Just 5 Minor Leaguers do with a minimum of 15 homers and also 45 taken bases in 2022, and also just 3 of them were playing in their age-21 periods or more youthful. 2 of them are Leading 15 total potential customers in Anthony Volpe (No. 5) and also Elly De La Cruz (No. 14). The 3rd is Rays No. 12 possibility Mason Auer, that do with 15 blasts and also 48 burglaries in 115 video games in between Single-A Charleston and also High-A Bowling Eco-friendly in his initial complete period.
So what does he consider his finest devices?
” I assume my protective abilities are my finest abilities now,” claimed the 2022 Arizona Autumn Organization individual. “I seem like that I have a respectable arm in the outfield, and also I can cover a great deal of ground available.”
Oh, so not the power or basestealing, after that.
Things is Auer isn’t incorrect (not that we would certainly question his self-assessment of his video game). The 21-year-old gains plus-plus qualities for his tossing capability and also utilized to touch the mid-90s throughout his days on the pile. He scratched 9 outfield helps in between his 2 Minors degrees over the summer season– 6 in facility and also 3 in right. The Rays really feel comfy playing him from any type of place on the lawn, which’s proceeded in the AFL, where he’s made 6 of his 9 begins in the center of the park for Mesa.
Yet like Auer remains in the area, it was his infraction that sustained his 2022 outbreak.
The 2021 fifth-rounder struck.290/.372/.487 with 48 overall extra-base hits in his 115 video games this summer season. His 12 triples connected for the Minors lead in the classification, integrating his plus rate with his capability to boost spheres right into the voids. He was instead regular as well, having never ever published an OPS listed below.750 in any type of month throughout the normal period, also after his promo to High-A in late June.
Auer credit scores his step from Missouri State to San Jacinto (Texas) Junior University, where he struck 373/.524/.622 in 65 video games, with his smooth change to professional round.
” I reached play on a daily basis, obtained a lots of associates and also simply remained to improve,” he claimed. “Too, we had a lot of excellent mentoring team there. I assumed it was a terrific choice for me to go there.”
The Rays spoke Auer out of his dedication to Oregon for his junior year with a near-slot $312,500 finalizing reward, and also greater than a year later on, they’re currently certain sufficient in the tooled-up outfielder to send him to the possibility completing college in the Arizona Autumn Organization, where he’s measured up to his very own searching record. His 98.8 miles per hour seed on Oct. 5 is the third-hardest Statcast has actually determined in the AFL thus far and also would certainly rate connected for 4th amongst the Rays’ fastest outfield includes 2022, tracking just 3 Brett Phillips lasers.
Rays players in the Autumn Organization
Blake Quest, C: Previously a participant of the Rays’ Leading 30 possibility checklist, Quest quit this period after striking simply.245/.315/.363 with 5 homers in 81 video games at Double-A Montgomery. His plus arm and also strong protective abilities behind home plate stay his finest possessions, yet he encounters one more uphill reach break Tampa florida Bay’s 40-man lineup in his 2nd year of Regulation 5 qualification.
Tanner Murray, INF: The 2020 fourth-rounder out of UC Davis grows on making a healthy and balanced quantity of call, as he revealed with a. 276 standard and also 18.5 percent K price in 66 video games at High-A Bowling Eco-friendly this period. He missed out on 2 months of the project after being struck by a pitch on June 30, making the AFL a possibility to comprise a few of those shed at-bats. Previously a shortstop, he’s been even more concentrated on 2nd and also 3rd in 2022.
Ronny Simon, INF: Having actually authorized with the Cubs in July 2018, Simon is currently in his 3rd company after a profession from Chicago to Arizona for Andrew Chafin in November 2020 and also Arizona to Tampa Florida Bay for Jordan Luplow one year later on. The 22-year-old Dominican indigenous hit.260/.303/.479 with 22 homers and also 34 swipes in 109 video games in between High-An and also Double-A this period, yet a reduced stroll price made him simply hardly an above-average player with a 104 wRC+. He’s played short, 2nd and also 3rd thus far in the AFL.
Rays bottles in the Autumn Organization
Sandy Gaston, RHP (No. 21): A story as old as time. Gaston tosses hard, usually being in the upper-90s, yet has actually dealt with significant control worries the greater he’s climbed up in the Tampa florida Bay system. The 20-year-old right-hander possessed a 4.61 period with 77 strikeouts and also 56 strolls in 54 2/3 innings at Single-A Charleston this period. He relocated from a beginning duty to an alleviation one this period– a change the Rays firmly insist was done to obtain him on the pile more frequently in a solitary week to straighten out the strike-throwing concerns. He’s strolled 10 in 3 2/3 innings to begin the AFL, so any type of imagine future beginning functions appear away at this moment.
Alex Ayala Jr., LHP: The Rays picked the Panama local in the 9th complete of Florida Southwestern Junior University in 2014, on the toughness of the command of his low-90s heater, and also authorized him for simply listed below port at $147,600. The southpaw published a 3.63 period and also 1.16 WHIP with 68 strikeouts in 57 innings in between the Florida Facility Organization and also Single-A.
Antonio Menendez, RHP: The 2021 14th-rounder, that undertook Tommy John surgical procedure at Wake Woodland, has actually currently captured some Autumn Organization focus with his use 3 various arm ports (submarine, sidearm, excessive) for Mesa, and also he attributes his previous traveling instructor Billy Wagner for assisting him make use of all 3. They were definitely efficient in his initial complete period as he do with a 1.70 PERIOD, 1.00 WHIP and also 48 strikeouts in 37 innings throughout the FCL, Single-An and also High-A.
Evan Reifert, RHP: Reifert has actually been the uncommon AFL pitching success tale thus far this year. Getting in Thursday, he’s retired all 19 batters he’s confronted with the Solar Sox, starting out 12 of them, over 4 alleviation looks. The 23-year-old right-hander’s finest pitch is his high-spin, mid-80s slider that brushes up well throughout the area, yet he’ll reveal some velo as well with a 94-95 miles per hour heater. Like lots of reducers, he’ll require to maintain tossing strikes, yet thus far so excellent in Arizona.
