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3 first-round draft prospects the Tampa Bay Rays could target

The MLB Draft begins on July 14. Here are three big time prospects the Tampa Bay Rays could target with their first-round pick.

By Alfred Ezman |
Tampa Bay Rays v Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays v Baltimore Orioles / G Fiume/GettyImages
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The MLB Draft is right around the corner, beginning on July 14 as part of MLB All-Star Week that takes place in Arlington, Texas. The Tampa Bay Rays currently own the 18th pick in the first round and can go plenty of different directions with who they select. Whether they are positional players or pitchers, here are three big name prospects the Rays can possible look at with the 18th pick.

3 MLB Draft Prospects Tampa Bay Rays Can Target in 2024

3. Jurrangelo Cijntje, Pitcher, Mississippi State

The first prospect is a pitcher to help keep the St. Petersburg pitching factory in order. Of all the arms the Rays currently possess, though, it's safe to say they've got nobody else like this. Jurrangelo Cijntje sits at 5'11" and weighs around 200 pounds.

The key point to Cijntje's game is he can pitch with both hands, and that in and of itself gives the Rays a very unique and cool experiment to work with, even before considering his arsenal. And who's better equipped to work on a challenge like a switch-pitcher than the Rays?!

In his time at Mississippi State, Cijntje finished with a 3.67 ERA in 2024 over the course of 90.2 innings of work. He struck out 113 batters while giving up an opposing batting average of .213 during the season. He was one of the most prominant pitchers in all of college baseball, and although he has been projected in the mid-first round, he could very much fall to the Rays a few picks later than that.

2. Ryan Waldschmidt, Outfielder, Kentucky

Next up is Ryan Waldschmidt, an outfielder from Kentucky. He stands at 6'2" and 205 pounds and has a lot of great qualities about his hitting. In his final 2024 season with the Kentucky Wildcats, he finished with a batting average of .333.

Although not necessarily the biggest of power hitters, that is certainly a quality he can develop over time, much like other prospects the Rays have like Junior Caminero and Xavier Issac. Waldschmidt really gets his fame from his elusive base running. He had a very high on-base percentage that sat at .469, and that is a mark that sat above .400 for his entire college career both at Kentucky and Charleston Southern. Though high school players usually have more room to mature than college bats, Waldschmidt could do well in Tampa's player development system.

Waldschmidt also had 25 stolen bases as well, which was a top five mark in the SEC, a conference that brings in so much MLB talent season after season. Tampa Bay can really follow up the Brayden Taylor pick with another great batter.

1. Walker Janek, Catcher, Sam Houston State

The Rays do not have a lot of viable catcher options outside of Dominic Keegan in the pipeline, and Ben Rortvedt is still a long-term question mark. Walker Janek out of Sam Houston State can change that. He is the 2024 winner of the Buster Posey Award, given to the best catcher in collge baseball.

Janek put up an incredible 2024 season at the plate with a .368 average and a slugging percentage up over .710. He had signs of power, hitting 17 home runs last season, and got on base almost half of the time he came up to bat. He also finished this past season with 58 RBI.

Catcher has always been a question mark position for Tampa Bay for quite some time since Christian Bethancourt left this past season for the Miami Marlins. Having a big time prospect like Janek at that position could represent a worthwhile project for the Rays to develop over time. This is the way Tampa Bay develops a lot of their talented players, and Janek can really fit into that mold.

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