Jacob Melton shows Rays fans why they took a chance on him

Acquiring this talented prospect was bittersweet as it brought about many fond memories. The Rays dealt arguably the best second baseman in franchise history, along with fan-favorite Jake Mangum and hard-throwing lefty Mason Montgomery to the Pirates in the 3-team trade that gave them the Astros' outfielder Jacob Melton and 21-year-old Anderson Brito. It was a huge loss as they sent away around 30 homers, 100+ mph fastballs, and a ton of heart and hustle. However, the front office was able to grin in approval after yesterday's showing from the 25-year-old prospect.

Rays' Jacob Melton demolishes home run, makes impressive web gem in second spring training game

Melton was highly touted as a member of the Astros' farm system to the point of being named the No. 1 prospect in the organization in 2024. Houston called him up to employ center field at the conclusion of last season, but his performance did not live up to the hype. Despite the lack of outfield depth, the Astros decided to let their skillful prospect go in the aforementioned deal that also included the Rays and Pirates.

His .157 AVG in the big leagues was very unattractive to the Houston front office, but the biggest issue they saw in his game was his inflated strikeout stats. In 2024, Jacob Melton was punched out 104 times in 105 minor league games. A strikeout per game didn't seem to be in favor of the Astros' gameplan for the 2026 season. Also, when he was promoted to the big leagues, the trend continued with 29 strikeouts in only 78 plate appearances. Those numbers are aggressively flawed for a young player trying to make an MLB roster, but the Rays decided to take a chance on his incredible skill set and he displayed his potential in yesterday's contest.

In the first inning of the spring game against the Pirates, former Rays infielder Brandon Lowe hit a fly ball to center field. The conditions of LECOM Park gave the ball a mind of its own, forcing Melton to dance in the outfield. However, he was able to adjust and show fantastic glove work to rob Lowe of a potential base hit. And that wasn't the last time he would impress with his top-notch athletic abilities.

In the 6th inning of the same contest, Melton crushed a hanging off-speed pitch from Yohan Ramirez over the right field wall and out of the entire stadium. If you recall from his difficulty with the earlier catch in center, the wind was not in the hitters' favor and he still displayed amazing distance on his first home run as a member of the Rays. Hopefully, this is a glimpse into what Melton can do as the Rays' center fielder of the future.