2024 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 14

Mason Montgomery lands at 13th overall.

Previous Winner

Mason Montgomery, LHP
AA | 4.18 ERA, 107.2 IP (25 GS) 28.0 K%, 10.5 BB%
AAA | 2.70 ERA, 16.2 IP (4 GS) 18.8 K%, 15.9 BB%

A sixth rounder from 2021, Montgomery is a favorite over at Baseball Prospectus, ranking in the Rays organization’s top-five last year and in their Top-100 at No. 84. This season he lost some helium, especially after a few ugly starts in the second half kept him from getting his ERA under control in Montgomery, and then after only two runs allowed over three starts (16 innings) for Durham, he didn’t make it out of the first inning in his last start of the season on Sept 24. Montgomery has a lot of deception in his delivery, but it’s not one you’d want kids to emulate. He fastball has carry, as you’d expect, and his change up is a decent weapon. Paired with a slider for same handed match ups, and it’s enough to project a back of the rotation role, assuming his arm stays attached to his body. Montgomery broke down his arsenal in conversation a David Laurila interview last year.

Montgomery won a close election for 13th overall, slotting in just three places down from last season, with 8 players receiving votes (not counting Uwasawa). For the next round I have added Urbina and Wilcox, but keep the testers coming, I’d like to keep the prospect voting at 8-10 player profiles.

Rules

There will be a selection of players listed in the comments. To vote, reply to the player’s name with a +1 in the comment. For the best voting experience, filter the comment section by Oldest.

Please vote using whichever criteria you prefer! If you like stats, use stats. If you like scouting reports, reference those reports. There’s no one right way to do this — that’s what makes this exercise fun.

If you want to vote for a player who is not listed, there will be an “Others” comment. Reply to that comment with the name of your selection. This is incredibly rare because there will eventually be up to 10 players to choose from, but it’s possible a player you feel strongly about slipped through the cracks.

If you want to nominate a player to be included in the next poll, reply to the “Testers” comment with that player’s name. We will often limit the number of players accepted for the next poll to prevent the list from becoming cumbersome. All players in one poll who do not win the vote are automatically included in the next poll — there is no need to re-nominate.

Voting will go live on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week.

Candidates

Mason Auer, OF
AA | .205/.292/.348 (.640, 72 wRC+) 511 PA, 11 HR, 47 SB

Auer is the textbook case of why you usually wait until a player reaches Double-A to evaluate their hit tool with any level of certainty. After boasting wRC+ in the 130’s across Class and High-A last season, the Rays aggressively moved the 2021 year old 5th rounder up yet again, and the results were uninspiring at the plate. Baseball America reports Auer tried changing his swing mid-season, so we’ll see how that plays out on offense. Notably, they otherwise write, “Defensively, Auer is a big league-ready, plus-plus center fielder with a plus-plus arm.“ Big praise for a 22-year old.

Osleivis Basabe, SS
AAA | .296/.351/.426 (.777 OPS, 95 wRC+) 426 PA, 4 HR, 16 SB
MLB | .218/.277/.310 (.587 OPS, 67 wRC+) 94 PA, 1 HR, 0 SB

La Pantera Negra emerged as the answer at short stop after the loss of Taylor Walls to injury and Wander Franco to administrative leave last season. His promotion got the Rays over the line and into the playoffs but was probably sooner than warranted. He’s reliable at a difficult position and should hit for average if given a lengthier opportunity, but may not project as a regular. That might be for the best, as Basabe’s profile may be better utilized in a utility role at given the Rays depth in the infield, but he has the upside of a starter at short. With the recently acquired José Caballero on the roster, he’ll likely be heading back to Triple-A to start the season.

Tre’ Morgan, 1B
Rk-A | .396/.482/.542 (1.024 OPS, 182 wRC+ in A) 56 PA, 1 HR, 4 SB

Three-year LSU first baseman Morgan was taken by the Rays in the third round of 2023, marking what looks like a strong draft class on offense for Tampa Bay. He’s a strong defender at first baseman who can hit and hit consistently, even if it’s without commanding power thus far. If his swing follows his physical maturity, he could be show 15 HR pop in an outfield role, but following his current trajectory as a slap hitting 1B with an elite glove, it sure sounds like a Rays first baseman.

