1 Rays prospect having a sneaky good spring training

Unfortunately, there's no room for this first base prospect on the Rays Opening Day roster and he honestly hasn't quite proven himself yet. However, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that his spring performance has put him on the radar for MLB consideration. There could be a bright future for this slugger if he keeps up the solid work. For now, it looks like a promotion to Triple-A Durham will be his best case scenario.

Rays' infield prospect Will Simpson joined the Rays after the 2024 season in a trade that sent dominating lefty Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics. This deal also gave the Rays a high-powered hurler in Joe Boyle. It would appear that Tampa Bay may have finagled another successful trade as Springs hasn't quite been the ace-in-the-making that the Rays were shaping him into. Meanwhile, Joe Boyle could potentially be a lights-out reliever in a revamped bullpen this upcoming season.

The most surprising success story of this trade could wind up being the 15th round pick in the 2023 draft, Will Simpson. Simpson graduated from the University of Washington where he experienced a standout senior season. The 6'3 infielder hit .335 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs in only 52 games for the Huskies. This astounding college season is what ultimately led to his favorable draft position.

Simpson didn't slow down offensively when he arrived in the Athletics minor league system. In his first professional campaign with Single-A Stockton, the young first baseman hit .322 with 15 extra-base hits. He received a promotion to Double-A Midland for the 2024 season and performed even better as he hit .348 in 18 contests. However, this was where his Athletics' tenure concluded.

The Rays knew the price for Jeffrey Springs would have to be higher than merely a pitcher with potential, so they shopped for an offensive target as well. Will Simpson was an obvious choice as the Virginia native was a rising prospect with a ton of upside with the bat. He is now beginning to show exactly what he is made of in front of the entire Rays organization at spring training.

In eight games, Simpson has collected five hits and produced a .455 AVG. The 24-year-old has also displayed some power with one of those hits leaving the yard against the Tigers. In that March 9th contest against Detroit, Simpson went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs as he provided the entire offense in a 4-4 draw. When we see Simpson in the everyday lineup, we're going to assume it's the speedy Chandler Simpson, but don't be shocked if Will Simpson arrives on the big-league scene before too long.