Inside The Rays

History: Tampa Bay Rays Career Strikeout Leaders Since 1998

Taj Bradley became the 22nd pitcher in Tampa Bay history to record 300-plus strikeouts on Friday night. Here is the list of the top-25 pitchers for career strikeouts in team history, topped by James Shields with 1,250.
Tom Brew|
Pitcher James Shields is Tampa Bay's all-time leader in strikeouts with 1,250. He pitched for the Rays from 2006 to 2012.
Pitcher James Shields is Tampa Bay's all-time leader in strikeouts with 1,250. He pitched for the Rays from 2006 to 2012. | Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Rays

Updated June 24, 2025, 9:05 a.m. ET

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay pitcher Taj Bradley reached a bit of a milestone earlier back in April when he became the 22nd pitcher in Rays history to cross the 300-strikeout mark.

Bradley made his debut with the Rays on April 12, 2023 and has a career record of 18-24 with a 4.70 ERA. He is one of three current Rays pitchers on the top-25 list all-time. Shane McClanahan, who's currently on the injured list, is one, and Drew Rasmussen joined the list last month as well. Closer Pete Fairbanks (284) is getting close.

James Shields has been on the top of this list since 2012. "Big Game James'' had 1,250 career strikeouts with the Rays during his seven years from 2006 to 2012. Chris Archer and David Price are the only two other pitchers to top 1,000 K's in a Tampa Bay uniform.

Here is this complete list of the top 25 Rays pitchers in career strikeouts, courtesy of Baseball Almanac, with years that they pitched in Tampa Bay:

  1. James Shields (2006-12) — 1,250
  2. Chris Archer (2012-18, 2021) — 1,167
  3. David Price (2008-14) — 1,065
  4. Scott Kazmir (2004-09) — 824
  5. Blake Snell (2016-20) — 648
  6. Jake Odorizzi (2013-17) — 639
  7. Alex Cobb (2011-14, 2016-17) — 570
  8. Tyler Glasnow (2018-23) — 526
  9. Matt Moore (2011-16) — 494
  10. Matt Garza (2008-10) — 467
  11. Ryan Yarbrough (2018-22) — 467
  12. Jeremy Hellickson (2010-14) — 463
  13. Shane McClanahan (2020-present) — 456
  14. Jeff Niemann (2008-12) — 409
  15. Victor Zambrano (2001-04) — 372
  16. Taj Bradley (2023-present) — 360
  17. Estaban Yan (1998-2002) — 351
  18. Ryan Rupe (1999-2002) — 348
  19. Andy Sonnanstine (2007-11) — 343
  20. Wade Davis (2009-12) — 341
  21. Drew Rasmussen (2022-present) — 322
  22. J.P Howell (2006-12) — 321
  23. Jake McGee (2010-15) — 319
  24. Matt Andriese (2015-18) — 293
  25. Joel Peralta (2011-14) — 292

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is the publisher of ''Tampa Bay Rays on SI'' and has been with the Sports Illustrated platform since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He owns eight sites on the "On SI'' network and has written four books.

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