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

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.