In an extensive series, we are taking a look at the top 10 home run hitters of every Major League Baseball franchise. Here we profile the Tampa Bay Rays, the 27th feature.
10) Matt Joyce
The outfielder from Tampa, Florida had 76 home runs with the Rays from 2009 to 2014. He had 19 home runs as an American League All-Star in 2011. One of Joyce’s most memorable games with the Rays came on June 29, 2014. In a 12-7 Rays win over the Baltimore Orioles, he tied the Rays franchise record for hits in a game (five) and total bases (12). Among his five hits were two home runs.
9) Kevin Kiermaier
The centerfielder from Fort Wayne, Indiana had 82 home runs with the Rays from 2014 to 2022. He had a career high 15 home runs in 2017. In five seasons with the Rays, Kiermaier reached in the double digits in home runs.
8) Fred McGriff
The Hall of Fame first baseman from Tampa, Florida had 99 home runs with the Rays from 1998 to 2001. He had 19 home runs in 1998, 32 home runs in 1999, 27 home runs as an American League All-Star in 2000, and 19 home runs in 2001.
7) Carl Crawford
The leftfielder from Houston, Texas had 104 home runs with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2002 to 2010. A four-time American League All-Star, he had 11 home runs in 2004, 15 home runs in 2005, 18 home runs in 2006, and a career-high 19 home runs in 2010. Known more his speed than home runs, Crawford led the American League four times each in triples and stolen bases with the Rays.
6) Brandon Lowe
The second baseman and outfielder from Suffolk, Virginia has had 105 home runs with the Rays since 2018. He had 17 home runs as an American League All-Star and a career-high 39 home runs in 2021. On October 21, 2020, Lowe became the first Rays player in franchise history to hit two home runs in a World Series game. Tampa Bay beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 to tie the series at one game apiece.
5) Ben Zobrist
This utility player from Eureka, Illinois had 114 home runs with the Rays from 2006 to 2014. He had a career-high 27 home runs as an American League All-Star in 2009, and had 12 home runs as an All-Star in 2013.
4) B.J. Upton
The centerfielder from Norfolk, Virginia had 118 home runs with the Rays from 2004 to 2012. He had a career-high 28 home runs in his final season with the Rays of 2012. Upton’s most memorable stretch of power with the Rays came in the 2008 postseason when he had seven home runs in 16 playoff games. Known for his power and speed, B.J. Upton made Major League Baseball history alongside his brother Justin in 2011. While Justin was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, B.J. and Justin became the first brothers to have 20 home runs and 2o stolen bases in the same season. B.J. had 23 home runs and 36 stolen bases. Justin had 31 home runs and 21 stolen bases.
3) Aubrey Huff
The corner infielder and outfielder from Marion, Ohio had 128 home runs with the Rays from 2000 to 2006. He had a career-high 34 home runs in 2003. When Huff led the Rays in home runs with 23 in 2002, he had the distinction of being the first player since 1996 to lead his team in home runs in a season after starting the year in the minor leagues. Huff played that season for the Durham Bulls of the International League.
2) Carlos Pena
The first baseman from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic had 163 home runs with the Rays from 2007 to 2010, and again in 2012. He had a career high 46 home runs in 2007, and led the American League as an All-Star with 39 home runs in 2009. Pena also had 31 home runs with the Rays in 2008, 28 home runs with the Rays in 2010, and 19 home runs with the Rays in 2012. Pena’s 46 home runs in 2007 were a single season home run record in the Rays franchise.
1) Evan Longoria
The third baseman from Downey, California had 261 home runs with the Rays from 2008 to 2017. An all-star in his first three seasons, Longoria had 27 home runs in 2008, 33 home runs in 2009, and 22 home runs in 2010. Longoria had a career high 36 home runs in 2016. In game one of the 2008 American League Divisional Series, a 6-4 Rays win over the Chicago White Sox, Longoria hit a home run in his first two postseason at bats. Then in the 2008 American League Championship Series, Longoria hit four home runs against the Boston Red Sox. That is a single postseason series record for home runs by a rookie.
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