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Tampa Bay Rays 2018 minor league awards

By Benjamin Chase |
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 22: Willy Adames #1 of the Tampa Bay Rays makes the play and throws out the baserunner in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 22, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 22: Willy Adames #1 of the Tampa Bay Rays makes the play and throws out the baserunner in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 22, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – SEPTEMBER 16: Brandon Lowwe #35 of the Tampa Bay Rays flips the ball to second base to begin a successful double play in the eighth inning of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field on September 16, 2018 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett Jr./Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – SEPTEMBER 16: Brandon Lowwe #35 of the Tampa Bay Rays flips the ball to second base to begin a successful double play in the eighth inning of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field on September 16, 2018 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett Jr./Getty Images) /

The Tampa Bay Rays had a very good major league season, even though they missed the playoffs. How did the minor league system fare?

As part of our continuing coverage at Call to the Pen of the minor leagues, we will be covering each organization’s top players for 2018. The coverage will go in reverse order of record. Today, we will look at the Tampa Bay Rays.

We are going to review the system’s leaders for each organization statistically, then choose one hitter and one pitcher to honor for every team. This will be primarily based on statistical performance, though some “age relative to level” could come into play, so a very impressive season from a 28-year-old in AA will rank below a nearly as impressive season from a 20-year-old at the same level.

After we review each organization’s hitter and pitcher of the year, we will close out October with Call To The Pen’s Minor League team of the year. That will lead into November starting our team top 10 prospect lists. In other words, there will be plenty of minor league content on the way at CTTP, so keep coming back for more each day this offseason!!

Tampa Bay Rays minor leagues

Probably the team with the fastest-rising minor league system this year was the Tampa Bay Rays, and many felt that they would have a mediocre season in 2018. Instead, the Rays competed for the Wild Card until the end of the season and won over 90 games.

The minor league system is stacked with talent, and the top prospect lists for the Rays will be very intriguing as multiple lists could have multiple different arrangements of players. That can be a blessing and a curse, as it definitely requires a player to produce to be noticed!

Before we offer up awards on the season, let’s take a look at the system’s statistical leaders:

Organization Leaders (min. 150 PA, 50 IP)

BA: Connor Hollis .365
OBP: Connor Hollis .469
SLG: Wander Franco .587
OPS: Connor Hollis 1.004
R: Vidal Brujan 112
H: Nathaniel Lowe 159
2B: Tristan Gray 38
3B: Thomas Milone 11
HR: Nathaniel Lowe 27
RBI: Nathaniel Lowe 102
SB: Vidal Brujan 55
TB: Nathaniel Lowe 274

W: Zach Lee 12
G: Jordan Harrison 50
GS: Zach Lee 25
IP: Zach Lee 145 2/3
SV: Ian Gibaut 14
K: Brock Burke 158
ERA: Colin Poche 0.98
WHIP: Colin Poche 0.86
K/9: Colin Poche 14.2
K/BB: Brendan McKay 7.36

Let’s look at the award winners…

Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Hitter of the Year: Nathaniel Lowe

Level(s): high-A Charlotte, AA Montgomery, AAA Durham
Stats: .330/.416/.568, 130 G, 555 PA, 32 2B, 27 HR, 102 RBI, 68/90 BB/K

After being a 13th round selection in 2016, Nathaniel Lowe entered pro ball being older and position-limited, so he would require tremendous hitting in order to be noted. In his first two years, he really didn’t do this, combining for 11 home runs over roughly 750 plate appearances, but he broke out in 2018.

Starting out in high-A Charlotte in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. After hitting big there and in AA, he ran into more of a challenge in AAA, still posting nearly an .800 OPS, but seeing some struggle compared to earlier levels.

Overall, across three levels, Lowe scored 93 runs and drove in 102 runs. He will likely open 2019 in AAA, but he could push for a role in the big league club quickly if he can continue his breakout next season.

