'As impressive as anybody I've seen': Mead drawing Rays' attention

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- After spending another season tearing up Triple-A pitching and struggling to secure a spot in the Majors, Curtis Mead set up a meeting with Rays manager Kevin Cash. The hard-working, highly motivated infielder wanted to establish goals for the offseason, giving him some direction before flying home to Australia for the winter.

The biggest takeaway? Mead said he needed to get ¡°a bit more physical,¡± to come in bigger and stronger than last year. He took it to heart, packed on about 20 pounds and reported to Spring Training -- where he¡¯s competing for a bench spot on the Opening Day roster -- ready to recapture the form he showed as a consensus Top 100 prospect.

When asked last week about players who reported in great shape, Cash immediately singled out Mead.

¡°He looks really good, probably as impressive as anybody I¡¯ve seen,¡± Cash said. ¡°You can tell that he worked hard.¡±

After buying a house in his hometown of Adelaide following the 2023 season, Mead -- who got engaged and married over the winter -- decided to convert their garage into a gym. He parked his car outside and showed his drive inside, eating ¡°a ton¡± and working out even more.

¡°Pretty much lived in it,¡± Mead said, smiling. ¡°I figured it was kind of an investment in my career, so I kind of bought all-in.¡±

Last offseason, Mead¡¯s focus was mostly on his defense. He came into camp looking leaner and more agile, and at one point he was viewed as a backup shortstop option as part of a utility-infield role.

He doesn¡¯t regret that work, he said, because he felt like it made him a better defender. But he admits he may have ¡°lost focus¡± on how he can provide the most value: with his bat. So without wanting to change who he is as a player, he decided this offseason to lean into his strengths.

¡°For two years now, I feel like I¡¯ve been treading water and trying to break into the team. This year, I¡¯m going to play my own game, and hopefully they enjoy what they see,¡± Mead said. ¡°I felt like I¡¯ve constantly been trying to adjust and adapt to end up staying on the team and getting more at-bats, but I think this year I¡¯m going to kind of do what I did when I was younger.

¡°I think that¡¯s a better version of the player that I can be, so I¡¯m hoping they agree with that.¡±

Specifically, Mead said he wanted to get back to being the player he was in 2022, when he hit .298/.390/.532 with 13 homers and 27 doubles in 76 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He was MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 33 overall prospect heading into 2023 and No. 55 entering last year.

He still hit well in Durham the past two seasons, but he¡¯s managed only a .244/.300/.312 slash line with two homers and six doubles in 224 big league plate appearances during that time.

¡°There¡¯s a good offensive player in there that can do some damage with the bat,¡± Cash said. ¡°Did he get away from that? I don¡¯t know. But I know that he was committed this offseason. ¡­ Happy to see him and the way he looks.¡±

Considering his above-average bat speed and his excellent Minor League numbers, Mead¡¯s lack of power was perhaps the most surprising aspect of his struggles in the Majors. He said he wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯ll boost his top-end exit velocity and power by putting on muscle, but he thinks it will require less effort to get to the pop he¡¯s previously shown.

¡°Losing so much weight, he was trying to manufacture power and reaching back for more that wasn't available. And now that he's gotten closer to his body type, he can actually move the way he needs to,¡± hitting coach Chad Mottola said. ¡°I haven't seen him where he's at [this spring] in the couple years I've been around him, so I'm very encouraged by the first couple days. I've never seen him move like this ¡­ and I¡¯m very excited about it.¡±

Camp notes

• The Rays will begin their Grapefruit League schedule on Friday at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, their regular-season home for 2025. Non-roster right-hander Joey Krehbiel will start. Lefties Jake Brentz and Keyshawn Askew and offseason acquisition Eric Orze are among those also scheduled to pitch.
• FanDuel Sports Network Sun will air and stream Friday¡¯s opener locally in the Tampa Bay market, picking up the Yankees¡¯ YES Network telecast. The game is also available out of market on MLB Network and MLB.TV.
• Pete Fairbanks threw a bullpen session on Wednesday as part of a progression toward Opening Day that is intentionally a few days behind other pitchers, as is often the case with experienced closers.
• Cash, coaches and staff met on Wednesday with MLB officials to discuss the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system, which will be implemented in some Spring Training games this year.