Get to Know #9: Drew Rasmussen

If you’re a Rays fan, you probably know of Drew Rasmussen (because he plays on the Tampa Bay Rays). But if you don’t root for the Rays, there is a very good chance you haven’t heard this guys’ name mentioned once. However, I believe he is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. In this article, I’ll explain why and give a little more insight into who he is as a player, and detail how dominant and consistent  he has been in the past couple seasons because he even finished tied for 9th in MVP voting in 2025.

Pronunciation: 

Drew Rass-muss-en

Drew Rasmussen: 

Full Name: Drew Thomas Rasmussen

Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Position: Starting pitcher

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Height: 6’1

Weight: 240 lbs

Born: July 27th, 1995, in Puyallup, Washington

Age: 30 years old

2025 Stats:

bWAR: 5.5

Wins: 10

Losses: 5

ERA: 2.76

Games Started: 31

Inning Pitched: 150

Strikeouts: 127

WHIP: 1.020

ERA Last Five Seasons:

2021: 2.44 (20 games)

2022: 2.84 (28 games)

2023: 2.62 (8 games)

2024: 2.83 (16 games)

2025: 2.76 (31 games)

Awards: 

August 2022: AL Pitcher of the Month

March 2025: MLB Opening Day Starter

July 2025: AL All-Star

Injuries:

2016: Torn UCL (right elbow)

2017: Torn UCL (right elbow)

2022: Left hamstring strain

2023: Right forearm flexor strain

2023: Right elbow/UCL damage

2024: Recovery/rehab from elbow surgery

2026 Salary:

$5,750,000

Teams and Numbers:

2020 - mid 2021: Brewers (number 43)

rest of 2021 - 2026 (now): Rays (number 57)

Thoughts: 

I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about how dominant Rasmussen has been in the past few years. I get that he has been plagued by a few injuries, but he has battled through them and has still put up some very good numbers. He also has a very very low walk rate, and an expected ERA better than what his current 2026 ERA is (according to baseballsavant.com). He also throws 6 pitches (Cutter (36.2%)  Four Seamer (27.5%), Sinker (20.0%), Changeup (9.2%), Curveball (4.3%), Sweeper (2.8%) all with relatively good command. I’m excited to see what he can do now that he is fully healthy.

Thanks for reading!