Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - OK, now what?

Coming off one of the more unexpected turnarounds in recent major league memory -- and the most successful season in franchise history -- the Tampa Bay Rays are left in the difficult position of providing their own encore.

Unfortunately, trends suggest a repeat is unlikely at best.

With a rapid reversal from 96 losses in 2007 to 97 wins in 2008, manager Joe Maddon's Rays joined the 1967 Boston Red Sox, 1991 Atlanta Braves and 2005 Detroit Tigers as the only teams to go from 90-plus losses one year to a World Series berth the next.

Like the Rays, none of the previous three teams closed their runs with a trophy presentation, and only the Braves were able to mirror their success with a second straight trip to the title round - which ended in a 1992 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

That said, many of the same faces - and one key new one - return to Tropicana Field for 2009.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2008 edition of the Texas Rangers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2008 FINISH (97-65) - First Place (AL East)

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: DH Pat Burrell; RHP Jason Isringhausen, OF Gabe Kapler; LHP Brian Shouse

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: OF Rocco Baldelli, RHP Edwin Jackson, DH Cliff Floyd; OF Jonny Gomes

PROJECTED LINEUP: B.J. Upton (CF); Carl Crawford (LF), Evan Longoria (3B); Carlos Pena (1B); Pat Burrell (DH); Gabe Gross (RF); Dioner Navarro (C); Akinori Iwamura (2B); Jason Bartlett (SS)

PROJECTED ROTATION: James Shields (RHP); Scott Kazmir (LHP); Matt Garza (RHP); Andy Sonnanstine (RHP); Jason Hammel (RHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: Troy Percival (RHP)

MANAGER: Joe Maddon

INFIELD

The status quo remains intact all around the diamond for the Rays, who'll march slugging first baseman Carlos Pena out for his third season with the team. A 46-home run man in 2007, Pena slid to "only" 31 homers and 102 RBI a year ago. His .247 batting average could use some help, but the .377 on-base percentage was solid.

Second baseman Akinori Iwamura drops to the lower end of the lineup and figures to provide more defense than offense after posting six homers and 48 RBI last season, while batting a respectable .274. More importantly, though, the third-year Japanese import made just seven errors in 152 games played.

Shortstop Jason Bartlett provided the glove-wielding stability that was sought when he came over from the Minnesota Twins with pitcher Matt Garza prior to last season. Bartlett played 125 games and posted a .970 fielding percentage for the Rays, while batting .286, driving in 37 runs and stealing 20 bases in 26 attempts.

At third, youngster Evan Longoria attempts to follow up on a magical 2008 that saw him bat .272 with 27 home runs and 85 RBI en route to recognition as the American Leagues Rookie of the Year, even after missing significant time with a wrist injury. On the glove side, he made 12 errors in 119 games.

Previously unsung catcher Dioner Navarro went from anonymous to All-Star in one fell swoop last season, chipping in seven home runs and 57 RBI with a .295 batting average while capably handling a young and emerging pitching staff. Defensively, the 24-year-old allowed six passed balls and threw out 28-of-73 would-be base-stealers.

OUTFIELD

Already young and talented, two-thirds of the Tampa Bay outfield added crunch- time credibility to its resume with strong postseason play in the American League playoff defeats of the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.

Speedy left fielder Carl Crawford, just 26, returns after injuries held him to just 109 regular-season games, limiting his production to eight homers and 57 RBI. Additionally, he stole 25 bases in 32 attempts. Assuming full-time health, he should get closer to the co-AL-leading 50 swipes he posted in 2007. He hit .345 in 29 ALCS at-bats against Boston.

In center, 23-year-old B.J. Upton was an October phenomenon against the ChiSox and BoSox, combining for seven homers and 15 RBI in 11 games. In the regular season, he chipped in nine homers, 67 RBI and a .273 batting average, along with a team and career-best 44 stolen bases in 60 tries.

