These Rays are poised for a breakout 2023

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays are expecting free-agent signing Zach Eflin to take a step forward in their rotation. They¡¯re looking for offensive help. And they¡¯ll likely receive contributions from their farm system next summer, as top prospects Taj Bradley and Curtis Mead are nearly ready for The Show.

But if Tampa Bay is going to improve on its 86-win season and reach the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year, it will need a handful of bounce-back or breakout years from returning players.

¡°I think it's fair to believe, or to suggest, we have both rebound candidates and breakthrough candidates, from someone like Brandon Lowe to Josh Lowe and some of our players that got invaluable experience,¡± president of baseball operations Erik Neander said recently.

Here are a few Rays who could rebound or break through in 2023.

Brandon Lowe
Limited by back issues last season, Lowe hit just .221/.308/.383 with eight homers, 25 RBIs and 1.0 WAR in 65 games. It was a massive drop-off from his career-best 2021 season, when he slashed .247/.340/.523 with 39 homers, 99 RBIs and 4.7 WAR in 149 games.

It¡¯s difficult to overstate Lowe¡¯s importance to Tampa Bay¡¯s lineup. For one, he¡¯s a huge power threat. He¡¯s also a left-handed hitter, providing balance the Rays badly missed last season when most of their best hitters -- including Yandy D¨ªaz, Randy Arozarena and Harold Ram¨ªrez -- were right-handed.

This is just a question of health because Lowe has always hit well when healthy. The good news?

¡°Everything is going well. Normal offseason for him,¡± Neander said at the Winter Meetings. ¡°A frustrating year, certainly, but one where there's no reason to believe that there are likely to be any lingering effects.¡±

Wander Franco
The expectations for Franco couldn¡¯t have been higher heading into each of the past two seasons.

In 2021, he was the game¡¯s top prospect bound for a remarkable debut. Last spring, preseason predictions called for everything from a 30-30 season to the American League MVP Award.

Franco¡¯s not getting that kind of hype this winter, but his ceiling remains the same. The challenge for Franco will be staying healthy and learning how to harness his all-out style over a full season. He¡¯s still a potentially game-changing talent, and he¡¯ll only be 22 years old next year.

¡°He¡¯s a stud. If he can stay healthy, he¡¯s going to do special things,¡± manager Kevin Cash said at the Winter Meetings. ¡°I¡¯d like to think Wander is going to be better for all of that, what he went through, and know that he¡¯s extremely motivated to get on the field, stay on the field and be the player we know he is.¡±

Taylor Walls / Vidal Bruján / Josh Lowe
The Rays often noted this year that Isaac Paredes didn¡¯t find his footing until his third season in the Majors. It¡¯s a reminder that these three former top prospects, who haven¡¯t hit enough to capitalize on their opportunities thus far, could still break through.

Walls¡¯ Minor League track record suggests he should be a better hitter than his .182/.281/.288 slash line as a big leaguer. Surely the Rays would love to have the slick-fielding shortstop¡¯s range and superb instincts in the infield on a regular basis, especially in a post-shift environment, but they could use more out of his bat.

Similarly, Bruj¨¢n has many skills that could play well with the upcoming rule changes. He¡¯s got elite speed. He¡¯s rangy and versatile defensively. He puts the ball in play and has stolen bases in the Minors. Can he make enough solid contact to let all his other abilities shine through?

The Rays cleared a spot on their Opening Day roster for Lowe by trading Austin Meadows, and he responded by hitting just .221/.284/.343 while striking out in a third of his plate appearances over 52 games. He was again brilliant in Triple-A, batting .315/.402/.556 with 14 homers and 25 steals in 80 games for Durham. Perhaps with a little less pressure next season, he could emerge as an impact player.

Luis Patiño
The Rays were hoping for a big step forward entering last season, but injuries slowed the talented right-hander¡¯s ascent as he exited his April 11 season debut after two outs due to a strained oblique. His opportunities became scarce after that. In 2021, he dominated righties but struggled against lefties; that script flipped last season. He¡¯s only 23 years old, still learning, still developing.

The Rays have an excellent five-man rotation set with Tyler Glasnow, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Eflin. Yonny Chirinos, Josh Fleming and Pati?o figure to be the next men up, with Bradley coming soon. There will be opportunities for all of them. It¡¯s on Pati?o to make the most of his.