A look at how Curtis Mead fits in with the Rays roster for 2025 and beyond

Before starting this piece on Curtis Mead and how he can capitalize on his high upside, a good reminder for him (as with many prospects) is this: he's only 24 years old. Many people are struggling to find their way in life at 24, and it's a very young age.

There's still plenty of time and opportunity for Mead to fulfill his potential and become a solid everyday big leaguer.

The big question is whether or not the Rays have the innings or the roster spot for him and if his development would lend him to continue to get at-bats in AAA, or if he might be dangled as a trade piece in a package with a veteran.

Mead is a bit of a conundrum, or a player without a true home positionally.

Ideally, the Rays would slot him at third base, but Junior Caminero looks to hopefully be the future at that position, so he'll likely be a non-starter barring some drastic changes or if the Rays are comfortable moving one of them to a DH role.

Therefore, unless a DH role is in Mead or Caminero's future, a move to second might be the answer for Curtis Mead with the Rays, especially if they decide to part ways with Brandon Lowe at any point. If Christopher Morel can't stick at second, then he could move to a corner outfield spot or become their everyday DH. Brayden Taylor is another second base candidate, but if he fails to make a transition to that position, then Mead is the most plausible second baseman behind Lowe.

As you can see, there's a lot of conditions for Mead to be given a chance to play at second, a position he hasn't quite looked like a natural at in his 25 games there in the majors.

In his time at second base in the majors, he's been about average in the very small sample size. He's also played 47 games as a second baseman in AAA, with 35 of them coming last year, perhaps a sign of where the Rays envision Mead fitting in moving forward.

Another idea for Mead would be a move to first base, but with Yandy Diaz as the everyday player there right now and at least one of Tre' Morgan and Xavier Isaac hopefully sticking around there in the future, Mead will need to prove himself offensively to earn that role.

So, unfortunately for Mead, his positional fit isn't great, but what about his bat? It has to play somewhere, right?

Indeed it does, as Mead has hit the ball well across every level in his journey through the Rays' minor league system, posting solidly above-average wRC+ numbers across the board.

The results haven't quite been there in the majors yet, but given time Mead should be able to take his right-field-power-ally swing and make some serious noise.

Give this middle infielder time, and patience is always a virtue. The Australian athlete just needs a shot, and he could be getting one real soon. It just might not be at the position that he came up playing.