The Tampa Bay Rays have turned into pumpkins. The clock has struck midnight on them this season, and they are guilty of not keeping track of the time. When midnight struck, their glass cleats shattered, and they joined the rest of the pumpkins in Charlie Brown’s pumpkin patch.

In baseball terms, it’s mind boggling that a team that drafted Evan Longoria in 2006 and David Price in 2007 could show such puny production from subsequent drafts. It’s true that the Rays selected Longoria with the third pick and Price with the first and with the exception of the draft after those two haven’t selected higher than 17th since, but their choices in recent years leave much to be desired.

In the drafts from 2008 through 2013 the Rays selected 294 players. Only five of those have played in the majors, none with significant playing time or performance. Only three have played for the Rays. One has played for the Cubs and one for the Marlins following trades.

If not for a disabling injury, one of those players might have become a regular member of the Rays’ lineup. Tim Beckham, a second baseman, was the first pick over-all in the 2008 draft, as Price was in 2007. He played in five September games last season, batting seven times and starting one game at second.

However, he was hurt working out in the off-season and had surgery for a torn knee ligament last Dec. 17. He continues to rehabilitate his right knee on the disabled list.

The Rays were able to draft Longoria, Price and Beckham because their consistently pitiful performances put them in position to select high in the draft.

Those dreadful seasons came in the first of the two distinct phases that have made up their relatively brief history.

Under the planning of the founding owner, Vince Naimoli, one of the worst owners in recent baseball history, they had losing records in each of their first 10 years, reaching 70 victories only once, in 2004, the only year they didn’t finish in last place.

Then came phase II. Under the guidance of a new owner, Stuart Sternberg, and his Wall Street Wonders, the Rays have enjoyed six successive positive seasons, winning 90 or more games five of those six seasons and finishing first, second and third two times each. You don’t get the first over-all pick after those kinds of seasons.

After the 2008 Beckham pick, the Rays have picked 30^th, 17^th, 24^th, 25^th, 21^st and 20^th this year.

On the other hand, there was the 2011 draft. With a collection of compensation choices, the Rays had 10 of the first 60 picks and 12 of the first 89. It would seem with that many selections a team could emerge with a good draft by having a promotion to choose a fan to be blindfolded and put her finger on names on a draft list.

The Rays, though, had their regular drafters make the selections, probably starting with general manager Andrew Friedman, who typically didn’t return calls to discuss that draft and others, and they’re still wondering where they went wrong.

There’s still time for the 10 or 12 players the Rays chose that year to develop into major leaguers, but they haven’t offered much evidence of that likelihood. Outfielder Mikie (sic) Mahtook is the only one in the group who was invited to spring training as a non-roster player and is the only one who has played above Class AA in the minor leagues.

In order of their selection and where they are playing this season (all are in Tampa Bay’s minor league system):

• Taylor Guerrieri, right-handed pitcher, Class AA Montgomery (Southern League) disabled list
• Mikie Mahtook, outfielder, Class AAA Durham (International)
• Jake Hager, shortstop, Class AA Montgomery (Southern)
• Brandon Martin, shortstop, rookie Princeton (Appalachian)
• Tyler Goeddel, third base, Class A Charlotte (Florida State)
• Jeff Ames, right-handed pitcher, Class A Charlotte (Florida State)
• Blake Snell, left-handed pitcher, Class A Charlotte (Florida State)
• Kes Carter, outfielder, Class A Charlotte (Florida State)
• Grayson Garvin, left-handed pitcher, Class AA Montgomery (Southern)
• James Harris Jr., outfielder, Class A Bowling Green (Midwest)
• Granden Goetzman, outfielder, Class A Bowling Green (Midwest)
• Lenny Linsky, right-handed pitcher, Class AA Montgomery (Southern) disabled list

“One thing that hurt them was when they had multiple picks a few years ago,” an executive of another team said, referring to the 2011 draft. “They had all those picks in the top 50 or 60 in the country, and they put a high ceiling on high school kids. That hasn’t panned out.”

Six of the Rays’ first 10 picks and seven of the first 12 were high schoolers, and many are struggling to climb through the minor league system.

Asked if the Rays could benefit from making changes in their scouting and development staff, the executive said, “There are probably some people where if they shuffled the deck they could be better.”

Again, General Manager Friedman did not make himself available to comment on that view.

“When you draft first,” the executive added, “you’re set for a number of years. You have unique opportunities to stock your farm system and create a future nucleus. They did well with Longoria and Price. As they found out, when you draft at the other end of the round it’s not as easy. They’re less than successful.”

As if the Rays’ future may look bleak, their present is even more dismal. Entering Sunday’s games, they had the majors’ worst won-lost record, the only winning percentage under .400. Their standing 13 ½ games from first place was the greatest distance in every division but the National League West, where the Diamondbacks were 15 games from first and the Padres 13 ½.

One executive, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn’t want to be quoted talking about another team, said the Rays encountered “a perfect storm.”

“Things were lined up” he said, “but haven’t panned out, starting with the starting pitching. “Four of their five starters were out at one time. The team is built around pitching. I’m not sure any team can withstand having four of five starters out, especially a small-market team. The closer didn’t work out either. He’s had a miserable season.”

The Rays signed Grant Balfour to a two-year, $12 million contract after he gained 62 saves and had a 2.56 earned run average for the Athletics the past two seasons.

This season Balfour has gained 10 saves in 12 opportunities but has a 5.88 earned run average and has thrown only 56 percent of his pitches for strikes. He has walked 20 and struck out 22 in 26 innings. He has also lost his job as the closer.

Two starting pitchers remain on the disabled list, Matt Moore out for the season following elbow surgery (Tommy John variety, of course) and Jeremy Hellickson, whose “minor,” to use the Rays’ word, January elbow operation was supposed to cause him to miss six to eight weeks of the season but has kept him out for two and a half months.

Wil Myers, the 2013 American League rookie of the year, is also not ready to return from his injury, a stress fracture of his right wrist he suffered earlier this season. He was hitting only .227 with 5 home runs and 25 runs batted in when he was injured. The Rays expect their right fielder to be in a cast another four or five weeks.

One of Myers’ replacements has been Kevin Kiermaier, the Rays’ 31^st-round choice in the 2010 draft. Kiermaier has played 19 games, batting .352 (19-for-54) with 3 home runs and 4 r.b.i.

C.J. Riefenhauser is the other Rays’ 2008-2013 draftee who has played for them. A 20^th-round pick in 2010, the left-hander relieved twice against the Mets on consecutive weekend days in April, giving up three earned runs in 2 innings. The Mahopac, N.Y., native hasn’t been seen in a Rays’ uniform since.