Williams, Taylor, Morgan headline Rays' 2024 Minor League awards

ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays prospects Tre’ Morgan, Chandler Simpson, Carson Williams, Brayden Taylor and Tanner Murray are having a busy week.

They finished the regular season with Double-A Montgomery on Sunday in Pensacola, Fla., before beginning the Southern League postseason with a convincing 9-2 victory over Biloxi on the road on Tuesday night. Before continuing the Division Series back in Montgomery on Thursday, they took a drive to New Orleans with Morgan’s father, John, and flew to the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday morning.

Then they made an important stop at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night. They all had some hardware to collect.

Morgan (Tampa Bay’s No. 10 prospect) was named the Rays’ Minor League Player of the Year. Simpson (No. 4) was named Baserunner of the Year. Murray was named Defensive Player of the Year. Williams (Rays’ No. 1/No. 4 overall) took home Montgomery’s MVP award, while Taylor (Rays’ No. 3/No. 47 overall) received the same honor for High-A Bowling Green.

Not a bad week, right?

“It’s a lot of travel. It's a quick turnaround,” Simpson said, smiling. “We’ve got to lock back in tomorrow, but it's cool. It's a great experience.”

They all earned the opportunity to be recognized with their performance on the field.

Simpson stole a Minor League-leading 104 bases. Murray worked around the infield, flashing impressive leather wherever he lined up. Williams and Taylor both recorded 20-20 seasons. And Morgan boosted his stock more than any prospect in the system with his incredible performance at the plate.

“Obviously, we have the No. 1 farm system in baseball, so to get this award, it's an honor,” Morgan said. “It's a testament to the work I put in in the offseason. It paid off.”

The Rays were especially pleased to see that prospect-laden lineup give up their off-day to attend, just as they’ve been thrilled with the way the group has come together to represent the bright future of the organization.

“Really excited that they could all come here in the midst of a playoff run,” vice president and assistant general manager Kevin Ibach said. “Really special group of players. I talk to Kevin Cash all the time about how this is a group that we expect big things out of in years to come, and this is going to be a core of what we expect to be a Major League team in the next couple years.”

The Rays handed out several other awards during a pregame ceremony hosted by pregame/postgame radio host Chris Adams-Wall.

• Left-hander Ian Seymour (Rays’ No. 17 prospect) was named the organization’s Pitcher of the Year. A second-round pick in the 2020 Draft whose rapid ascent was stalled by Tommy John surgery, the left-hander put together a 2.31 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 158 strikeouts in 140 1/3 innings over 26 starts between Double-A and Triple-A.

• Two of the Rays’ most promising pitching prospects, both 19 years old, received MVP awards: right-hander Gary Gill Hill (No. 7) for Single-A Charleston, and righty Trevor Harrison (No. 25) for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays.

• Gill Hill established himself as arguably the top pitching prospect in the system by posting a 3.15 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 108 2/3 innings over 22 outings for Charleston. Harrison, who was born in nearby Safety Harbor, earned a midsummer promotion from the FCL to Charleston and recorded a 3.34 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings over 17 appearances between the two levels.

• Alfredo Zárraga was recognized as the system’s Reliever of the Year. The 23-year-old Venezuelan right-hander logged a 3.21 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 56 innings while spending most of the season with Montgomery before being promoted to Durham in mid-August.

• Outfielder Kameron Misner, who debuted with the Rays earlier this season, was named Durham’s MVP. The 26-year-old hit .251/.359/.448 with 17 homers, 55 RBIs and 29 steals in 109 games for the Bulls.

• In the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, catcher Jose Tovar -- who hit .288/.400/.374 in 42 games -- took home MVP honors for the club’s “Rays” affiliate while lefty Yereny Teus (5-2, 2.50 ERA, 71 strikeouts in 14 outings) received the same award for the “Tampa Bay” team.

• Charleston left-hander Drew Dowd, an eighth-round pick out of Stanford in last year’s Draft, received the club’s Erik Walker Community Champion Award, which annually recognizes a Rays Minor Leaguer who exemplifies teamwork, sportsmanship and community involvement. The Rays Baseball Foundation will donate $2,500 to a charity of Dowd’s choosing.