Rays' Spring Training Positional Battles To Keep an Eye on at Camp
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The Tampa Rays, more so than other teams, have spots to fight for as the offseason reshuffling has led to a team featuring lots of new faces competing for playing time.
Spring Training is upon us, and with it comes the fight for a prized few roster spots still up in the air. There are several that will be battled for at Port Charlotte over the next few weeks.
Shortstop
The talk of the shortstop position all offseason centered on a battle between Carson Williams and Taylor Walls. Reminiscent of a political race, the incumbent, Walls, will have to hold his position against the rising star and Fangraphs-rated #22 overall prospect, Williams.
The popular and exciting choice is Williams, whose explosive power and strong glove offer a tantalizing profile that’s easy to dream on. On the other end, the fatigue around Walls is becoming real. A glove-first shortstop with almost no strong-hitting tool to speak of, his time with the Rays has been highlighted by serviceable play, though leaving much to be desired.
Taylor Walls, Carson Williams will face competition from Ben Williamson
His bat creates a black hole at the bottom of the zone, with a career .584 OPS reflecting how little impact he has offensively. Still, the choice here isn’t clear-cut.
Williams’ offensive potential is sky high; yet he is an extremely strikeout-prone hitter who might need more time in Triple-A before fully taking the reins at shortstop.
An added wrinkle to this positional battle revolves around a new face and a third candidate, Ben Williamson. Acquired in the three-team Brendan Donovan trade, Williamson offers versatility and range with his glove while being able to hold his own with the bat.
Roster speculation sees him more as a true utility man, filling the void created by Jose Caballero being traded to the New York Yankees. However, with a strong enough spring, Williamson could usurp both Williams and Walls as his rocket arm and great contact skills could earn him more playing time than some would think.
Catcher
Tampa Bay’s President of Baseball Operations, Erik Neander, has stayed true to his conviction that he likes the duo of Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia and what they offer behind the plate.
He cites Fortes’ excellent defensive ability and Feduccia’s untapped potential with the bat as driving reasons why they look likely to be the Opening Day pair. Yet, the Rays found themselves once again getting little to no production from a catching unit last season that ranked in the bottom 5 of catcher fWAR. The tandem needs an offensive spark, and it’s what Dominic Keegan could provide.
A polished hitter with not much catching experience coming out of Vanderbilt, Keegan has made waves in Tampa Bay’s system for an ability to make loud contact. He’s very much a hit over glove catcher who will need to stay hitting at an above-average clip to get reps at catcher.
While the chances are pretty slim of him passing one of Feduccia or Fortes out of camp, there’s plenty of reason to believe in him as first in line in the event of an injury.
Outfield
Sorting the outfield is really going to be the focal point of the Rays’ spring training. Last season exposed how much of a mess Tampa Bay’s outfield was and caused the meager bats of Josh Lowe, Cristopher Morel, and Jake Mangum to be cast away.
Now, with seven outfielders and two more infielders who can play out there on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay is going to have some tough decisions to make. Cedric Mullins seems like the only one billed for a starting role in center field, with the corners up for the taking.
Jake Fraley is a passable, albeit unexciting, option in right field. He’s played a solid platoon role from the left side with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, with a strong arm in right field.
Jacob Melton comes with the most potential in the crowded group, as he possesses speed, hard exit velocities, and a real power threat. The only problem is that his toolkit might need some more refinement, and his age gives the Rays time to be patient with him.
There’s a sense we haven’t seen everything Jonny DeLuca has to offer. Injuries have held him back over the years, but it’s obvious that his elite speed and instincts in the outfield are intact. That ability to play any spot in the grass with quality could keep him rostered.
Outfield depth will be useful to Rays
Chandler Simpson is complicated. He’s a fun player in the sense that his elite speed and feel for the barrel make him a chaotic force for opposing defenses and pitching staffs. Everything else is questionable.
He gets caught on the basepaths at a high clip, his instincts in the outfield are shabby, and his lack of extra-base pop is extremely detrimental. He’s going to be a player whose development is really paramount this year.
Ryan Vilade, Justyn-Henry Malloy, and Victor Mesa Jr. are the longshots. Vilade is a sneaky, advanced metrics darling whose batted ball data suggests he’s due for a breakout. High barrel rates, strong in-zone contact, and an ability to pull the ball are a rare combination of hitting traits seen in elite talent, and it’s what Vilade possesses.
Malloy is a lefty masher who is designed to play in a similar role to the one Rob Refsnyder played with the Boston Red Sox last year. He profiles more like a quality depth piece rather than a candidate to start out of camp.
Similarly, Victor Mesa Jr. has a minor league option remaining, and there’s a clear path for him to prove his worth in Triple-A before getting the call.
It’s a lot of bats to give a chance, and having to sort from that group of talented hopefuls is an unenviable job.
Sam Hougham is an alumnus of UC Santa Barbara, who earned his degree in Communication. He is a passionate baseball writer and researcher who began his career at Diamond Digest, a platform for up-and-coming voices in baseball writing. Since then, he has launched his own website, The Daily Lineup Card, where he publishes long-form analytical pieces focused on scouting, drafting, and team analysis. A lifelong Tampa Bay Rays fan, Sam’s other sports interests include Aston Villa FC and the English Premier League, the NHL, and the NFL. You can follow him on X, @samuelhougham, or reach him via email at samhougham791@gmail.com.