Kevin Cash, Manager, Tampa Bay Rays

Date of Birth: 12/6/1977
Birthplace: Tampa, Florida
College: Florida State University

Kevin Cash, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, was a part-time catcher in the major leagues for eight seasons. He started his playing career in 2002 with the Toronto Blue Jays. After three seasons with the Blue Jays, he joined the Rays in 2005. He lasted just a year with the Rays and then spent two seasons (2006, 2007) primarily in the minor leagues.

From 2007 through 2010, Cash played for three teams - the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2008, the New York Yankees in 2009, and the Houston Astros and the Red Sox again in 2010. He never played more than 61 games in any one season and for most seasons, he played in 7 to 49 games. He finished his major league playing career with 117 hits and a .183 batting average in 246 games. Defensively, as a catcher, he had better numbers - 128 assists, 1,249 putouts, 10 errors, .281 caught stealing percentage, and a .993 fielding percentage.

In 2011, Cash played his last season of professional baseball in the minor leagues. The following year, he was a scout for the Blue Jays. From 2013 through the 2014 season, he was the bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians.

On December 5, 2014, Cash was hired to replace Joe Maddon as manager of the Rays. In his first year as manager, he led the Rays to a fourth place finish in the American League East division with a record of 80 wins to 82 losses.

The Rays and Cash fared poorly in 2016, finishing in fifth place in the AL East division. They had a 68-94 record.

Cash led the Rays to a third place finish in the AL East division in 2017. They had 80 wins and 82 losses.

Cash led the Rays to a strong finish in 2018, with 90 wins and 72 losses. They finished third in the AL East division behind the first place Boston Red Sox (108 wins) and the second place New York Yankees (100 wins).

Cash and the Rays had a strong season in 2019, finishing with 96 wins and 66 losses. They won a Wild Card spot and the defeated the Oakland Athletics by a score of 5-1. They lost the ALDS to the Houston Astros in five games.

Cash was named the American League Manager of the Year in 2020 for leading the Rays to the AL pennant. They finished the regular season in first place in the AL East division with a league leading record of 40 wins and 20 losses. They then went on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in two games in the Wild Card Series, the New York Yankees in five games in the AL Division Series, and the Houston Astros in seven games in the AL Championship Series. They faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series and lost the series in six games.

Cash led the Rays to another first place finish in the AL East division in 2021 with 100 wins and 62 losses. They lost the ALDS to the Boston Red Sox in four games.

Cash's managerial record in his seven years with the Rays is 554 wins to 478 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Kevin Cash
Baseball Reference - Kevin Cash