Former Mississippi State Bulldog Star Called Up By the Tampa Bay Rays

The Mayor is moving up - Jake Mangum will be on the Tampa Bay Ray big league roster this week.

Mar 3, 2024; North Port, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Jake Mangum (72) heads for third base in the third inning of the spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

It took a while - a long while - but the former Mississippi State star Jake Mangum is moving up to the big club with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 29-year-old outfielder has been in the minors since 2019 - hitting .296 with 24 home runs, 208 RBIs, and 81 stolen bases as he bounced around in Triple A for the Florida Marlins and New York Mets before being a part of the Tampa Bay system, He was fantastic last year in Durham, the batting average improved to .317, and the stolen bases cranked up.

Likely to platoon in as a center fielder for the Rays with speed and an improved batting eye, at the very least he could start out as a stolen base specialist in key situations.

He was expected to spend most of the season in the Tampa Bay minor system again, but after a strong offseason with improved defensive play in spring ball, and with an opening, The Mayor got the call to move up.

THERE IT IS! MANGUM

“The Mayor” Jake Mangum is headed to The Show, y’all!

Congrats, @jakemangum15! And good luck with @RaysBaseball 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/iaWIFpxx2n

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) March 29, 2025

Mangum was a star for Mississippi State in the late 2010s highlighted by a .406 batting average in his freshman season on the way to an SEC record 383 hits.

He finished his Bulldog career hitting .357 with five home runs and 126 RBIs, but again, along with his batting eye, it was his speed that took things up another level with 56 steals.