Rays named 2021 Organization of the Year

ST. PETERSBURG -- What the Rays did at the Major League level alone this year was impressive enough. They enjoyed a franchise-record 100-win season, won the challenging American League East division for the second straight year and entered the postseason as the AL’s top-seeded team.

But their success extended throughout the organization, from the Majors to the lowest level of the Minors. That made them a deserving recipient of Baseball America’s Organization of the Year honor, which the long-running and highly respected industry publication announced Thursday morning.

“Baseball America’s work within our great game is second to none. To be the recipient of their annual organizational award, the year after a lost Minor League season no less, means so much to the Rays and our wonderful affiliate partners: Durham, Montgomery, Bowling Green and Charleston,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “It should signal to our players, staff and fans that we are on the right path towards accomplishing our ultimate on-field goal of winning a World Series.”

This is the second time in three years the Rays have been recognized by Baseball America, as they were also named Organization of the Year in 2019. Tampa Bay has earned the title three times since first being named Organization of the Year in 2008, more than any other team in baseball.

While their playoff run ended earlier than expected in an AL Division Series loss to the Red Sox, the Rays seemed like an obvious choice given the way they performed up and down the organization.

In the Majors, the Rays achieved a trio of notable firsts: their first 100-win season, their first time winning the division in consecutive seasons and their first streak of three consecutive postseason berths. They displayed their system’s remarkable depth through a frustrating series of injuries, using a club-record 61 players and 31 pitchers, and graduated former top prospects like AL Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena, 20-year-old phenom Wander Franco, ALDS Game 1 starter Shane McClanahan, hard-throwing starter Luis Patiño and switch-hitting shortstop Taylor Walls.

But what set apart the Rays was their remarkable achievements in the Minor Leagues.

Triple-A Durham finished the season 77-43, the best record of any Triple-A team, to become the Triple-A national champions. Double-A Montgomery went 62-55, the second-best mark in the Double-A South, and came one win short of a title in the Double-A South finals.

High-A Bowling Green posted an 82-36 record, the best winning percentage (.695) of any full-season affiliate this year, and won the High-A East championship. Low-A Charleston was the only other Minor League team to win 80 games this season, going 82-38 and winning the Low-A East. Even the Florida Complex League Rays were a juggernaut, leading all domestic Rookie-level affiliates with a .737 winning percentage (42-15).

While the Rays graduated a number of top prospects this year and are expected to push more into the Majors next season, they still have arguably the deepest farm system in baseball. For all they accomplished this season, Thursday’s honor indicates their future may be just as bright.

“The success this year is a testament to our players and staff remaining engaged and committed to improving throughout last year’s shutdown,” Carlos Rodriguez, the Rays’ vice president of player development and international scouting, said in September. “We try not to lose sight of our priority, to develop championship-caliber players, and have always looked at winning as a byproduct of development. This season has been no different, in that sense.

“But what our group experienced this year, winning consistently across all levels, is unique -- especially when you consider the amount of talent across the industry today. We are excited by what these accomplishments signify for our players in their individual development journeys, and for what it all means for our organization looking toward the future.”