Minor League Baseball

Former Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospect Fighting to Make Roster at Spring Training

Curtis Mead, who was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, is fighting with Eloy Jimenez for the final roster spot.
Brady Farkas|
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Curtis Mead (25) follows through on an RBI double against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Yankee Stadium in 2024.
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Curtis Mead (25) follows through on an RBI double against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Yankee Stadium in 2024. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Rays

Former Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Curtis Mead is reportedly fighting for one of the final spots on the roster as spring training begins this week.

The following report comes from Rotowire fantasy baseball portal, but links to the original report (subscription required):

Mead will enter spring training battling with Eloy Jimenez for one of Tampa Bay's final bench spots,Marc Topkin of the Tamp Bay Times reports.

Mead was ranked the No. 33 prospect in all of baseball (per MLB Pipeline) as recently as 2023, but it just hasn't happened for him at the big-league level yet. Still just 24, there is certainly potential there, but he may not get a chance to unlock it with the Rays at this point.

In 62 total major league games, Mead is a .244 hitter with two home runs and 12 RBI. He offers defensive versatility, with the ability to play both second base and third base, but the Rays have a glut of other infielders on the 40-man roster. They include Jonathan Aranda, Taylor Walls, Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz, Jose Caballero, and Junior Caminero. Furthermore, Christopher Morel can play the outfield and the Rays signed Ha-Seong Kim this offseason. He will be back in May as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

If Mead is unable to make the roster, they could begin him in Triple-A, where he hit .288 last season (91 games). But they could also look to explore a trade as several other teams could potentially want to capitalize on his prospect pedigree.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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