A Minor Review of 2015: Tampa Bay Rays

Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Steven Souza, OF: All kinds of eyebrows were raised (including my own) when the Rays gave up on Will Myers and replaced him with the overaged-rookie Souza. The 26-year-old rookie struggled to hit for average in 2015 because of a massive strikeout rate (34.6%) but he walked more than his fair share and also hit for power; he’s currently third on the team in home runs behind Evan Longoria and the surprising Logan Forsythe — and second on the team in Isolated Power (ISO) behind Tim Beckham. So, he wasn’t the breakout player the Rays were probably hoping for but he’s been more valuable than one might expect by looking at this batting average.

The Riser: Blake Snell, LHP: Snell, 22, has flashed potential since his amateur years — not surprising considering he was selected 52nd overall in 2011. But command and control issues slowed his ascent through the minors (plus the Rays are notoriously cautious in their development of pitchers). Everything clicked in 2015 and he played at three different levels after opening the year in High-A ball. He allowed just 84 hits in 134 innings and whiffed 163 batters. With his walks under control, hitters struggled mightily against the southpaw. Look for Snell to break into a talented Rays rotation around mid-2016.

The Tumbler: Justin O’Conner, C: Selected 31st overall in 2010, O’Conner made significant strides with his glove in the first few seasons of his pro career. Then, in 2014, it looked like his bat took a step forward with a .782 OPS. Things went from OK to worse when returned to Double-A in 2015 and saw that OPS dip more than .100, in part due to an ugly BB-K rate of 13-129. O’Conner may still have a future as a backup but he’s struggling to live up to the lofty draft status, and the organization now has Chris Betts and Nick Ciuffo climbing the catching depth charts too.

The ’15 Draft Pick: Joe McCarthy, OF: Back surgery derailed McCarthy’s promising college career and he slipped to the Rays in the fifth round of the ’15 draft. Regardless, he had a solid debut in short-season ball by showing an advanced eye and good base-running abilities. One thing he didn’t do, though, was hit for power (just nine of his 51 hits were for extra bases) and he’ll likely need to find a little more pop since he projects to play left field in the Majors.

The Lottery Ticket: Adrian Rondon, SS: The Rays have turned significant focus to the international market in recent years and were big players in that field in 2014, signing perhaps the top hitter available in Rondon. The teenager got off to a rocky start with an assignment to rookie ball in North America and hit just .166 in 43 games. Still, he’s considered toolsy at the plate and a solid defensive player given his experience level. It will take time but Rondon could be an impact player for the Rays.