Rays Coaching Staff Receives Incredible Praise From Hall of Fame Pitcher
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The Tampa Bay Rays are once again doing what they do best: exceeding expectations and surprising the baseball world.
Regardless of how many times they do it, everyone is still surprised when the Rays play well. Coming into the 2026 season, not much was expected from them, with many analysts predicting they would finish in last place in the American League East.
They have flipped those predictions upside down. Entering play on July 8, they are in first place in the division, leading the New York Yankees by four games. Tampa Bay owns the best record in the AL at 53-36.
Seemingly always flying under the radar, the Rays are starting to receive the kind of national attention they deserve. The most recent person to give them their flowers is Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez.
Pedro Martinez praises Kevin Cash, Kyle Snyder
The three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star knows what it takes for a team to be successful. He is impressed by what Tampa Bay has achieved, giving praise to the coaching staff for playing baseball the way he remembers it when he was growing up.
“The Rays have probably the best pitching coach and best manager. Their culture is unlike any other. They play baseball the way I grew up playing.” Martinez wrote on X.
Pitching coach Kyle Snyder deserves a lot of credit for the work he has done with this staff. He has been in the organization since 2012, starting as the pitching coach with Low-A Hudson Valley.
In 2013, he was with High-A Bowling Green, and before the 2015 season, he was already with Triple-A Durham. The Rays promoted him to the Big League staff for the 2018 season, and he has been there ever since.
The Rays have probably the best pitching coach and best manager. Their culture is unlike any other. They play baseball the way I grew up playing. @Raysbaseball
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) July 8, 2026
Countless pitchers have unlocked their potential under his tutelage. Drew Rasmussen is a multi-time All-Star on this staff. Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour have successfully transitioned from the bullpen to the starting rotation midseason.
Snyder is elite at what he does, and manager Kevin Cash should receive some flowers as well. Tampa Bay’s manager since 2015, he has allowed his assistants to blossom in their roles and excel.
It has created an incredible environment, as Martinez noted, and the team is thriving. Under Cash, the Rays have a 949-920 record with five playoff appearances. They are well on their way to a sixth, and this could be the best-positioned they have ever been to make noise in October.
Cash and Snyder have excelled at getting the most out of their players, winning on the margins to help close the gap against opponents who have the capability to outspend them on the roster.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.