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.

CINCINNATI -- Now that the Minor League season is underway, MLB Pipeline expert Sam Dykstra and I decided to take a quick tour of Tampa Bay’s farm system by each highlighting one prospect to watch at every full-season affiliate.

To encourage slightly deeper dives into Tampa Bay’s prospect pool, we exempted their top two prospects (Taj Bradley, who’s starting for the Rays on Tuesday night, and Curtis Mead) from this exercise. It was still no easy task, considering the sheer number of quality prospects in the Rays’ deep system.

Triple-A Durham

Dykstra’s pick: 1B Kyle Manzardo (Rays No. 4, MLB No. 67)

The 2021 second-rounder is the rare hit-over-power first baseman, but that’s only because his hit tool is so good that it outranks his above-average pop. Manzardo posted a near-even K/BB ratio in his first full season of 2022 while hitting 22 home runs in 93 games, and the Rays decided he needed a new challenge after playing only 30 of those contests at Double-A. He’s handled the aggressive assignment well early and could be in line to see The Show before his 23rd birthday in July. Consider him this year’s Vinnie Pasquantino.

Berry’s pick: INF Osleivis Basabe (Rays No. 7)

Basabe received a similarly aggressive promotion to Durham after playing only 57 games in Double-A last season, but he’s earned it with his elite contact skills at the plate and his ability to handle both middle-infield positions. There are a bunch of middle infielders blocking his path to the big leagues, but he thoroughly impressed Tampa Bay’s staff in Spring Training by going 9-for-19 with a double and a homer in 11 games.

Double-A Montgomery

Dykstra’s pick: OF Mason Auer (Rays No. 8)

There aren’t many Tampa Bay prospects as tooled-up as Auer headed into his second full season. The 2021 fifth-rounder is a plus runner with an absolute hose from the outfield, and he exhibited promising raw power with 48 extra-base hits in 115 games last season. Auer heads to the upper Minors for the first time, where both the player and organization could get an answer to the biggest question on his profile -- can he make enough contact to reach his ceiling?

Berry’s pick: RHP Cole Wilcox (Rays No. 9)

Wilcox was off to an excellent start with Single-A Charleston in 2021, but he made only 10 starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery that then limited him to 16 innings last season. But Wilcox has a ton of talent, as his third round-record $3.3 million signing bonus would indicate, and he’s put it on display in his first two starts after bypassing the High-A level: one run on four hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts over eight innings.

High-A Bowling Green

Dykstra’s pick: INF Junior Caminero (Rays No. 5, MLB No. 100)

This time last year, Caminero -- acquired from the Guardians in a minor November 2021 deal -- still hadn’t played for a domestic affiliate. Now, he’s already climbed to High-A after hitting .314/.384/.498 with 11 homers in 62 games in the Florida Complex and Carolina Leagues in 2022. The Rays love Caminero’s power potential from the right side, and there could be more pop coming since he’s still only playing in his age-19 season.

Berry’s pick: SS Carson Williams (Rays No. 3, MLB No. 66)

There’s a lot to like about Williams, the Rays’ first-round pick in the 2021 Draft. He’s a slick-fielding shortstop with a cannon for an arm and a surprising amount of power at the plate, and club officials have raved about his maturity and leadership traits, especially for such a young player -- he turns 20 on June 25. If there’s one area for concern, it’s Williams’ strikeout rate; he whiffed in 32.1 percent of his plate appearances last season, and he struck out in half of his 26 at-bats to begin this year.

Single-A Charleston

Dykstra’s pick: 1B Xavier Isaac (Rays No. 10)

The Rays shocked many by taking Isaac (then ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 113 Draft prospect) in the first round last year, and the organization’s decision-makers insisted they’d found a hidden gem in North Carolina because of the left-handed slugger’s ability to generate power with good bat speed. Isaac spent part of the offseason working out with 2022 pick Brock Jones and showed up to his first Spring Training in impressive shape. At just 19, he’s a long-term project no matter what happens in 2023, but a strong start with the RiverDogs could make the Rays front office look good … again.

Berry’s pick: OF Chandler Simpson (Rays No. 18)

There are a bunch of interesting prospects at this level, including Isaac and Jones, but let’s go with a prospect unlike many others. Our colleague Jim Callis likes to relay the quip from some evaluators that, on the 20-80 scouting scale, Simpson has 90 speed and 10 power. That’s played out even in his brief pro exposure: He has 17 hits, including 13 singles, but 18 stolen bases in 15 games. If he can find ways to get on base and learn to harness his speed in center field, he’ll be a fascinating player to follow.