Rays enter 2023 with deep, talented system

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Taj Bradley and Curtis Mead followed up breakout 2021 seasons with almost equally impressive 2022 campaigns, and now they’re the top two prospects in the Tampa Bay system.

Carson Williams, Kyle Manzardo and Junior Caminero followed up breakout 2022 seasons with … well, that’s still to be determined.

• MLB Pipeline | Top 100 prospects | Prospect video

Williams (No. 72) and Manzardo (No. 73) have transitioned from the 2021 Draft into an MLB Pipeline preseason Top 100 Prospect list for the first time, while Caminero -- who was acquired from the Guardians in a minor November 2021 trade -- sits just outside of that status. They’re key cogs in the wheel of Rays talent that had kept spinning endlessly over the last decade.

“I think the most impactful thing is guys see it,” said Rays director of Minor League operations Jeff McLerran. “They’re able to be in drills right next to the Tajes and the Curtises that are just ahead of them. They can see for themselves just how close they are, or they can see, ‘Hey, I need to spend a little extra time here.'"

There are clear areas of focus for all three during their second springs as Rays prospects.

A Minor League Gold Glove winner at shortstop last year who finished with 19 homers, Williams has power and defense down but will need to improve his pitch recognition and lower his 32.1 percent K rate from Single-A Charleston to meet his considerable ceiling.

Manzardo showed impressive contact and slugging rates at High-A and Double-A – and those have continued this spring as he’s gone 6-for-18 (.333) with two homers in nine games – but he’ll have to face pitchers with a better plan against him now that he’s more of a known quantity.

Caminero exhibited impressive raw pop at both Single-A and Australia, where he played winter ball this offseason. The 19-year-old is also an average third baseman at best in a system loaded with prospects on the dirt.

Bradley and Mead seem likely headed to St. Petersburg at various points in 2023, meaning the above trio are the next ones up to be the faces of Rays system. If they falter, others like Mason Montgomery, Mason Auer or 2022 top pick Xavier Isaac could just as possibly slide in to assume the mantle. Such is life in a deep system.

“Because of what our scouts do in bringing in players, whether it’s the Draft or international or trades, those guys are able to compete right next to one another and push each other,” McLerran said. “I think that, more than anything we can tell them as staff members, is the benefit of having all these guys.”

Camp standout: Osleivis Basabe

Tampa Bay’s No. 7 prospect made for a pretty easy 40-man addition in the offseason after he batted .324 with an .824 OPS, a minuscule 11.9 percent K rate and 21 steals in 112 games at High-A and Double-A in 2022 before becoming Rule 5-eligible. But instead of being wide-eyed and awestruck in his first 40-man spring, the 22-year-old infielder has fit in nicely with the big club this spring, going 9-for-19 (.474) with as many extra-base hits as punchouts (two apiece) in 11 Grapefruit League contests.

The Rays optioned Basabe to the Minors on Monday as they turn the focus toward constructing the Major League roster, but that type of plus hit tool from the right side certainly left an impression.

“We knew that he had pretty incredible contact ability,” McLerran said, “but the way that he’s been showing that he's able to drive the ball as well, while facing some pretty stout pitching early in camp, is pretty exciting."

Breakout candidate: Evan Reifert

Reifert put himself on the map in a big way during the Arizona Fall League, where he was Reliever of the Year after fanning 25 in 11 2/3 scoreless innings. His mid-80s slider is a legitimate plus-plus wipeout pitch that hitters cannot square up whatsoever, and that’s continued this spring, as he’s thrown 33 sliders measured by Statcast entering Monday, nine of which have resulted in whiffs. He’s fanned 11 of the 17 batters he’s faced in Grapefruit League play, all while walking only two – thereby locking in the control improvements brought about by a focus to be less fine in his location target.

The 23-year-old right-hander also features a mid-90s sinking fastball that ensures batters aren’t just looking for the breaker, but the slider is so good that it isn’t difficult imagining Reifert helping out the Tampa Bay bullpen at some point in 2023. This is, after all, an organization that may value having a deep corps of relievers more than any other in the game.

“Obviously, the slider is the highlight, but he’s tinkered with some changes to his fastball in the hopes of getting a little bit more movement to complement the slider,” McLerran said. “We’ll find that balance, but we’re really excited about how he’s been able to carry over the success from the Fall League while pushing himself to a new level.”

Something to prove: Greg Jones

Typically batters with an 88 wRC+ and 35.8 percent strikeout rate at Double-A don’t get added to a 40-man roster. But Jones has something a lot of Minor League hitters don’t -- legit plus-plus speed.

The 2019 22nd overall pick swiped 37 bags in 42 attempts with Montgomery last summer, and he’s just the type of player whose career could benefit most from the Major League rules changes meant to encourage movement on the basepaths in 2023 and beyond. The Rays have said this spring that they are exploring giving Jones, a shortstop throughout his career, more time in center field to let his wheels play, so it’s clear they’re exploring avenues to playing time. But Jones has to make contact; he’s struck out 11 times in 20 plate appearances this spring.

“We judge our players on how the sum comes together,” McLerran said. “If that means providing more value defensively or by providing more value at the plate, we don't really care where it comes from. How do we get the most impactful players we can? Certainly in Greg's case and really for anybody who has shown the ability to steal bases, these new rules are going to allow them to add more value on the basepaths.”