1 Rays prospect to keep a close eye on during spring training

When it comes to prospects in the major leagues, they could be hit or miss with many of them never living up to the hype surrounding their arrival. One example is the Rays' former top infield prospect Vidal Brujan. His rise through the minor league ranks showed a ton of promise as the speedy athlete posted a .286 AVG with an absurd 241 stolen bases across 10 seasons. Any MLB front office would be raving about this kind of talent, but it has never panned out in the big leagues as Brujan has compiled a -1.4 WAR with five different clubs. However, the Rays see much more promise with their newly acquired outfield prospect.

The Rays added Jacob Melton to their roster after the lofty three-team trade that saw them lose franchise second baseman Brandon Lowe and beloved outfielder Jake Mangum to the Pirates. The third team involved in this transaction were the Astros who sent Melton and 21-year-old pitcher Anderson Brito. Brito still has some work to do in the minors, but the 25-year-old Melton is on the brink of becoming an MLB starter.

As the No. 1 prospect in the Houston organization in 2024, Jacob Melton has plenty of hype around him. We obviously know that doesn't instantly bring results to any MLB club, but we can't help the excitement. One huge plus for the former second round pick is that he has a brief stint with the Astros under his belt. While playing for the competitive AL West team, Melton gathered 11 hits, including a triple and seven RBIs in 32 games. The biggest issue with his offensive performance was his compilation of strikeouts. Many scouts believe that if he can prove to be able to limit the strikeouts, then he will be an everyday center fielder in no time.

The power is definitely there as the outfielder's 6'3 build gives him both impressive home run potential and respectable speed. In Melton's short 2025 stint, he played at least one game in each outfield spot, but was primarily stationed in center field. It will be interesting to see where the Rays prefer to see his services, especially with the addition of All-Star center fielder Cedric Mullins this offseason. It depends how well Melton forces their hand, but either way he should be ready to employ any of the three outfield positions.