Casey

Gillaspie

By doing so, he extended his hitting streak to five games. The 2014 first-round pick has plated six runs over his last four games and now has 41 RBI for the season. Gillaspie’s name is littered all over the Southern League leaderboards. He leads the league in walks with 57 and is also third in on base percentage (.388), third in runs scored (51), fourth in home runs (11) and fourth in OPS (.847).

Gillaspie is fighting it out with Jake Bauers to see who can reach the majors first and who might be the Rays’ long-term first baseman (though Bauers is also an option in left field). Gillaspie, a 2014 first-round pick, hit .284/.388/.479 between Double- and Triple-A last year. His power is more legitimate, so he rates as the better prospect of the two.

A big round of cuts from Rays camp. Gillaspie is on track to make his MLB debut at some point in 2017 after batting .284/.388/.479 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI in 132 games last season between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham. The 24-year-old first base prospect was selected 20th overall by the Rays in the 2014 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Gillaspie also scored two runs in the season opener while picking up an RBI and a walk as well. A first-round pick out of Wichita State, Gillaspie isn’t going to be a star, but because of his strong approach and improving power, he’s got a great chance to be the Tampa Bay first baseman of the future. If Logan Morrison was to be moved or miss time, Gillaspie would be a natural replacement.

In addition to the homer, Gillaspie also doubled and scored two runs. It’s been a slow start for the 2014 first-round pick, but there’s still plus power in his switch-hitting bat and excellent plate discipline. If you have him on your dynasty roster, don’t give up just yet.

Gillaspie is a bottom of the scale runner, so someone must have fallen down for him to get to third base. This has been a very poor start of the season for the 2014 first-round pick, but he’s too good of a hitter for these struggles to continue for too long. Maybe this will be the breakout game.

Gillaspie also scored three times, and knocked in a run for the Bulls. It’s been a very disappointing season for Gillaspie, as he’s struggled to show the ability to get on base that he showed in his previous years in the Rays organization. Still, it’s not a question of talent, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he has a much better second half in the International League.

Saturday marked his third three-hit game of the season. Gillaspie has now reached safely in 18 straight games. He’s been red hot over his last 11 contests, hitting .412 with three homers and seven RBI during that span. Gillaspie leads the Southern League in OPS (1.042) and is second in slugging percentage (.587). He’s also sixth in batting average (.317) and sixth in runs scored (22).

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn continues to wheel and deal. Gillaspie has posted a disappointing .227/.296/.357 batting line with nine home runs and 44 RBI in 95 games this season at the Triple-A level, but he was the 20th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft and Baseball America ranked him as a top-100 prospect this spring. He’s a nice get for Jennings, an arbitration-eligible left-handed reliever.

The 22-year-old continues to swing for the fences. He’s belted six long balls in his last nine games, hitting .355 with 11 RBI over that stretch. Gillaspie leads the Midwest League in home runs (15) and is second in slugging (.554). The 2014 first-round pick is destined for a promotion.