Runners-up

If there wasn’t one of the top 5 full-year seasons in all of the minors ahead of him, Wander Franco’s impressive 2018 in the Appalachian League would have been the top spot in the system. Franco hit .351/.418/.587 over 61 games with 10 doubles, 7 triples, and 11 home runs, posting a 27/19 BB/K ratio. He also showed adequate defense at shortstop as well. Franco’s likely moved himself into top 10-15 prospect status in all of baseball at just 17 years old and will be one to track going forward.

As other players had brilliant seasons in 2018, many missed the incredible numbers that Vidal Brujan put up across both A-ball levels. Working from the top of the order with elite speed, Brujan hit .320/.403/.459, and he hit 25 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs, and stole an incredible 55 bases over 122 games. It is feasible that Brujan will open 2019 at AA at 21 years old.

The “other” Lowe in the farm system, Brandon Lowe made his way to the major league club this season and was very impressive in his time there with his defensive flexibility and ability to provide both power and speed. Lowe hit .297/.391/.558 in 100 games between AA and AAA before hitting .233/.324/.450 in 43 major league games. Between major and minor leagues, he hit 28 home runs and stole 10 bases.

Taken from Florida State in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft, Taylor Walls spent the 2018 season with low-A Bowling Green, working at the top of the lineup. He put up a .304/.393/.428 line with 28 doubles, 6 triples, 6 home runs, and 31 steals.

TAMPA, FL – JUN 11: Brenndan McKay (31) of the Stone Crabs delivers a pitch to the plate during the Florida State League game between the Charlotte Stone Crabs and the Dunedin Blue Jays on June 11, 2018, at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – JUN 11: Brenndan McKay (31) of the Stone Crabs delivers a pitch to the plate during the Florida State League game between the Charlotte Stone Crabs and the Dunedin Blue Jays on June 11, 2018, at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Brendan McKay

Level(s): GCL Rays, low-A Bowling Green, high-A Charlotte
Stats: 5-2, 19 G, 17 GS, 78 1/3 IP, 2.41 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 14/103 BB/K ratio

Few players have received as much note in their pre-draft season as Brendan McKay did in the 2017 season as he played first base and pitched for Louisville. The question of whether he would pitch or play first base dominated much of the pre-draft talk in the 2017 draft season, ahead of many other tremendous talents in that season’s draft, who also certainly deserved note.

The Tampa Bay Rays drafted McKay with the 4th overall selection with the intention to let him do both – hit and pitch. In 2018, he came out of some preseason injury, but was tremendous thereafter. He was able to show exceptional command and control while using that command and control to set up hitters to swing and miss at his cutter frequently.

For note, McKay hit .214/.368/.359 in 2018 in 242 plate appearances, with 8 doubles and 6 home runs.

More from Call to the Pen

Runners-up

A great example of the way Tampa Bay’s slow development of their draft picks can truly allow pitchers to develop well, Brock Burke actually had a better run in 9 starts in AA than he did in his first 16 games in high-A. Combined, Burke posted a 3.08 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 44/158 BB/K ratio from the left side in 137 1/3 innings. He very well could open 2019 in AAA with a chance to see major league time at the end of the year.

Drafted in the 5th round out of Webster University in 2017, Josh Fleming was able to pitch across both A-ball levels in 2018 and put up very impressive numbers. He posted a 2.53 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 19/80 BB/K ratio over 110 1/3 innings.

Riley O’Brien was drafted in the 8th round in 2017 out of the College of Idaho, and he pitched very well across both A-ball levels in 2018. The lean 6’4″ righty posted a 2.75 ERA over 88 1/3 innings split in 25 games between 13 starts and 12 relief appearances, with a 1.14 WHIP, and a 42/103 BB/K ratio.

The best relief season in the minor leagues in 2018 was posted by Colin Poche, though he posted a portion of that season with AA Jackson in the Arizona system before coming to the Tampa Bay system in a deal. With the Rays, he made 31 appearances, tossing 55 innings, with a 0.98 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and an incredible 17/87 BB/K ratio. Overall on the season, he posted a 0.82 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a 19/110 BB/K ratio over 66 innings pitched.

Next. Braves minor league awards. dark

The Tampa Bay Rays showed their young team could definitely compete going forward, and there are more players coming to help the 2019 team possibly be even better.

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