Adrian Santana, SS
Rk | .205/.340/.256 (.597 OPS, 73 wRC+) 47 PA, 0 HR, 3 SB

Don’t let the stats above fool you, even though his bat will likely lag behind the rest of his game throughout his development. The (currently) switch-hitting Santana is a high school 2023 draft pick that was given 10 games in the Complex League to get a taste of professional life, and should slot into SS for Class-A in 2024, where his glove and speed are expected to draw rave reviews. Baseball Prospectus ranked Santana sixth in the system for his “double plus” defense, projecting him as an above average regular at short.

Ian Seymour, LHP
Rk | 1.35 ERA, 6.2 IP (4 GS) 11 K, 4 BB
A | 1.64 ERA, 22.0 IP (6 GS) 22 K, 5 BB
A+ | 2.08 ERA, 8.2 IP (2 GS) 9 K, 5 BB
AA | 0.00 ERA, 4.2 IP (1 GS) 4 K, 2 BB

Seymour returned from Tommy John surgery on June 29, and got a slow start with a Complex and Low-A placement at couple-inning stints, but the Rays strategy proved successful. He was able to string together 13 starts across four levels, and locked it down each step of the way. If you remove his injured 2022, Seymour is has a career 1.76 ERA. Like fellow org southpaw Mason Montgomery, he’s a deception-lefty with a violent arm action, but unlike Montgomery he trades the plus slider for a plus change up with 10 mph separation. The over the top delivery has an awful head jerk (video), and accordingly gives the traditional mind a reliever projection, but if it works it works?

Chandler Simpson, OF
A | .285/.358/.333 (.691 OPS, 103 wRC+) 397 PA, 0 HR, 81 SB
A+ | .326/.429/.393 (.822 OPS, 135 wRC+) 106 PA, 0 HR, 13 SB

Yes, you read that right. 94 steals, it’s 80 grade speed. Back in 2021, he also set the record wood bat Northwoods League record with 55 bags in 51 games as a second baseman. The Rays then drafted him in the Comp-B round and moved him to the outfield, where his elite speed might offer promise in center field. His slap happy approach at the plate combined with a lack of K’s give his hitting better projection than might be expected from an otherwise zero-power profile. Since the start of the 2022 season, Simpson has the 5th lowest whiff% in the minor leagues, resulting in 54 walks to his 44 strikeouts in 2023.

Jose Urbina, RHP
Rk | 5.32 ERA, 23.2 IP (11 G, 8 GS) 21 K, 12 BB

A seventeen-year old out of Venezuela nearing 98 mph with his fastball, Urbina was signed for $210k and moved to the US without much pomp and circumstance despite skipping the DSL. His bulked up shoulders belong more of a swimmer than a pitcher, but it’s a good body. The delivery has hints of high effort red flags, but that’s to be expected for his age and velocity. Despite his youth, the fastball should play at every level. His best pitch, the breaking ball, shows major league potential in any part of the zone, and he’s shown feel for a change. If he were a high schooler, you might not blush if Urbina was considered a first round talent. (video)

Cole Wilcox, RHP
AA | 5.23 ERA, 106.2 IP (25 GS) 21.8% K, 9.7% BB

Wilcox’s first full season following Tommy John surgery in 2021 was muted, with his strikeouts lacking the expected mid-30’s rate. Perhaps that’s because his previous high-octane fastball that earned first round money from the Padres, before they sent him to the Rays in the Snell trade, barely scratches 94 these days. Good pitchers adjust, and the new version of Wilcox was working on a groundballer’s sinker/slider approach in 2023. He’s got a starter’s frame and the breaking ball plays, but it’s an open question as to whether it’s still a major league profile or just a projection of his pedigree.