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**Kitty** · 03-22-2008, 03:48 PM

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Suddenly, the upstart Rays are media darlings based on what they have and largely on what is believed to come. Among those anointing the Rays as such, SI.com went so far as to forecast an 88-74 finish, which would represent a 22-game improvement in the win column. Is speculation of coming success premature? Remember, this is an organization with 70 victories as the high bar for wins in a season.

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Will the team be judged a disappointment if it doesn't far surpass that total? Or is the team still in a situation where improved play won't necessarily be reflected in the standings? What exactly should the next step be?

Gerry Hunsicker, the Rays' senior vice president of baseball operations, has first-hand experience from his days with the Mets and Astros when the same questions were being asked about those organizations.

"I think the next step now is watching this core group become competitive," Hunsicker said. "Up until this year, I always felt like we were running a tryout camp. We were just running kids up and down, trying to get to a point where we had enough players that showed us they could play at this level to where we felt like with adding a piece here and there, [that] this team could go to the next level. I think that's where we are now.

"What does that mean? It's always hard to quantify it in wins and losses, but that's how we're judged in this business. So for me, to take the next step up is to get to that point where you get to .500."

Hunsicker believes getting to .500 would be huge for the Rays from a psychological standpoint.

The Official Site of The Tampa Bay Rays: News: Can Rays live up to hype in 2008?