
Anna Sivadasan is an assistant editor at ESPN.com
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