There aren’t many baseball fans outside of Florida who think the Tampa Bay Devil Rays can compete in the powerful American League East. Come to think of it, there aren’t even many fans within Florida that think the Rays can compete.

The Rays have never had an eye-popping roster since their arrival as an expansion team in 1998. A meager payroll and a heavy reliance on the farm system have been a mainstay for the team, which has never reached the playoffs or had a winning season.

The 2007 Devil Rays have a chance to improve upon their abysmal 61-101 record last season. The biggest question mark facing the team in the upcoming season is their lack of pitching.

The ace of the rotation is Scott Kazmir, a young lefty who showed plenty of promise last year, going 10-8 with a 3.24 ERA before missing the final six weeks of the season with shoulder inflammation. He has been throwing comfortably in spring training, and the 23-year-old could certainly give the Rays between 12-15 wins, possibly even more if he stays healthy and the bullpen doesn’t blow all his leads.

Unfortunately for Tampa, the rest of the rotation is filled with inconsistent pitchers who haven’t had much luck in recent years. Lefthander Casey Fossum, who was supposed to be out until mid-March with a shoulder injury, has been ahead of schedule and may be ready for Opening Day. Jay Seo, another unproven starter in the rotation, hopes to improve upon his 3-12 showing last season, which he split between the Dodgers and Rays. Righty James Shields is expected to round out the fourth spot, while the final spot is up for grabs in camp.

The bullpen may be the Devil Ray’s shakiest aspect. Although they do not have a sure-fire closer, Seth McClung is the front-runner for the position. He closed for the Devil Rays briefly last year but had some control issues. If they are unable to find a somewhat reliable closer for the season, their loss total may end up well over the century mark again.

As disappointing as the staff is behind Kazmir, the offense does have a bit of promise. The Rays have a young, potent outfield led by All-Star Carl Crawford in left. Crawford, who hit .305 with 18 home runs and 77 RBI, is a speedster who covers a lot of ground and is an outstanding base stealer (58 last season). Centerfielder Rocco Baldelli is fresh off a comeback season, having posted a .302 average with 16 HR and 57 RBI in 2006. After missing all of 2005, he appears to have regained his form and should improve his numbers even more in 2007; at 25, his best years are still ahead of him.

The Devil Ray oufield also boasts one of the game’s brightest prospects in rightfielder Delmon Young. Although he is infamous for tossing his bat at a minor-league umpire while playing for the Durham Bulls, Young figures to put his troubled past behind him and seems poised for a breakout season after performing well with the Rays in a brief stint last year.