Future Watch: Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Cards, trio to collect

by | Apr 28, 2021 | Baseball, Future Watch, Future Watch - Baseball, Sports

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Future Watch: Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Cards, trio to collect –The Tampa Bay Rays have a deep farm system. Teams that don’t spend the most money have to find more talent than most. Still searching for their first World Series title, this trio of prospects will take them far. Collectors collect the best players, and they have some names they can’t ignore. Tampa has made some shrewd trades, and they could start having an impact in the next few seasons.

Alika Williams was drafted as a shortstop with a lot of credentials. The Rays selected him 37th overall. That’s still a first-round pick, and this pick was acquired in a big trade with the St. Louis Cardinals that brought them Randy Arozarena and Jose Martinez. Williams was a high school star at Rancho Bernardo in San Diego, California. In his sophomore season, he hit .402 with 22 RBI. He decided to not go to the Yankees, who drafted him late in 2017, instead he enrolled at Arizona State University. As a freshman, Williams started 54 of 55 games with a .280 batting average and 20 RBI. His junior season was cut short by COVID-19, where he hit a home run and had eight RBI in 17 games. Williams is a smooth fielder with a fluid swing that he can pull the ball or go inside out. He will take a while to get to Tampa, but collectors should keep an eye on him.

 

SHOP ALIKA WILLIAMS BASEBALL CARDS ON EBAY

 

Register Batting
Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB
2018 19 -1.3 Arizona State P12 NCAA 55 209 186 23 52 8 1 0 20 5 4 13 17 .280 .333 .333 .667 62 13 3 5 2
2018 19 -1.0 Bourne CCBL Smr 15 55 49 8 12 3 0 1 6 4 0 4 12 .245 .309 .367 .676 18 1 0 1 0
2019 20 -0.6 Arizona State P12 NCAA 57 262 213 54 71 12 3 4 53 9 4 33 28 .333 .429 .474 .903 101 3 7 3 6
2019 20 0.0 Bourne CCBL Smr 9 38 35 5 10 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 5 .286 .342 .314 .656 11 0 0 0 0
2020 21 0.3 Arizona State P12 NCAA 17 78 64 14 16 1 1 1 8 1 2 9 4 .250 .359 .344 .703 22 0 3 0 2
NCAA (3 seasons) NCAA 129 549 463 91 139 21 5 5 81 15 10 55 49 .300 .383 .400 .782 185 16 13 8 10
Other (2 seasons) Other 24 93 84 13 22 4 0 1 7 4 0 7 17 .262 .323 .345 .668 29 1 0 1 0
All Levels (3 Seasons) 153 642 547 104 161 25 5 6 88 19 10 62 66 .294 .374 .391 .765 214 14 8 11 0
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/28/2021.

Instead of an update on Arozarena, I thought Heriberto Hernandez was worth mentioning here. The Rays acquired him from the Texas Rangers in the Nate Lowe trade in December of 2020. Back in 2019, Hernandezplayed for two teams, finishing out his season with the Spokane Indians. This talented prospect hit 17 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs with 49 RBI, and a .345 batting average. Showing his versatility, Hernandezplayed first base and outfield as well. As part of the 40-man roster, Hernandez will play for the Charleston RiverDogs the Rays Low-A affiliate this spring. With the power he has in his swing the Rays will find a position for him, and catcher may be it. That’s where they need help at the major league level.

SHOP HERIBERTO HERNANDEZ BASEBALL CARDS ON EBAY

Register Batting
Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB
2018 18 0.2 Rangers 2 DOSL FRk TEX 60 239 178 56 52 15 5 12 49 5 5 53 41 .292 .464 .635 1.099 113 2 6 0 2 1
2019 19 2 Teams 2 Lgs Rk-A- TEX 53 234 200 46 69 17 4 11 49 6 3 29 60 .345 .436 .635 1.071 127 4 4 0 1 1
2019 19 -1.8 Spokane NORW A- TEX 3 10 8 4 3 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 3 .375 .500 .375 .875 3 0 0 0 0 0
2019 19 -0.6 Rangers ARIZ Rk TEX 50 224 192 42 66 17 4 11 48 3 3 27 57 .344 .433 .646 1.079 124 4 4 0 1 1
All Levels (2 Seasons) 113 473 378 102 121 32 9 23 98 11 8 82 101 .320 .450 .635 1.085 240 6 10 0 3 2
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/28/2021.

 

Wander Franco was signed by the Rays as an international free agent in 2017. Since he was profiled here before, here’s an update. He’s closer to making the big club even without playing minor league baseball in 2020. Franco is still a top prospect in the game, and the shortstop is only 20. In the 2021 Dominican Winter League, he hit a cool .350 with a homer and two RBI with six runs scored in five games. When the minor league year begins in May, Franco should start in AAA. He has power, speed, and a good glove. His next promotion hinges on the kind of season this prospect has in 2021.

 

 

SHOP WANDER FRANCO BASEBALL CARDS ON EBAY

 

Register Batting
Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB
2018 17 -3.3 Princeton APPY Rk TBR 61 273 242 46 85 10 7 11 57 4 3 27 19 .351 .418 .587 1.004 142 5 2 0 2 1
2019 18 2 Teams 2 Lgs A-A+ TBR 114 495 425 82 139 27 7 9 53 18 14 56 35 .327 .398 .487 .885 207 6 2 0 12 3
2019 18 -4.4 Charlotte FLOR A+ TBR 52 223 192 40 65 11 2 3 24 4 5 26 15 .339 .408 .464 .872 89 4 0 0 5 2
2019 18 -3.3 Bowling Green MIDW A TBR 62 272 233 42 74 16 5 6 29 14 9 30 20 .318 .390 .506 .896 118 2 2 0 7 1
2019-20 18 -8.7 Gigantes DOWL FgW 6 26 26 3 5 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 .192 .192 .308 .500 8 1 0 0 0 0
2020-21 19 -8.1 Escogido DOWL FgW 5 23 20 6 7 0 0 1 2 1 0 3 4 .350 .435 .500 .935 10 0 0 0 0 0
Minors (2 seasons) Minors 175 768 667 128 224 37 14 20 110 22 17 83 54 .336 .405 .523 .928 349 11 4 0 14 4
Foreign (2 seasons) Foreign 11 49 46 9 12 0 0 2 3 1 0 3 7 .261 .306 .391 .697 18 1 0 0 0 0
All Levels (3 Seasons) 186 817 713 137 236 37 14 22 113 23 17 86 61 .331 .399 .515 .914 367 12 4 0 14 4
A+ (1 season) Minors 52 223 192 40 65 11 2 3 24 4 5 26 15 .339 .408 .464 .872 89 4 0 0 5 2
A (1 season) Minors 62 272 233 42 74 16 5 6 29 14 9 30 20 .318 .390 .506 .896 118 2 2 0 7 1
Rk (1 season) Minors 61 273 242 46 85 10 7 11 57 4 3 27 19 .351 .418 .587 1.004 142 5 2 0 2 1
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/28/2021.

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