This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Be honest: Back in Spring Training, did you predict Isaac Paredes would be leading the Rays in home runs and Harold Ramírez would have their highest batting average on Independence Day?

Paredes’ emergence as a legitimate power threat could go a long way toward solidifying Tampa Bay’s scuffling lineup. Plenty of young players have been given opportunities to step up, and Paredes is taking advantage of his chance by launching homers and playing solid defense around the infield.

Ramírez, meanwhile, has been making the most of his opportunities all season. He entered the Rays’ series at Fenway Park hitting .323 with an .816 OPS, third on the team behind Paredes and Ji-Man Choi, to go along with 29 RBIs (behind only Choi and Randy Arozarena). He’s been at his best lately, batting .398/.447/.554 with 16 RBIs in 27 games since the start of June.

Whether he’s starting at first base or right field, getting at-bats at DH or coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter, Ramírez has found a way to contribute. He does so with an enjoyably upbeat attitude and an admirably simple approach.

“I’m always saying, ‘See the ball, hit the ball.’ I don’t like to think too much,” Ramírez told reporters in Toronto on Sunday. “When I think too much, I feel very bad at the plate. I just look for the ball and hit it.”

Among hitters who’ve put at least 150 balls in play this season, Ramírez has the Majors’ fifth-highest batting average at .323. That’s not some sort of fluke, either, as his Statcast-estimated expected average is … .324, also among the top five in the big leagues. 

After telling the Rays’ hitting coaches earlier this season that he was tired of hitting ground balls, Ramírez has put the ball in the air more often and has increased his average launch angle month to month. And he’s hitting just about everything; he has a .321 average against fastballs, a .288 mark against breaking pitches and a .423 average against offspeed stuff.

Ramírez's teammates have noticed.

“He’s got a beautiful swing, great approach, sees pitches well,” center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said on Sunday. “We don’t call him ‘Barreled’ Ramírez for nothing. That’s what he does. … He can flat-out hit, and we love it.”

Ramírez appreciates the “Barreled” nickname, but he noted Kiermaier usually calls him something else.

“He says, ‘You are my favorite player,’” Ramírez said. “That’s what he always says.”