Luke Raley displaying power and speed for Tampa Bay Rays

For many years the Tampa Bay Rays have been known for acquiring pitchers who have had far from stellar careers, but are brought on board because of the potential the organization sees in them, potential that for whatever reason went largely untapped elsewhere.

Luke Raley, though, is an example of the Rays acquiring a position player with little big-league track record and turning him into a major contributor.

Acquired by the Rays from the Dodgers in March 2022 for minor league pitcher Tanner Dodson, Raley spent most of last season with Triple-A Durham. In 22 games over two stints with the Rays, he hit .197 with a homer and four RBI. He entered this season hitting .189 with three home runs and a .561 OPS in 55 career games with Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, for whom he played in 2021.

Thanks to adjustments made in the batter’s box during the offseason, Raley has been a different player in 2023. The 28-year-old went to work with hitting coach Chad Mottola on making his swing more efficient. That meant bringing his hands closer to his body and reducing his leg kick.

“It was feeling good coming into spring training,” he said of his new approach. “It worked in the spring, and I was alright with it.”

The new approach certainly worked very well during the Grapefruit League schedule as Raley hit .326 with five homers in 43 at-bats. His performance, and the fact he was out of minor league options, led to an opening-day roster spot. The progress he made in March has continued into June.

Through Wednesday, the Ohio native had 11 homers and 21 extra-base hits in 137 at-bats. The product of Division-II Lake Erie College in his home state had a slash line of .255/.348/.577 while staying the course with what worked in spring training.

“I really haven’t made many adjustments this season, other than being more consistent with it,” said Raley, whose 450-foot two-run homer off Louie Varland at Tropicana Field on Tuesday evening put a dent in the batter’s eye.

Another pleasant development is that Raley was 7-for-8 in stolen bases after not having attempted to swipe a bag in his MLB career. Furthermore, his hustle and speed in turning a double into his first major-league triple against the Twins two innings before his monster homer was quite a sight.

“I really pride myself on being a team guy, and anything I can do to get an extra base to make it easier on the guy behind me to knock me in, I am going to do it,” said the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, who was drafted in the seventh round by the Dodgers in 2016, dealt to Minnesota in 2018 and reacquired by L.A. prior to 2020 spring training.

It was no secret Raley had plenty of pop in his bat. After all, he hit a combined 33 homers (with 119 RBI) in 499 at-bats at Triple-A the last two years. The fact he is doing at the major-league level, and on a consistent basis, is something entirely different.

“He’s just playing with so much confidence and understanding a little bit better of what pitchers are trying to do,” said Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash.

To that point, Cash cited a first-pitch slider Raley drilled to right-center off Boston’s Brayan Bello on Monday that would have landed in the bullpen if not for Enrique Hernandez’s thievery, as a prime example of the progress Raley has made at the plate.

“I don’t know if he’s doing that a month ago, being in a mindset that he’s aware and he’s willing to take a shot knowing (the pitcher) is trying to get ahead,” said Cash.

As for Raley’s success when it comes to stolen bases, it is yet another part of his game that the Rays thought they could tap into.

“What to look for and how to get good jumps, things I did not know,” he said of what he has learned from first base coach Chris Prieto and third base coach Brady Williams, his manager at Triple-A Durham last year. “Other organizations did not view me as a base stealer. It wasn’t because I could not run. It’s just how they viewed me, so I did what I was told. Then when I got here, they were like, ‘We want you to steal bases.’ I was okay with that. I was willing to learn. (Prieto and Williams) have really, really helped me.”

Being an all-round threat is something Raley, who has batted third through ninth in the order, takes great pride in. Stealing bases, or taking an extra base, can be more satisfying than circling the bases after putting one over the wall.

“Sometimes stealing bases feels better because I know that I can hit a ball off the wall or over the wall,” he said. “I am not saying it is going to happen all of the time, but I know I have the potential to do that.”

The Rays have tapped into Raley’s potential and the results have been evident during a very productive first two-plus months of the 2023 season.

“I can’t thank the Rays enough for giving me an opportunity and for me to be able to show them what I can do,” he said.