5 First-Half Surprises and Storylines

With the first half of 2018 behind us, we look at 5 of our favorite storylines and some of the bigger surprises this season

2018 has been full of surprises for the Rays, to say the least. The flurry of off-season trades left us assuming they’d be in full-sell mode for the entirety of the season. But while they’ve been frustrating to watch at times, the Rays have surprised us by being mostly competitive for the first three months of the season.

Yes, they’re 18 games back in the division and 9 games back in the wildcard race. And yes, the offense is still significantly worse than we’d like. But the pitching staff has been excellent, and this team has shown flashes of excitement which is more…