Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Roundup: Week 8

Speedster Chandler Simpson is racing through the system with an early season promotion to Double-A

Every Monday during the regular season, each minor league team has the day off (excluding the Florida Complex League). This serves as an excellent check point system to check in on how each team and individual prospect is performing. We are now eight weeks into the 2024 campaign and some prospects have certainly continued their ascent up the organizational ladder while others are off to less than stellar starts.

According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), the overall top hitter in the Rays farm system right now is one of the top prospects in the Rays system, 20-year old Carson Williams (his season statline can be found further below).

Meanwhile, the top pitcher is still 25-year old southpaw Ian Seymour. After dealing with injuries throughout the start of his professional career, Seymour is finally healthy and is dominating in Double-A. Over eight starts, Seymour has a 2.81 ERA | 3.23 FIP with a 32.3 K% and 5.6 BB% over 41 2/3 innings pitched.

Before we get to the statistical breakdowns. Here is some news from around the Rays system.

• OF Chandler Simpson, 23, is being promoted to Double-A Montgomery. The infielder turned outfielder has been a thrill to watch with routine ground balls turning into easy base hits. Never one to hit for power, he has 0 home runs and a career .357 SLG%, he has a knack for getting on base. Thus far in High-A this season, Simpson was hitting .364/.431/.372 with 31 stolen bases over 32 games. Simpson possesses an elite contact ability that allows him to maintain a low strikeout rate and works counts into eventual walks. He owns a 10.2 BB% this season with a 10.9 K%, meanwhile his 3.7 whiff% is the 4th best in all of minor league baseball among 1531 players with at least 50 plate appearances.
• LHP Brendan McKay, 28, was recently promoted to Triple-A Durham as he continued to make his way back from several season costing surgeries. Unfortunately, before pitching for Durham, he has been placed on the 60-day IL with a UCL sprain in his left elbow. He will be shut down for 5-6 weeks, with the hopes of rehabbing through the injury and returning later this season.
• 1B/OF Tre’ Morgan, 21, since being promoted to High-A last week is hitting .529/.636/1.000 over his first five games.
• LHP Jeffrey Springs, 31, began his rehab assignment on Monday in the FCL. He allowed base hits to the first three batters, but struck out the next two and finished out his inning of work with a flyout.
• SS Taylor Walls, 27, will begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday in the FCL.

Let’s break it down by team; the offensive players must still be at that level and have at least 50 plate appearances; the pitchers must have at least 50 batters faced, excluding the FCL which just began play. All stats were recorded prior to the start of play on Tuesday.

Durham Bulls

Record: 18-27, 11.5 games back (9th place in the International League East)

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .329, Jake Mangum
OBP: .431, Yu Chang
SLG: .551, Ruben Cardenas
HR: 9, Ruben Cardenas
wRC+: 145, Yu Chang
SB: 13, Kameron Misner

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.95, Justin Sterner
FIP: 3.20, Michael Gomez
K%: 33.3, Justin Sterner
BB%: 3.8%, Joe Rock
WHIP: 0.89, Justin Sterner
AVG: .187. Justin Sterner
WHIFF%: 15.8%, Edwin Uceta

Top 10 Prospects

• Junior Caminero:
  .301/.368/.540 | 21.6 K% | 8.8 BB% | 7 HR | 1 SB | 132 wRC+ | 125 PA
• Osleivis Basabe:
  .224/.270/.276 | 22.2 K% | 1.6 BB% | 1 HR | 1 SB | 42 wRC+ | 63 PA.
  Currently on the 7-day IL with a fractured wrist suffered on 4/16
• Shane Baz:
  7.88 ERA | 7.64 FIP | 9.8 K% | 19.5 BB% | .281 AVG | 8 IP.
  On a rehab assignment with Durham recovering after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022.

Montgomery Biscuits

Record: 22-17, (1st place in the Southern League)

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .346, Carson Williams
OBP: .426, Carson Williams
SLG: .631, Carson Williams
HR: 7, Carson Williams
wRC+: 218, Carson Williams
SB: 17, Dru Baker

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.00, Adam Leverett
FIP: 3.03, Antonio Jimenez
K%: 34.7%, Alfredo Zarraga
BB%: 1.5%, Sean Hunley
WHIP: 0.79, Sean Hunley
AVG: .175, Austin Vernon
WHIFF%: 21.2%, Austin Vernon

Top 10 Prospects

• Carson Williams:
  .346/.426/.631 | 24.3 K% | 10.8 BB% | 7 HR | 10 SB | 218 wRC+ | 148 PA
• Dom Keegen:
  .239/.353/.425 | 22.3 K% | 13.7 BB% | 5 HR | 0 SB | 136 wRC+ | 139 PA

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Record: 21-18, (1st place in the South Atlantic League South)

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .284, Cooper Kinney
OBP: .403, Brayden Taylor
SLG: .516, Xavier Isaac
HR: 7, Xavier Isaac
wRC+: 150, Xavier Isaac
SB: 10, Brock Jones

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.69, Alex Cook
FIP: 2.10, Nate Dahle
K%: 32.9%, Nate Dahle
BB%: 3.8%, T.J. Fondtain
WHIP: 0.88, T.J. Fondtain
AVG: .167, Yoniel Curet
WHIFF%: 21.1%, Gerlin Rosario

Top 10 Prospects

• Xavier Isaac:
  .279/.369/.516 | 26.2 K% | 12.1 BB% | 7 HR | 8 SB | 150 wRC+ | 141 PA
• Brayden Taylor:
  .243/.403/.423 | 25.7 K% | 20.8 BB% | 4 HR | 9 SB | 142 wRC+ | 144 PA

Charleston River Dogs

Record: 17-21, 4 games back (5th place in the Carolina League South)

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .279, Angel Mateo
OBP: .398, Noah Myers
SLG: .450, Angel Mateo
HR: 4, Angel Mateo
wRC+: 142, Angel Mateo
SB: 14, Noah Myers

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 1.31, Chandler Murphy
FIP: 3.18, Chandler Murphy
K%: 29.3%, Adam Boucher
BB%: 1.5%, Santiago Suarez
WHIP: 1.02, Chandler Murphy
AVG: .154, Dalton Fowler
WHIFF%: 16.9%, Hayden Snelsire

Top 10 Prospects

• Adrian Santana:
  .183/.264/.217 | 20.2 K% | 10.1 BB% | 0 HR | 13 SB | 53 wRC+ | 129 PA

FCL Rays

Record: 6-5, two games back (4th place in the Florida Coast League South)

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .344, Enzo Paulino
OBP: .469, Juanfel Peguero
SLG: .594, Enzo Paulino
HR: 1, Brailer Guerrero & Enzo Paulino
wRC+: 220, Brailer Guerrero
SB: 5, Brailer Guerrero

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 0.87. Joel Canizalez
FIP: 2.52, Michael Saturria
K%: 35.5%, Jeremy Pilon
BB%: 6.1%, Trevor Harrison
WHIP: 0.77, Joel Canizalez
AVG: .114, Joel Canizalez
WHIFF%: 23.3%, Jeremy Pilon