Rays' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Yandy Diaz, Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, Josh Lowe, Junior Caminero and More

Discussing the top fantasy hitters from the Tampa Bay Rays as the 2024 season approaches.

The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles relating to 2024 fantasy baseball draft prep and will continue to do so through the start of the MLB season.

Recently, we’ve been looking at things on a team-by-team basis. We’ve covered several teams already, and those articles can be found at the links below:

American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers), Minnesota Twins

National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers), Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins

Now, we’ll take a look at the Tampa Bay Rays. We’ll break this one down into two stories, kicking things off with the hitters on the team. Check back later for the pitcher writeup. 

Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!

Top Fantasy Hitters

The first Tampa Bay hitters off draft boards is Yandy Diaz. He ranks 59th on the FantasySP Average Draft Position list with a mark of 67.1.

Diaz has enjoyed a solid career, but had a career season in 2023. Across 137 games, Diaz hit for a .330 average and got on base at a .410 clip. He collected 173 total hits, 57 of which went for extra bases (including 22 home runs). Diaz drove in 78 runs and scored 95 times.

Diaz is projected to hit leadoff for Tampa Bay, and if he can keep his average high, he’ll have plenty of chances to score. It’s weird to see a leadoff hitter who is not much of a stolen base threat, but that’s the case with Diaz. He still does enough to warrant a fairly early draft pick.

Diaz is currently the seventh first baseman off fantasy draft boards, which feels about right. If you’d rather address some other positions early in a draft, Diaz is a fine target after the top-end names come off the board. He finished as the fifth-highest scoring 1B a season ago and was one of the better fantasy hitters overall, so even though his current ADP is pretty early, you could still get really good value back out of him.

Randy Arozarena is the next Ray off draft boards, ranking 73rd with an ADP mark of 75.58.

Arozarena played in 151 games a season ago, but finished with the lowest batting average (.254) of his career. He got on base at a .364 clip still, which was his best mark in three seasons. Arozarena also had 140 total hits, 83 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, 95 runs scored and 45 extra-base hits (23 homers).

His bit of a down season has him going later in drafts than in past years, which makes him a bounceback candidate. Arozarena should hit in the heart of the lineup, which should give him plenty of RBI chances and opportunities to score a bunch as well. He’s a really solid second or third outfielder and has the chance to be a draft steal just by reverting to his career averages.

Isaac Paredes is up next, ranking 120th with a mark of 127.92.

Across 143 games last season, Paredes tallied a .250 average and .352 on-base percentage. He had 123 total hits, 55 of which went for extra bases (31 homers). Paredes drove in 98 runs and scored 71 times.

He might have a little position versatility after playing at third, second and first base in 10 or more games, which boosts his fantasy value a bit more. He’s a bit of a risk to take as a starter - I’d rather have him as my utility or extra infield starter. If Paredes can build on last season though, he’ll be in your lineup every day and probably be a pretty big draft steal.

Josh Lowe is the next hitter off the draft board, ranking 141st with a mark of 139.64.

Lowe was great across 135 games last season, finishing with a .292 average and .335 on-base percentage. He collected 136 total hits, including 55 extra-base hits (20 homers). Lowe drove in 83, scored 71 times and stole 32 bases.

Lowe is projected to bat cleanup, after Arozarena and before Paredes. If Lowe can keep improving, or at least produce a similar average, there’s a chance he’s a big-time draft steal for his current ADP. Near that point of a draft, you’re probably taking him as your last starting outfielder or a utility spot. If you draft other positions earlier in the draft, Lowe is a great option to fill out your starting lineup.

Junior Caminero is next up, ranking 208th with a mark of 179.5.

Caminero got his first taste of MLB action in 2023, playing in seven games. While he made his debut, he’s not expected to make the big league team right away. In the minors, he’s a career .316 hitter, so there’s plenty of potential with Caminero.

It’s difficult to spend a draft pick on a player who might not start the season in the MLB, but at a later point of a draft, you can take some gambles. If you are feeling great about your team and Caminero is still on the board, that’s when I’d take a chance on him. He can play all over the field, so he would be a highly valued fantasy asset if he can produce at the plate even somewhat consistently.

Amed Rosario is next up, ranking 294th with a mark of 239.4.

He played for the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, playing in 142 games total. Rosario had a .263 average, .305 on-base percentage, 58 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and 70 runs scored. He had 134 total hits, 39 of which went for extra bases (six homers).

Rosario isn’t projected to start, but could platoon. Because he can play several positions, it could get him into lineups a good amount. Maybe his role will be better defined by the time your league drafts, but I’d try to look elsewhere for fantasy help - even though it’ll be late in drafts, there’s plenty of players out there with everyday starting roles that would probably be better options than Rosario. I see him as a streaming option to start the season.

Brandon Lowe is the final Tampa Bay hitter on the ADP list, ranking 332nd with a mark of 291.5. He’s expected to hit second in the lineup, but could be part of a platoon.

He played in 109 games last season, finishing with a .231 average and .328 on-base percentage. He had 85 total hits, 37 of which went for extra bases (21 homers). He drove in 68 runs, scored 58 times and stole seven bases.

His average isn’t good, but the OBP and many other numbers are solid, especially if he’s able to play more games. He primarily played at second base last season, so unfortunately there’s no position versatility to bump his fantasy stock any higher. He’s worth a pick late in drafts just because he should play in plenty of games and will likely be in a crucial spot in the order.

Jose Siri, Jose Caballero and Rene Pinto are other projected starters for the Rays. Jonathan Aranda is the other projected starter, and will likely be on the strong side of a platoon. Alex Jackson looks to be the backup catching option to Pinto at this point. Jonny DeLuca and Harold Ramirez are guys that could fill out platoons.

Those guys should probably go undrafted outside of really deep leagues or draft and hold leagues. FantasySP will keep track of waiver wire options all season, so be sure to check back in to see if any Tampa Bay players are worth adding at any points.

Outside of Caminero, Curtis Mead is another top-100 MLB prospect who is expected to play in the big leagues in 2024. He played in 24 games for the team in 2023, finishing with a .253 average and .326 on-base percentage. Mead won’t need much time in Triple-A (if he doesn’t make the MLB team out of spring training), so he’s a guy to keep a close eye on right away. Mead also might be worth stashing on your bench in a deeper format - that way you won’t miss out on possibly adding him when he gets the call.

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