20 Years of Rays Baseball: 2009, Falling on their face

Coming off their first ever World Series appearance in team history, the 2009 Tampa Bay Rays gave plenty of reason to be excited.

Their entire core of players who helped propel them into the playoffs were returning, plus they could expect a full season out of David Price, who had come up and recorded the four most crucial outs in franchise history during the American League Championship Series against Boston.

The reigning American League Rookie of the Year, Evan Longoria, was entering his second season, as he looked to build upon an impressive start to his major league career.

Offseason

The Rays did lose a couple of their invaluable veterans that had a strong presence on the Rays roster, with…