The Rays Tank: RISP Madness

This morning, Darren Viola, better known at @RRepoz on Twitter and Repoz at Baseball Think Factory, offered this tweet this morning:

Enuff with RISP! In 2003 *1* team batted below .240 with RISP. This year there are *13*. That's what a MLB wide 15 point BA drop will do.

— Darren Viola (@RRepoz) May 23, 2012

That got me thinking about how that particular split is trending over the years and how the Rays have performed against the league average throughout franchise history. The results: the league is definitely trending down but the Rays have been all over the place including hitting .285 in 2005!

Other news you can use:

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• RaysProspects reviews the hitting prospects down on the farm
• Can anyone explain why Brett Lawrie was sliding into second last night on a flyball to centerfield? The ump made the right call on him last night but Lawrie should have been out on the sheer stupidity of sliding into second on a ball he apparently read as one heading into the gap. It appears Lawrie has more faith in Upton's arm than Upton himself and that's saying something.