Uceta keeps pedal to floor after breakout '24

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry's Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Edwin Uceta was back home in the Dominican Republic in January, preparing to go hunting in his home province of Santiago Rodríguez, when his phone lit up with a message from his agent.

“Did you see where we’re at?”

MLB Network was running through its annual rankings of the “Top 10 Players Right Now” at each position, and it was time to roll out the list of the game’s best relief pitchers heading into the 2025 season, based on past performance, traditional numbers, advanced metrics and further analysis.

And there was Uceta at No. 6, right between A’s sensation Mason Miller and Tanner Scott, who signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Dodgers this offseason. The Rays’ right-hander was honored, but his mentality might be better reflected by the text he sent back to his agent.

“Yeah, but we've still got to continue to work.”

It’s almost hard to believe how far Uceta has come in a year. He entered last Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, in camp on a Minor League deal after bouncing among five organizations with just one Major League outing to show for it in 2023. He had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. At the end of the season, he was out of a job.

The Rays felt good about the work Uceta did in camp, but he began the 2024 season with Triple-A Durham and had a 7.00 ERA when Tampa Bay called him up for the first time in early May. Then came two scoreless appearances with five strikeouts … and a trip back to Durham.

After returning to the Rays’ bullpen on June 25, Uceta never went back down. He turned out to be one of the most dominant high-leverage relievers in baseball, posting a 1.51 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 57 strikeouts and only eight walks in 41 2/3 innings over 30 appearances. He earned his first career save on Aug. 20, a day after closer Pete Fairbanks went on the injured list with a season-ending right lat strain, then picked up four more saves in September.

“I thought we were all excited about him in Spring Training, leaving confident that there's a good shot he's going to impact our pitching staff at some point during the year,” manager Kevin Cash said Monday. “I don't think anybody could have forecast the way that he came up and the success that he had.”

Among pitchers who threw at least 40 innings, only Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase (0.61) and Texas’ Kirby Yates (1.17) had a lower ERA. Using that same innings threshold, Uceta’s was the fourth-lowest mark by a pitcher in franchise history, trailing only Fernando Rodney in 2012 (0.60), Joaquin Benoit in ’10 (1.34) and Shawn Armstrong in ’23 (1.38).

Aside from the January reminder from MLB Network, Uceta said he didn’t spend too much time thinking about what he accomplished last season. But the next question, of course, is whether he can do it again.

“I just came in here trying to do my job this year and be healthy and just continue to do the same thing I did last year,” Uceta said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez.

The numbers Uceta put up last season were hardly a fluke, statistically, as his expected numbers were in line with his results. He threw two elite pitches -- a fastball (36.9% whiff rate) and a changeup (37.4% whiff rate) -- plus a cutter and sweeper that he’s working on more this spring.

And, as is often the case with Rays pitchers, Uceta took a massive step forward because of his strike-throwing. He threw 49% of his pitches for strikes and had a 67.9% first-pitch strike rate.

“I give him a lot of credit. It wasn't smoke and mirrors. He developed himself,” Cash said. “He developed a better changeup, a better version of his fastball and breaking ball, and he showed more consistency with the strike-throwing. It felt like he made improvements in Durham, but then he took another step and continued to make improvements at the big league level.”

Cash also praised Uceta for his demeanor on the mound. For someone with only 25 big league appearances, Uceta rarely appeared fazed by the high-leverage assignments he received following injuries and trades involving more experienced relievers.

Tampa Bay will have a lot of options and a lot of talent in its bullpen this season. In a short time, Uceta has made a case for himself as not just one of their best, but one of MLB’s best.

“I feel more comfortable now, more prepared. It was a good thing that happened to me,” Uceta said. “I have the blessing of the manager, and that gives me more confidence.”