ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees are set to meet in the American League Division Series this weekend in what amounts to the first genuine postseason series between the two division rivals, with games scheduled at a renovated Tropicana Field and Yankee Stadium.
The two clubs did meet in the 2020 AL Division Series, which Tampa Bay won on its way to the American League pennant, but all five games were played at San Diego’s Petco Park with zero fans in attendance due to pandemic protocols - a circumstance that makes this weekend’s matchup a different animal entirely.
A position-by-position breakdown of the series shows the matchup is closer than the Yankees’ reputation might suggest, with the Rays holding advantages at catcher, shortstop, third base, center field, right field and designated hitter, while New York edges Tampa Bay at first base, second base and left field.
At catcher, the Rays carry depth that the Yankees cannot match. Mid-season acquisition Liam Hicks posted an .801 OPS this season alongside backup Nick Fortes, while Yankees starter Austin Wells - despite a stronger second half that left him 24% better than average as a hitter - finished the year with a .186 batting average and a 74 OPS+. Yankees backup Ali Sánchez figures to see limited action.
The Yankees hold the edge at second base behind Jazz Chisholm Jr., whose hitting track record and defense outpace the Rays’ platoon of Richie Palacios and Ben Williamson. Palacios hit .748 OPS against right-handed pitching but batted just .158 with a .478 OPS against lefties, while Williamson finished with a 74 OPS+ and did not show the expected platoon split against left-handed pitching.
At shortstop, Rays veteran Taylor Walls - who carries a 71 OPS+ this season and a 68 OPS+ across his six-year career - gets the narrow edge over Yankees rookie George Lombard Jr. (92 OPS+), who committed errors in six consecutive games in August before steadying. In right field, Rays rookie Victor Mesa Jr., acquired from Miami in a Spring Training deal, posted a 127 OPS+ in 262 plate appearances and won a Player of the Week Award in mid-September, edging Yankees rookie Spencer Jones, who hit 105 OPS+ but piled up strikeouts in his first big-league season.
At designated hitter, 34-year-old Yandy Díaz hit 22 home runs with a 124 OPS+ this season for Tampa Bay, though the Yankees counter with Ben Rice, who has emerged as a significant offensive presence. The status of Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, described as either unavailable or limited to a bench role, looms over the entire series - his presence or absence affects New York’s outfield alignment and several of the positional comparisons above.
The series opens this weekend at Tropicana Field before shifting to Yankee Stadium, with Shane McClanahan’s injury expected to push the Rays toward a right-handed-heavy rotation throughout.