Hitting Comes Naturally To Rays’ Tre’ Morgan
First baseman Tre’ Morgan was an obvious fit for the MLB Futures Skills Showcase.
The hitting competition debuts after the Futures Game this year and is designed to test prospects’ all-around hitting skills in a fun environment.
The primary thing Morgan has done since the Rays drafted him in the third round last year out of LSU is hit.
In 14 games after the draft, Morgan hit .396 as he climbed to Low-A Charleston. It has been much of the same in 2024.
Morgan hit .354/.435/.505 with four home runs through 55 games at a pair of Class A stops. In his first week with High-A Bowling Green, he went 13-for-22.
“He’s just a professional hitter,’’ Rays director of minor league operations George Pappas said. “What makes Tre’ so special is just his hitting ability, the type of hitter he is.’’
This is especially true given that Morgan plays first base, where teams typically stash big swingers with the potential to hit the ball out of the park.
“It’s not the conventional first base profile, if you will, with a bunch of power and maybe less contact at the position,” Pappas said.
“It’s quite the opposite. It’s elite plate discipline. It’s elite contact. He does not give away one pitch or any one at-bat. It’s bat-to-ball, and he’s just ultra competitive in the box.
“And he also makes these two-strike adjustments that make him really special.’’
COOL RAYS
— Speedy Double-A Montgomery outfielder Chandler Simpson and slugging High-A Bowling Green first baseman Xavier Isaac were the Rays prospects chosen to play in the Futures Game.
— Top prospect Junior Caminero is targeting a post all-star break return to Triple-A Durham after being sidelined since late May with a left quad strain. Shortstop Osleivis Basabe, out since mid April with a fractured right wrist, was on a similar schedule.
