After leading the Mets and Cubs to the playoffs the past two seasons, Cliff Floyd is bringing his magic act to the Rays this season.  Here’s a look at how good teams have followed Floyd throughout his Major League career.

If the season ended today, the Tampa Bay Rays would make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.  Some would attribute that fact to the team dropping the word “Devil” from its nickname prior to the start of this season.

Me, I am going with the theory that the Rays are moving forward because of the addition of Cliff Floyd, who is developing into MLB’s version of Robert Horry, a contributing player who always finds himself on good teams.

The team’s primary designated hitter in 2008, Floyd is batting just .257 but with an isolated power number of .218 thanks to six home runs and four doubles in 101 at-bats.  Those are respectable numbers, but I wonder if Floyd is one of those mythical creatures that we hear so much about - an experienced player who actually provides intangibles and veteran presence.

Last year, the Rays went 66-96 and finished last in the AL East.  This year, in Floyd’s first season with the club, they are 47-31 and have the fourth-best record in the Majors.

In 2007, Floyd played his only season with the Cubs.  Prior to his arrival, Chicago went 66-96 and finished in last place in the NL Central.  With Floyd on the team, the Cubs went 85-77 and won their division.

Floyd spent the last of his four seasons with the Mets in 2006.  That year New York went 97-65 and advanced to the NLCS, finishing a game shy of the World Series.  And everyone remembers how the Mets finished the 2007 season.  Would the collapse have occurred if Cliff Floyd was still around?

This marks the 16^th season that Floyd has played in the Majors.  Originally a first-round pick of the Expos in 1991 (one pick after the Indians took Manny Ramirez), Floyd was a highly-touted Minor League prospect.  He was ranked the third-best prospect in the game by Baseball America prior to the 1993 season and a year later he topped BA’s list.

After getting a cup of coffee with the Expos in 1993, Floyd played 100 games for Montreal in the strike-shortened 1994 season, and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year Award balloting.  That was the year the Expos finished with the best record in baseball with a 74-40 mark prior to the strike and Bud Selig canceling the World Series.

The following season, Floyd suffered a gruesome wrist injury which probably altered his career path.  Playing first base, Floyd was involved in a collision with Todd Hundley which shattered his right wrist.  The ensuing surgery required eight screws to stabilize the wrist.  Doctors compared the injury to something that they would see from a motorcycle or skiing accident rather than something on the baseball diamond.  They feared for Floyd’s MLB future.

Without Floyd in the lineup, the Expos tumbled to a last-place finish in 1995.

Floyd returned in 1996 and played in 117 games, although he was no longer a first baseman.  And while Floyd did not post impressive numbers, the Expos rebounded to post 88 wins and finish in second place behind only the Atlanta Braves.

With the rapid rise of Vladimir Guerrero, the Expos traded Floyd to the Marlins prior to the 1997 season.  Injuries limited his playing time in Florida, but the Fish set a franchise record for wins with 92 and went on the win both the Wild Card and the World Series with Floyd on the roster.  Meanwhile, the Expos dropped back to 78 wins.

Floyd continued to produce when healthy for the Marlins the next four seasons and was a bottom-ballot MVP candidate in 2001.  The following year was the only blemish on his resume as a boost for playoff teams when he was re-acquired by the Expos, as the team made a mad dash for contention in 2002 to stave off contraction threats.

Montreal stumbled and quickly dealt Floyd to the Red Sox later that same year.  Boston finished with 93 wins but missed the playoffs.  However, that was no fault of Floyd’s, who batted .316 with a .374 on-base percentage and a .561 slugging mark in 171 at-bats with the Red Sox.  Floyd left Boston after that stint to sign as a free agent with the Mets.

Floyd has been on playoff teams with Florida, New York and Chicago in his career.  He was a contributing member to the best team in baseball in 1994 with the Expos.  He was a key performer down the stretch for a 93-win team in Boston.  And now he’s along for the ride with a Tampa Bay team that has arrived a year earlier than expected.

At some point, Cliff Floyd should be recognized for his role on all of these winning teams.  Broadcaster and former player Tim McCarver once said that Bob Gibson was the luckiest pitcher ever because he always pitched when the other team scored no runs.  Perhaps Cliff Floyd has some of that Gibson luck in him, too.