RBLR Rays Weekly Roundtable – 7/6/26
The Rays are rolling. An AL East lead, and four All-Star selections later, there’s plenty to dig into: including what the draft might bring and where the system stands heading into the MLB Draft.
Sandy (@SandyAndTheRays): Star-Studded Rays
It was an exciting week for Rays fans, highlighted by a nine-game winning streak that helped the team build a healthy lead in the AL East. The weekend also brought the news that four Rays — Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, Drew Rasmussen, and Bryan Baker — were named All-Stars. Nothing is more patriotic on July 4 than four Tampa Bay Rays being named All-Stars, am I right?
All jokes aside, the recognition is well deserved given everything that’s gone right for the American League-leading Rays. Caminero, in particular, received 66 percent of the fan vote, becoming just the second third baseman in franchise history to earn a fan selection (after Evan Longoria) and the first Ray ever to start two All-Star Games. The announcement also came amid yet another game in which Caminero homered — his eleventh in 11 games.
But the selections also reflect the Rays’ success as a whole. Díaz is headed to his second All-Star Game, still very much the Yandy that Rays fans know and love, with his trademark consistent offense leading the way. Likewise, Rasmussen is back in the All-Star Game, a reflection of how steady he’s been through plenty of rotation changes, even within this year alone. And Baker has emerged as a dark horse in the Rays’ closer role, handling high-leverage spots well after Pete Fairbanks’ departure in a season where the Rays didn’t really set out with a traditional closer in mind.
What’s always so special about the Rays is how much of their success comes from a true team effort. Even with Caminero emerging as the new face of the franchise and four All-Stars once again, there are plenty of others who could have made a case. Rays manager Kevin Cash also argued that Jonathan Aranda, Shane McClanahan, Kevin Kelly, and Nick Martinez deserved consideration. Kelly, in particular, always feels to me like the guy who ends up bailing the Rays out of late-inning messes more often than he gets credit for.
Jacob Macauley (@raysfarmreport) : Jackson Flora at #2?
In recent history, the Rays have been reluctant to select a starting pitcher in the first round; in fact, the last time they selected one was Nick Bitsko all the way back in 2020, but Jackson Flora might have something to say about it.
Flora has had a decorated three seasons at UC Santa Barbara, posting a strikeout rate over 33% this season and a sub-3 FIP. Jackson primarily gets it done with a 4-pitch mix: a plus carry fastball that averages out in the mid-to-upper 90s with the ability to touch 100, an elite sweeping slider, a kick changeup that gets 14 inches of vertical separation and tunnels very well with his fastball, and a very interesting cutter that he ramped up the usage of this season.
Flora pairs his average 8% BB% with an average strike rate of 64% in his junior season. Flora’s large 6’5 frame and ability to get on the side of the baseball give him additional projectability with the ability to add different shapes and possibly add even more velocity.
Flora provides a high ceiling from the pitching position that is generally very challenging to find and is a candidate given his strong collegiate track record and plus shapes, making him a strong candidate to go at #2 to Tampa Bay.
Carter Brantley (@ctbrantley12): FanGraphs Rays Prospect Rankings Takeaways
The popular website FanGraphs has released their top 62 Rays prospects rankings. With it comes some fun discussion about who they ranked where and what went into their evaluations.
Here are some key takeaways from those rankings:
Caden Bodine ranked higher than Nathan Flewelling
Is this a take I agree with or share? Eh…
But, I do love me a switch hitter, and Bodine has that going for him. Bodine does have a significantly more polished hit tool, but Flewelling’s upside with his pop is significantly higher. He also is a lefty, meaning he’ll be great for long-side platoon matchups. Bodine’s power is a bit limited in terms of his current output and his ceiling.
There’s a lot of concern shown in the write-up over Flewelling’s hit tool and defensive ability, specifically a concern that he might eventually have to move to first. Which, hey, maybe they’re onto something. They brought up his concerning contact rates and rigidity behind the dish, while Bodine has been showing signs of improvement defensively. But I think Flewelling could be pretty darn good.
Regardless, it never hurts to have 2 talented, promising catchers in the minors.
News flash: Theo Gillen. Might be pretty good
Obvious understatement here, but Gillen is pretty unanimously considered the best prospect in the Rays system, and that feeling is shared by the FanGraphs folks.
He has a chance to be an elite hitter, and while his ability to stick in center isn’t something I’d bank on, he still possesses enough offensive upside and athletic ability to be a solid corner guy who mashes.
Gillen is as exciting of a prospect that the Rays have drafted since Carson Williams (who we’ll get to), and it should be fun to see how he adjusts to Double-A pitching.
Plus, not for nothing, he snuck his way into the top 10 in MLB.com’s top 100 prospects list.
Carson Williams holds at a 50 FV, but is still struggling to put bat to ball
Ah, poor Carson Williams; he’s still probably one of the best defensive shortstops in all of baseball.
However, his whiff rate is at 37.8% for the season in Durham. He’s got solid quality of contact marks, speaking to his above-average power, but even though his plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills are headed in the right direction, they’re still quite bad for the Triple-A level.
It sucks; he’s a fun defender to watch at a super valuable position. If he could even be slightly below league average instead of the nonexistent threat he is now offensively, he’d be a solid starter.
For now, he’s just not hitting enough to warrant that kind of big league playing time. The good news is that he’s still only 23, so there’s still a chance he could turn things around enough to be a frustrating to watch offensively but still valuable player. Which isn’t really all that different from their current shortstop.
The RBLR Rays Roundtable is a weekly collection of analysis, insight, and perspectives from a cast of writers assembled because of their unique backgrounds and experience. Check this space weekly for new updates and features covering the Tampa Bay Rays, the Rays’ minor league prospects, and more!
