Fighting For a Roster Spot, Former Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospect Scorching in Spring Training

Curtis Mead, once a top prospect in baseball, is looking to make the Rays roster. Thus far, he's making a very strong case.

Tampa Bay Rays second base Curtis Mead (25) hits a RBI double against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Charlotte Sports Park on Feb. 25. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Curtis Mead is making a very strong case for the team's Opening Day roster with his performance this spring.

Entering play on Friday, Mead is 14-for-18 at the plate. He went 4-for-4 on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Curtis Mead is unbelievably locked in at the moment 🎯

He is 14-for-18 so far in #SpringTraining after going 4-for-4 today! pic.twitter.com/hWLble6YHx

— MLB (@MLB) March 6, 2025

A former top prospect, Mead was ranked as the No. 33 prospect in baseball back in 2023. He was also ranked No. 55 in 2024, per MLB Pipeline, but his limited MLB tenure hasn't gone as well thus far.

Playing just 62 games in the last two seasons, Mead is a .244 big-league hitter with 12 homers and two stolen bases. He's fared better in the minor leagues, hitting .288 at Triple-A Durham last season (91 games). He had 13 homers and 11 stolen bases.

Still just 24 years old, Mead is very capable of making a big-league impact for the Rays, but it's a tough roster to crack. Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero, Taylor Walls, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Ha-seong Kim, Richie Palacios, Christopher Morel and Jose Caballero are all listed as infielders on the Rays 40-man roster. Kim is injured and not expected back until May, and Morel is expected to play the outfield, but the competition for playing time is still fierce.

Tampa Bay is coming off a season in which it finished fourth in the American League East at 80-82. However, with the move to acquire Kim and the full health of Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and the rest of the pitching staff, the arrow is pointed up for Tampa in a loaded American League East.

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