Here's how the Rays' Top 10 prospects have performed
ST. PETERSBURG -- With the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League beginning their seasons on Monday, the Minor League campaign in full swing. Here’s a look at how the Rays’ Top 10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, have been performing down on the farm.
No. 1: RHP Taj Bradley, Rays (No. 16 overall)
Injuries forced the Rays to promote Bradley earlier than anticipated and commit to keeping him in the rotation. The 22-year-old has handled each challenge well, putting together a 3.60 ERA with 48 strikeouts and only eight walks in 35 innings over his first seven big league starts.
“Very mature mindset,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Kind of beyond his years for a guy that doesn't have that many innings under his belt, even in the Minor Leagues.”
No. 2: INF Curtis Mead, Triple-A Durham 7-day IL (No. 25 overall)
Mead hasn’t played since April 29 due to a left wrist fracture sustained when he was hit by a pitch. The 22-year-old has been rehabbing with the Rays’ extended spring group in Sarasota, Fla., keeping his legs and throwing arm active to cut down on his recovery time after he is cleared to resume full baseball activities. There’s hope he could return by the end of the month, but Tampa Bay’s primary focus is giving him time to fully heal.
No. 3: 1B Kyle Manzardo, Triple-A Durham (No. 47 overall)
Given an aggressive assignment to Triple-A in his second full professional season, Manzardo has responded by batting .261/.362/.494 with eight homers in 50 games.
The Rays view the 22-year-old as an advanced hitting prospect who’s showing more power this season without sacrificing too much of his ability to make contact. They want him to be an everyday player, which will mean more regular work against left-handed pitchers despite hitting just .183 against them so far this season.
No. 4: SS Carson Williams, High-A Bowling Green (No. 56 overall)
Williams is batting .272/.377/.507 with six homers and nine steals, and the Rays have been pleased with his work at shortstop and on the basepaths. Strikeouts remain an issue for the 2021 first-round Draft pick, as he has whiffed 47 times in his first 37 games, but that’s about the only knock on the 19-year-old at this point.
No. 5: INF Junior Caminero, Double-A Montgomery (No. 57 overall)
Needing a greater challenge to his developing plate discipline than pitchers in High-A could offer, Caminero was promoted to Double-A after a hot start over 36 games for Bowling Green. In his first week with Montgomery, the 19-year-old went 8-for-26 with five RBIs. Viewed as a long-term third baseman, Caminero could get a little more work at shortstop after the Rays traded Alika Williams for reliever Robert Stephenson.
No. 6: LHP Mason Montgomery, Double-A Montgomery
The 22-year-old is still showing impressive strikeout stuff -- he has 55 in 41 2/3 innings -- but walks have been an issue. Montgomery has walked 5.2 batters per nine innings this season, up from 3.1 last year, and he has posted a 4.75 ERA in his first 11 starts. Tampa Bay remains high on Montgomery’s upside, but it has been an uneven start for the Rays’ 2022 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
No. 7: INF Osleivis Basabe, Triple-A Durham
Like Manzardo, Basabe has taken his aggressive assignment to Triple-A and run with it. The 22-year-old is batting .315/.379/.440 in 43 games while playing dependable defense at shortstop, second and third base. Basabe hasn’t yet surpassed the likes of Vidal Bruján as far as being an MLB-ready depth option, but he’s closing the gap.
No. 8: OF Mason Auer, Double-A Montgomery
It has been a struggle at the plate for the ultra-athletic Auer. The 22-year-old has hit .140/.250/.217 with a 41.1 percent strikeout rate in his first 44 games. He has made a little more hard contact lately and continues to provide value with his outfield defense and baserunning, so the Rays believe he can get back to being the impact player he was last year.
No. 9: RHP Cole Wilcox, Double-A Montgomery
The most important thing? Wilcox is healthy. After sitting out most of last season following Tommy John surgery, he has put together a 5.23 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 43 innings over his first 10 starts of the year. His numbers have dipped a bit recently, but that’s partly a product of an increased focus on developing his changeup to further complement his fastball and excellent slider.
No. 10: 1B Xavier Isaac, Single-A Charleston
Isaac has shown the plate discipline and raw power that led the Rays to somewhat surprisingly take him in the first round of last year’s Draft. The 19-year-old has more walks (29) than strikeouts (25), and he has mashed some titanic home runs. Isaac missed about two weeks last month due to a wrist injury, which had occasionally bothered him and may have played a part in his early inconsistency at the plate, but he has gone 11-for-44 with three homers since his return.