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Tampa Bay Rays: 3 players with a chance to shine in 2020
Tampa Bay Rays: 60 games in 66 days on short notice will provide ample opportunities for overshadowed players to shine. Here are three players who could grab the bull by the horns in 2020.
Tampa Bay Rays: While the Rays are stacked with talent from the farm system to the big leagues, we take a look at just three of the many players that could make a big splash given the extra or unique opportunities that may be afforded to them in a wacky 2020 season.
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Tampa Bay Rays – Ronaldo Hernandez
Ronaldo Hernandez is the top catching prospect in the Rays system and is currently ranked 11th overall by MLB.com.
In 2018 he got everyone excited as a defensively capable catcher who brought some serious lumber. He smashed 20 doubles, one triple, and 21 homers in just 109 games with Bowling Green. That season he slashed .284/.339/.494 and looked like he could be the catcher of the future in Tampa Bay.
While he struggled with stiffer competition in High-A Charlotte last season, he still managed to hit .265 with 31 extra-base hits. Hernandez possesses a 70-grade throwing arm with good pop time behind the plate and has thrown out an incredible 46% of base runners in his five minor league seasons.
Hernandez will be a part of the 60-man player pool in 2020, making him eligible to play for the big-league club should they call upon him. Perhaps the weakest position on the major league roster is at catcher. Mike Zunino’s .165 average last season was unfortunately not far off his career average and Michael Perez is still relatively unproven at the major-league level.
The Rays signed veterans Kevan Smith and Chris Herrmann, but with an increased sense of urgency to win every game, there may be a short leash at the catcher position.
While he’s never played above Class-A Bowling Green, a cramped schedule, a potential injury, or lack of production from somebody could give Hernandez an opportunity to get some major league plate appearances.
Tampa Bay Rays – Ryan Yarbrough
We recently profiled Ryan Yarbrough as a sleeper fantasy option in 2020 due to his previous experience as a “bulk” guy. You can read about that here. Pitchers will begin the season on short notice and will likely be pitching a lot of three-inning outings to begin the season. That is, unless it’s Max Scherzer, taking him out after three innings could result in physical harm to the manager and the pitching coach.
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We don’t know exactly how Rays manager Kevin Cash will shuffle their pitchers around this season in order to maximize efficiency, but we do know that Yarbrough is a trusted option as a mid-game innings eater. I don’t mean that negatively, either.
Yarbrough is coming off of a season in which he set the Rays single-season WHIP record as a starter with a 0.995 and posted a 3.55 WHIP.
He led all Rays’ starters with a minuscule 3.2% walk rate and finished at in the 99th percentile in preventing hard-hit balls. Should the Rays continue their tradition of being untraditional, Ryan Yarbrough stands to make his star shine much brighter this season. It’s not crazy to think he could end up leading the team in wins without starting a game.
I have no idea if the Rays will utilize him as a relief pitcher or as a traditional starter, but Yarbrough is a trusted arm for manager Kevin Cash and has the ability to excel in any role. In a season of uncertainty, teams will need turn to consistent performers.
Tampa Bay Rays – Brian O’Grady
Maybe one of the most underlooked acquisitions of a busy offseason was Brian O’Grady. This man has 36 career Triple-A homers in just 154 games. Do the math on that.
Last season he had 59 extra-base hits for the Louisville Bats with a .359 on-base percentage and a Bats’ single-season record 28 homers in 112 games.
Beyond all the power and patience, O’Grady brings defensive versatility is a matchup-proof lefty. For all the power that jumps off of the page from his 2019 stats, the 30 doubles, the 28 homers, the 77 RBI…It’s easy to overlook the speed part of his game. O’Grady has 85 career stolen bases to go with his 76 homers.
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Additionally, O’Grady is not just some stereotypical slugger of a first baseman. This guy is an athlete. Not only is he capable of manning both corner infield positions effectively, but he also spent 56 of his 79 major-league innings with the Reds in centerfield in 2019. The Rays were also giving him looks in center this spring.
As far as being matchup-proof as a left-handed hitter last season, O’Grady posted an OPS of .856 against righties and a .980 OPS against lefties. What do you do against this guy?
You pitch and pray.
Before the suspension of play, O’Grady had a spring slash of .348/.400/.739.
Next. Fantasy: 60-games and SPs. dark
Who do you think could take advantage of extra opportunities afforded by the frenzied schedule of 2020? Let us know in the comments below!