Five Florida Baseball Teams to Follow This Season

It’s almost spring, which means baseball season is just around the corner! Here are five Florida baseball teams to keep an eye on this season.

The Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team’s home venue has been Tropicana Field.

The Tampa Bay Rays began play in the 1998 Major League Baseball season as an expansion team. Since then, they have played in four World Series (in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2020), winning the championship in 2020. The Rays have also advanced to the play-offs nine times since 2008, including trips to the World Series in 2008, 2010, and 2020.

The Rays’ success has been due in large part to strong drafting and player development—they have been ranked as having one of the best farm systems in baseball by multiple publications over the past few years. In particular, they are known for their success at finding and developing pitchers; since 2007, 17 of their pitchers have made their MLB debuts, 14 of them coming through their farm system

The Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins are a professional Baseball Team based in Miami, Florida. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. Their home park is Marlins Park. Though one of only two MLB franchises to have never won a division title, the Marlins have won two World Series championships as Wild Card teams, in 1997 and 2003—both times defeating the Cleveland Indians

The Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are one of the most historic Baseball Teams in America. They have won 14 division championships, five National League pennants, and three World Series titles. The Braves are also the only team to have won a World Series in three different cities (Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta).

The team got its start in Boston in 1871, making them the oldest continually operating professional sports franchise in America. The Braves were original members of the National League and they played their first game against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 1, 1871.

The Atlanta Braves play their home games at Truist Park, located in the Cumberland area of Atlanta. The stadium can seat up to 41,149 fans and is one of the newest stadiums in major league baseball

The Braves are led by manager Brian Snitker and General Manager Alex Anthopoulos. The team’s star players include right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., first baseman Freddie Freeman third baseman Josh Donaldson, and starting pitchers Mike Soroka and Max Fried

The Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000.

The Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the National League East division in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Nationals are the eighth Major League franchise to be based in Washington, D.C., and the first since 1961. The current franchise was created as a result of the 2002 major league baseball expansion, when the Montreal Expos relocated from Montreal, Quebec, Canada to Washington and became the Nationals. This article will focus on five Key Players to follow this season.

Juan Soto: Outfielder
One of the most promising young talents in Baseball Today Juan Soto made his MLB debut at 19 years old and had an immediate impact for the Nationals. In 2019, he was named an All-Star and Silver Slugger, hitting 34 home runs and driving in 110 RBI while batting .282/.401/.548. His OPS+ (on-base plus slugging) of 147 was tied for ninth-best among all outfielders with at least 400 plate appearances. He also led all outfielders in walk rate (16%), and his 10 Defensive Runs Saved were tied for sixth-most among all outfielders. At just 21 years old, Soto has already established himself as one of the best players in baseball and he figures to only get better with time.

Max Scherzer: Pitcher
A three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball today. In 2019, he had a 2.92 ERA (earned run average) and 1.03 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) while striking out 243 batters in 172 innings pitched He finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting despite missing over a month due to injury. When healthy, Scherzer is one of the best pitchers in baseball and a key reason why the Nationals have been so successful over the past few seasons.

Trea Turner: Shortstop
One of the fastest players in baseball, Trea Turner is a key piece of the Nationals lineup both offensively and defensively. On offense, he’s a career .273/.344/.415 hitter with 62 home runs and 177 stolen bases in four seasons. He’s also an excellent defender at shortstop, where he has amassed 46 Defensive Runs Saved over his career. Turner is still just 26 years old and should be a mainstay in the Nationals lineup for years to come