Week 19 of full minor league play brought a fresh look at the Rays’ system, and the headline names are starting to separate themselves.
Theo Gillen continues to sit at the top of the organization by FanGraphs’ measure, which blends age and big-league proximity. At this point, he’s in the mix for Minor League Player of the Year.
On the mound, Aidan Cremarosa still rates as the system’s best arm even after spending the last several weeks on the Injured List. He has now been activated, and his first pro season has been a strong one: a 2.75 ERA and 2.62 FIP with a 32.7 K% and 4.4 BB% across 59 innings in Single-A.
There was some injury news around Gillen, too. He left a game early last weekend after being hit in the left leg by a pitch.
Gillen remained standing, but it was obvious he was hurting. He eventually walked off under his own power, though he was limping.
The pipeline also keeps moving. Grady Emerson has been sent to Single-A Charleston and is set to make his professional debut after excelling in the Bridge League.
Blake Morgan has moved up to High-A after a strong start to his pro career with Single-A. Before the promotion, the 2025 19th-round pick posted a 3.47 ERA and 3.97 FIP, paired with a 26.1 K% and 5.7 BB% over 62 1/3 innings.
Xavier Isaac also earned a spot on Baseball America’s Hot Sheet, and the write-up was all about the power surge - and the fact that it’s come with better bat-to-ball results. “No one should ever doubt Isaac’s power.
He can go on runs where everything he hits seems to have a chance to clear the fence. This month is the third time he’s hit six homers in a month.
But unlike the other two times, he’s doing it this time without the strikeouts that have usually come with the power. Isaac has a 15% strikeout rate this month.
That’s way down from the 29.7% K-rate he had coming into this month. Isaac has shown signs of being a hitter and not just a slugger in the past.
If this improvement is sustainable, watch out. “
At the affiliate level, the offensive leaders paint a pretty clear picture of who’s carrying the load. Durham’s bats have been paced by Blake Sabol, who leads the team in average at .264, on-base percentage at .335, slugging at .425, and wRC+ at 95. Carson Williams, Sabol, and Logan Davidson are tied for the team lead with 11 homers, while Homer Bush Jr. has swiped 31 bags.
Montgomery has leaned on Austin Overn and Xavier Isaac. Overn leads the Biscuits in average at .309, slugging at .565, wRC+ at 151, and steals with 48, while Isaac owns the team’s best on-base mark at .412. Isaac and Will Simpson are tied for the club lead with 23 home runs.
Bowling Green’s top producer has been Ryan McCoy, who leads the Hot Rods in average at .286, OBP at .431, slugging at .564, and wRC+ at 154. Nathan Flewelling has a team-high 20 homers, and Tony Santa Maria leads the club with 45 steals.
Charleston’s offense has been driven by Brady Marget, who tops the River Dogs in average at .330, OBP at .429, slugging at .473, and wRC+ at 146. Cooper Flemming leads the team with nine homers, while Alberth Palma has 33 stolen bases.
A few individual prospect lines stand out, too. Cooper Flemming, ranked No. 6, is hitting .301/.388/.444 with a 17.1 K%, 10.7 BB%, 9 homers, 14 steals, a 128 wRC+, and 450 plate appearances.
Taitn Gray, ranked No. 7, has put together a .275/.372/.425 line with a 23.4 K%, 12.9 BB%, 6 homers, 8 steals, a 118 wRC+, and 248 plate appearances at A. In CPX, he hit .333/.400/.611 with a 20.0 K%, 5.0 BB%, 1 homer, no steals, and a 140 wRC+ in 20 plate appearances.
Gray was placed on the 7-day IL on 6/1, began a rehab assignment on 7/14, and was activated from the IL on 7/28.
Daniel Pierce, ranked No. 9, has also been productive at A, where he’s slashing .252/.336/.390 with a 28.6 K%, 7.9 BB%, 4 homers, 6 steals, a 101 wRC+, and 140 plate appearances.
In Other News...
Rays Fans Just Got Their First Real Look At Emersons Path
Grady Emersons first stop as a pro is now clear, and it gives Rays fans their first real glimpse of how the organization plans to handle one of its most important young pieces. The second overall pick in the MLB Draft has been assigned to Single-A Charleston to open his career, a logical landing spot for a player Tampa Bay believes can grow quickly if everything goes to plan. Emerson, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 10 prospect, arrived with plenty of attention after signing for a record high school player bonus.
For the Rays, the assignment is about more than just getting Emerson on the field. Charleston should give him a first taste of the day-to-day demands of pro baseball, from the routine to the travel to the pace of a full minor league season. Tampa Bay has long been deliberate with young talent, and this looks like the start of that familiar process, with each stop designed to help Emerson adjust before the next test arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Ian Seymour Has Become A Rays Rotation Answer Nobody Saw Coming
Ian Seymour arrived in the middle of the season as a bullpen arm, but the Rays saw enough to give him a turn in the rotation and find out what he could do over a longer stretch. Since that first start on June 8, he has looked more and more like a pitcher who belongs in that lane, carrying a 3.58 ERA across 65.1 innings while missing bats at a strong clip and giving Tampa Bay a useful, unexpected option in a role the club did not seem set on when the switch was made.
For the Rays, the significance goes beyond one hot run. With other pitchers back in the mix and the rotation getting fuller, Seymour has still held his spot by keeping hitters off balance and giving the team a steady answer it did not appear to be counting on. What makes this development notable is not just the numbers, but how quickly he turned a trial into something that now looks a lot more permanent. [Read more 🡒]