Yandy Diaz is the best Rays hitter now. Where does he rank historically?
Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen are close friends, spring training roommates and extremely good major-league pitchers, so they obviously have plenty to talk about.
In a recent conversation, they ventured to the other side of the game, acknowledging one of their most underrated long-time teammates, Yandy Diaz.
"Drew and I have actually talked about this - Yandy, he's going to go down as probably the best pure hitter we've ever played with," McClanahan said recently. "The guy just goes out there and hits .300 every single year."
Since 2022, anyway, with a .304 average (through Friday) that ranks fourth best in the majors (minimum 2,000 plate appearances) over that span behind Luis Arraez (.319), Freddie Freeman (.307) and Aaron Judge (.305).
Diaz is the first and so far only Ray to win a battling title, hitting .330 in 2023, and leads the American League this season at .329. He ranks fourth in on-base percentage (.404), fifth in OPS (.935), tied for sixth in RBIs (46) and ninth in slugging percentage (.531).
"He gives as good of an at-bat as anybody in baseball," Rays manager Kevin Cash told Andy Freed on Friday's radio pregame show. "It doesn't matter if guys are on base or nobody's on base, you know the consistency Yandy has - it's an elite level."
Over seven-plus seasons with the Rays, Diaz, 34, ranks in the franchise's top five in nearly every key hitting category, including second in average (.294 to Carl Crawford's .296), third in OPS (.829, behind Fred McGriff's .864 and Carlos Pena's .843) and fourth in hits (962, behind Crawford's 1,480, Evan Longoria's 1,471 and Ben Zobrist's 1,016).
So where would you rate him among the top all-time Rays hitters?
The best overall hitter to play for the Rays was Wade Boggs, who came home to get his 3,000th hit over the final two seasons of a career that included five AL batting titles and a .328 average.
But this is about the best hitter with the Rays, and over more than just a short stint.
Ranking hitters can be somewhat subjective, depending on how you weigh average, on-base percentage and production. One method is OPS+, which adjusts on-base plus slugging percentage for ballparks and the player's offensive era, with 100 as league average. Using a minimum of 2,000 plate appearances, there have been 13 players to post an OPS+ above 100 as Rays. Here is that list:
13. Desmond Jennings, 101
.245 Avg., 55 HRs, 191 RBIs, .716 OPS
12. Julio Lugo, 105
.287 Avg., 40 HRs, 212 RBIs, .770 OPS
11. BJ Upton, 105
.255 Avg., 118 HRs, 447 RBIs, .758 OPS
10. Carl Crawford, 107
.296 Avg., 104 HRs, 592 RBIs, .781 OPS
9. Aubrey Huff, 116
.287 Avg., 128 HRs, 448 RBIs, .819 OPS
8. Ben Zobrist, 117
.264 Avg., 114 HRs, 511 RBIs, .783 OPS
7. Matt Joyce, 118
.250 Avg., 76 HRs, 260 RBIs, .777 OPS
6. Fred McGriff, 122
.291 Avg., 99 HRs, 359 RBIs, .864 OPS
5. Randy Arozarena, 122
.255, 85 HRs, 289 RBIs, ,786 OPS
4. Brandon Lowe, 123
.247 Avg., 157 HRs, 446 RBIs, .807 OPS
3. Evan Longoria, 125
.270 Avg., 261 HRs, 892 RBIs, .823 OPS
2. Carlos Pena, 126
.220 Avg., 163 HRs, 468 RBIs, .843 OPS
1. Yandy Diaz, 133
.294 Avg., 111 HRs, 442 RBIs, .829 OPS
Whither Wander
The guilty verdict from Wander Franco's most recent trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor will be formally read into the record Tuesday in a Dominican Republic courtroom, Both sides are expected to then appeal, setting up the potential for a third trial. Judges last month said Franco was criminally responsible for sexual and psychological abuse, but spared punishment via a judicial pardon because he also was "a material victim" due to extortion and blackmail by the girl's mother. Franco last played for the Rays in August 2023. The guilty verdict is expected to keep him from getting the necessary visa to rejoin the team, which still owes him abut $160 million on a long-term deal signed in 2021.
Sensitive subject
The extensive level of data available about the game has spread to include some sensitive subjects, such as Sports Info Solutions reporting that since 2023 the catcher hit most by foul balls in the "pelvis or hips" area is the Rays' Nick Fortes, followed by Seattle's Cal Raleigh. The article detailed that delicate issue in response to a story in The Athletic about how such incidents have increased with the industry-wide switch to a one-knee stance.
Rays rumblings
MLB Network/New York Post insider Jon Heyman ranks the Rays second, behind the Dodgers, as teams that could land Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in trade, noting they "have new ownership that would like to win in their first year." ESPN's Jeff Passan lists Skubal or Mets starter Freddy Peralta as the Rays' "best fit," says they also "could use" another bat and bullpen arm, and have "certainly got the minor league talent" to make a big deal. ... Tampa's Community Redevelopment Agency board delaying a stadium-related vote to August 20 doesn't seem to be a big issue for the Rays, who continue to negotiate ways to soon reach agreement on the overall deal. ... ESPN's David Schoenfield chose third baseman Junior Caminero and Diaz (at DH) as reserves for his American League All-Star team, with starters Nick Martinez and McClanahan on the pitching staff but closer Bryan Baker and Rasmussen staying home. ... The popular Enchant Christmas event is returning to the Trop, slated for Nov. 20–Dec. 27. ... Baker had an interesting answer when Rays.TV reporter Ryan Bass asked during a fun pregame Q&A Friday about the weirdest thing he's autographed. "I'm going to have to go with a rolling pin," the reliever said. "I guess the ‘baker' theme - it took me like a second to get it." … Monday's 10:10 p.m. series opener at Dodger Stadium is an ESPN exclusive, so no Rays.TV coverage. … In Rasmussen's 13-strikeout gem on Wednesday, the Red Sox became the first team in the modern era (since 1901) to have their 1-3 hitters strike out in each of their first three times up. … Prospect-laden High A Bowling Green clinched the first-half title of the South Atlantic League South Division last week at 42-15.
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 7:26 AM.