The Rays don’t have to get cute with the No. 2 pick.
That’s the simplest read on Tampa Bay’s spot in this year’s draft, and it comes at a time when the club has plenty going right. Going into Thursday’s games, the Rays were sitting five games ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League East, and now they’ve also been handed the No. 2 selection.
For Rays fans, it’s a rare kind of setup. The last time Tampa Bay was anywhere near this kind of draft position was 2008, when it held the first overall pick and chose prep shortstop Tim Beckham. Beckham went on to play nine seasons in the majors, including three with the Rays.
This year’s decision looks far more straightforward. With only one player coming off the board before Tampa Bay, there isn’t much for the front office to overthink. The top of the board appears to be a clear three-player group: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer thinks the Rays should keep it simple and let the White Sox make the first call.
"They could take whichever shortstop the White Sox don't take at No. 1.
It'll either be Roch Cholowsky out of UCLA or Grady Emerson out of Fort Worth Christian in Texas. There's no need to get more complicated than that."
That’s the cleanest path for Tampa Bay, especially with both shortstops carrying very few obvious holes. The real question is which player Chicago prefers.
If the White Sox go one way, the Rays can just take the other. Unless, of course, Tampa Bay has something unexpected in mind and decides to use the pick to address another position.
In Other News...
Rays Still Feel Snubbed As A Surprise No 2 Plan Emerges
The Rays are heading into All-Star Weekend with a division lead and four players on the roster, but there is still a familiar edge to the conversation around them. For a club that has spent much of the season looking like one of the American Leagues best teams, the All-Star count has not fully matched the way Tampa Bay sees its own body of work, especially with several other names around the clubhouse drawing snub talk.
At the same time, the organization may be lining up for a major draft decision that could shape the next wave of talent. Analysts have begun linking Tampa Bay to high school shortstop Grady Emerson with the No. 2 pick, a move that would fit the Rays usual appetite for upside and long-term value, even as the draft board could force them to weigh a different path if the top of the board breaks a certain way. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Veteran Finally Got The Recognition Fans Knew He Deserved
Nick Martinez has given the Rays exactly what they hoped for when they brought him in back in February: steady starts, dependable innings and a presence that has mattered as much in the clubhouse as it has on the mound. The numbers have backed it up, too, with Martinez stacking up strong results while helping Tampa Bay win the majority of the games he has started.
Now he gets to carry that momentum into one more outing before the break, with a Friday start against the Mariners set as his final tune-up before the All-Star Game. Around the Rays, the recognition feels overdue for a pitcher teammates and Kevin Cash have leaned on all season, even if the bigger question still lingers after the roster move that put him there. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Rasmussen Suddenly Needs This All-Star Break More Than Ever
Drew Rasmussens first half had already earned him an All-Star nod, and for much of June he looked every bit like one of the American Leagues most dependable starters. The Rays right-hander was coming off a month that brought him the AL Pitcher of the Month Award, a reminder of how quickly he had settled into a key role for Tampa Bays rotation alongside Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz and Bryan Baker on the clubs All-Star list.
July has been a different story, though, with Rasmussen taking a couple of uncharacteristic hits in his last two starts and seeing his season numbers drift the wrong way. The break now arrives at a useful time for Tampa Bay, because it gives him a chance to reset physically and mentally before the second half puts him back in the middle of the Rays plans. [Read more 🡒]