Rays Name Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for July
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Operations Department has named infielder Ryan McCoy as Minor League Player of the Month and right-handed pitcher Jackson Baumeister as Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July.
McCoy, 24, slashed .382/.490/.776 (29-for-76) with 10 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 17 RBI, 13 walks, a 1.266 OPS, and nine stolen bases over 23 games for Class-A Bowling Green. He led all High-A batters in doubles, ranked second in OPS, tied for second in runs and extra-base hits, was third in average and slugging percentage, fourth in on-base percentage, and tied for fifth in hits. On the season, he is 65-for-231 (.281) with 22 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 45 RBI, 50 walks, a .431 on-base percentage, a .998 OPS, and 19 stolen bases. His .998 OPS is the second best at the High-A level in 2026.
The Frankfort, Ill. native was signed as a non-drafted free agent from the New York Boulders of the Frontier League on July 21, 2025. McCoy played collegiately at the University of Louisville (2023-24) and University of West Virginia (2021-22). In 18 games with Class-A Charleston last season, he hit .215 (14-for-65) with five doubles, one triple, seven RBI, and a .652 OPS.
Baumeister, 24, made four starts in July to a 1-0 record with a 1.77 ERA (20.1 IP, 4 ER), 30 strikeouts, a .136 (9-for-66) opponent batting average, and a 0.89 WHIP. He allowed three runs or fewer in each of his four starts, including a quality start on July 11 at Pensacola where he tossed 7.0 innings of one-run ball. The right-hander ranked highly among Double-A arms last month in opponent batting average (second), opponent OPS (fifth, .482), WHIP (sixth), and ERA (10th). Across the 2026 season, Baumeister has gone 4-3 with a 4.66 ERA (75.1 IP, 39 ER), 86 strikeouts, a .212 (55-for-260) opponent batting average, and a 1.23 WHIP in 17 starts.
The Jacksonville, Fla. native was acquired by the Rays from the Baltimore Orioles alongside outfielder Matthew Etzel and outfielder Mac Horvath in exchange for right-handed pitcher Zach Eflin on July 26, 2024. The Orioles selected him out of Florida State University in Competitive Balance Round B (63rd overall) of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft.