Rays Catcher Knocking on Door of Top 100 Prospect Rankings
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For virtually their entire existence, the Tampa Bay Rays have had a void behind the plate at catcher.
Outside of a few singularly productive campaigns from Wilson Ramos and Mike Zunino, finding production from the position has been a challenge for the Rays. Coming into the offseason, they were once again looking for help behind the plate despite several moves made last year.
Right now, Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia will be battling it out for the starting spot in spring training. While catcher remains a position of need in 2026, the future looks bright.
Not only did Tampa Bay acquire Caden Bodine from the Baltimore Orioles in the Shane Baz trade this offseason, but they have a young player who just missed out on the Top 100 MLB Prospects list shared by Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required): Nathan Flewelling.
Nathan Flewelling is a prospect to keep an eye on
A third-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of St. Joseph High School in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, he was only 18 years old during his first season as a professional. He spent nearly the entire year with Single-A Charleston before making a five-game cameo with High-A Bowling Green.
When taking a look at his stat line, it is fair to wonder why Law would think so highly of him. Flewelling had a .230/.393/.341 slash line across 461 plate appearances with six home runs and 17 doubles, driving in 52 runs.
Even taking into account his youth, that is a stat line many people would ignore. However, his youthfulness and lack of experience, and still producing the numbers he did, are as much a reason Law is high on him as any.
Flewelling exhibits patience at the plate normally reserved for seasoned veterans. He drew 94 walks, which was second in all of minor league baseball. A minuscule 14% chase rate is also very promising when evaluating his approach at the plate.
Hitting will determine Flewelling's prospect ranking
Showcasing some strong exit velocity numbers, it is only a matter of time until he fills out his frame and that starts to translate to some extra-base power. That, along with lowering the swing-and-miss in his game, should come with more experience.
Defensively, that is where Flewelling really shines. His floor is incredibly high when it comes to a Major League career because he is already showing advanced skills behind the plate.
He threw out 28% of attempted base stealers in 2025, which is well above average for the Carolina League. His ability to call a game behind the plate and frame pitches has also been lauded.
The patience at the plate and defensive skills make him a legitimate prospect. If he can continue developing with the bat, he will be featured on top 100 lists in no time.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.