With the departure of long-time standout Rocco Baldelli, a two-tiered platoon of Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler figures to at least begin 2009 in right field. Gross hit 13 homers and drove in 38 runs in 302 at-bats last season with the Rays, while Kapler had eight homers and 38 RBI in 229 at-bats with Milwaukee.

STARTING ROTATION

Much like the outfield, the Rays' starting staff went a long way toward establishing itself during the postseason, with each of the double digit- winning youngsters figuring to improve with another year of big-league seasoning. And that's with the team's biggest postseason name starting the year in the minors.

Right-hander James Shields, 27, won 14 games and posted a 3.56 earned run average in 33 starts during the regular year, then copped two of the teams eight wins in the postseason. Hes 26-16 over 430 innings in two years as a full-time starter.

Lefty Scott Kazmir, 25, reached double figures in victories for the fourth straight season, going 12-8 with a 3.49 ERA in 27 starts before adding a 1-1 mark and a 4.21 ERA in five playoff outings. He was limited to 152 1/3 innings after a career-high 206 2/3 in 2007.

Former first-round pick Garza, 25, was an 11-game winner in his first full season in the major leagues, logging 184 2/3 innings and striking out 128 batters. Notably, he was 2-0 with a 1.38 in two ALCS starts against the Red Sox.

Right-hander Andy Sonnanstine, 26, was the biggest bounce-back on the mound for the 2008 Rays, going from 6-13 as a rookie to 13-9 in 32 starts with a 4.38 ERA in year No. 2. He was 2-1 over 17 innings in three playoff starts.

The final starting slot comes down to a spring-training duel between right- handers Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann, after southpaw strikeout artist David Price was surprisingly sent down to the minors in late March.

Price is widely expected to return to big-league status within a couple months, leaving the early going as No. 5 to Hammel, who was 4-4 with two saves and a 4.60 ERA in 78 1/3 innings, and Niemann, a 6-foot-9 right-hander who was 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA over 16 innings in five major-league outings.

Meanwhile, Price earned a win, a save and a 1.59 ERA in five playoff games after allowing nine hits and four runs in 14 innings over five regular-season appearances.

BULLPEN

Depending on the role Price eventually assumes upon his return, veteran right- hander Troy Percival begins the season as closer. The 39-year-old was saddled with back problems last year, although he still registered 28 saves in 50 appearances before missing the postseason.

In the primary setup roles are right-handers Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour. Wheeler was 5-6 with 13 saves and a 3.12 ERA in 66 1/3 innings, while the hard-throwing Balfour won six games, saved four and had a 1.54 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings.

In specialist lefty roles are holdover J.P. Howell and newcomer Brian Shouse. Rounding out the relief roster are right-hander Joe Nelson and free-agent veteran signee Jason Isringhausen, along with whomever loses the Niemann- Hammel competition.

DESIGNATED HITTER/BENCH

Right-handed slugger Pat Burrell ditches the glove and concentrates solely on offense for the Rays, who signed him as a free agent away from their World Series nemeses in Philadelphia. The 32-year-old has gone for double-digit homers in each of his nine seasons, including 33 with the Phillies in 2008.

Kapler figures to be the No. 1 bat off the bench, while infielders Ben Zobrist and Willy Aybar provide defensive backup and pinch-hitting in the infield. Also on hand is catcher Shawn Riggans.

OUTLOOK

As discussed earlier, repeating an unlikely run to the top is about as rare as the breakout season the Rays already constructed.

Rather than the product of hot pitching or fluky offense, Tampa Bay's uprising in 2008 was built on the simultaneous maturation of several years' worth of high-end draft choices and prospect acquisitions.

With the addition of Burrell to that lineup, the Rays actually should be a better team than last year. Still, now that they're no longer the patsies of the AL, the rest of the league won't be quite so dismissive of the goings-on on Florida's Gulf Coast.

The Red Sox and Yankees still figure to provide stern tests in the division, and that should combine for a season-long three-team race that'll likely yield both a division winner and the league's wildcard participant.

Expect 90-92 wins for this year's Rays and a first, second or third-place standing to be determined.