How Do We Feel About Corey Ray At This Point?

[Fear The Chorizo]

Ray is decent in center defensively - scouts still question whether he'll be able to stick there as a full time starter in MLB. He'd be a plus defender in left, and his arm is good enough to play RF but his offensive profile would be an ideal fit to stay in center and put corner OF's with more power around him. If he keeps developing he could be a very solid 4th OF as early as next year, but I think he's talented enough to profile as an everyday CF or LF. Tricky part is the MLB OF's in front of him at those positions for the Brewers.

 

With Brinson hitting 0.171 and showing the same issues at the plate he did during his cup of coffee in Milwaukee last season and Harrison scuffling thus far in AA, Ray actually compares favorably to those two and could easily wind up having the best MLB career of the 3. The fact that's even a possibility compared to what perceptions of these players were following last season shows how much Ray has rebounded this season in AA.

[igor67]

Well I feel real good about the last 50 ABs with another HR tonight.

[Tbadder]

I feel the road to the majors is so difficult and the track record of even 1st rounders so suspect that I don’t think anything about Corey. If I had to guess I’d say...well, I wouldn’t even guess. His numbers are unimpressive but he’s toolsy by all accounts. Sounds like a guy who will find himself late or not at all. Sure would be sad to throw away that high of a draft pick since we probably won’t be looking at a top ten pick for quite awhile now.

[MrTPlush]

Over a 162 game schedule he is on pace for nearly a 30/30 season, #7 in SLG %, tied for #11 in steals, #3 in doubles, #2 in HRs, #1 in total bases, and a Top 15 OPS in the southern league.

 

Yup...really unimpressive stats.

 

He has extremely impressive stats (Top 15 easily) and plays a premium position. All this and he may be just tapping into his potential.

[LouisEly]

What is unimpressive is the much bigger sample of his entire 2016 and 2017 seasons. Keep in mind, it's still early in 2018. If he still has these numbers in August, then we can get excited.

[Outlander]

Over a 162 game schedule he is on pace for nearly a 30/30 season, #7 in SLG %, tied for #11 in steals, #3 in doubles, #2 in HRs, #1 in total bases, and a Top 15 OPS in the southern league.

 

Yup...really unimpressive stats.

 

He has extremely impressive stats (Top 15 easily) and plays a premium position. All this and he may be just tapping into his potential.

Well yes that would be quite impressive and would move him up the rankings fast. However, until this recent run his numbers have been unimpressive so I will take a wait and see approach but cautiously optimistic at the moment.

[JosephC]

If anyone doesn't like Ray, then that individual does not like the Brewer's system. I'm not one to get too excited over 6 weeks of stats. But with Woodruff's graduation, Ray appears to be firmly in the organization's top 5 prospects. In alphabetical order, Burnes, Hiura, Peralta, Phillips, Ray...I really don't see how anyone else could be included in that group right now. I know there are still some writers that really like Erceg, but so far he has a .588 OPS this year and only sits at .757 over his minor league career. Ray's MiLB OPS is lower, at .713, but he seems headed in the opposite direction as Erceg and his speed and defensive assets should put him at least one notch above Erceg. I still really like Ortiz but feel strongly that his "nagging" injury history and lack of innings pushes him out of the top 5 group. Grisham doesn't have enough pop in his bat to overcome his questionable hit tool IMO. If he was a potential gold glover in centerfield it would be easy to overlook the offensive deficiencies, but he's not that and the offensive problems really become significant as a corner outfielder. Lutz has upside but is way, way, way more of an unknown at this point. I could keep on going right down the list, but Ray seems really solid in the top 5 as of today.

 

I've been on this idea for awhile, but if doing a comparison to a current MLB'er, I think Ray has a decent chance to be a Starling Marte type player and would guess that's what the Brewers were hoping for when they drafted Ray. Marte's gotten off to a great start this year, but throw that out and from 2012-2017 he slashed .288/.344/.439/.783. Good for around 15 home runs and 30 stolen bases per season. Marte has won two gold gloves. I don't know if the Brewer's would seriously anticipate that level of defense out of Ray, but clearly the expectation would be a plus defender and a guy that can play any of the outfield spots. When looking at the whole picture, Marte has been a pretty solid 3.5-4.0 WAR player. Basically a player that does everything well and has no obvious hole in his game. That's what I'm still hoping for in Ray. Not a guy who is an offensive superstar or flashy defender, but a player that just does everything well.

[Brewer Fever]

Amazing what one week does for a player's status. Not saying I disagree with the current high praise for Ray, but maybe the answer is to exercise a little more patience before drawing conclusions on these guys. People were throwing Ray in like a bag of balls on trade proposals not more than a few weeks ago. There'd be a lot of awful GMs here. Sadly many of those awful GMs seem convinced they would make great ones.

 

To put the emphasis back solely on Ray, it should be highlighted that he's doing this in AA. That's a hugely encouraging development as it's arguably the most important minor league level. Many single A stars have hit the developmental wall at AA where many near major leaguers reside. He needs to keep this up for a full season though.

[homer]

What is unimpressive is the much bigger sample of his entire 2016 and 2017 seasons. Keep in mind, it's still early in 2018. If he still has these numbers in August, then we can get excited.

 

True, but when he's hit more home runs by May 17, 2018 than he had in all of 2016 or 2017 then it's ok to get a little bit excited.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Ray's 2016 was 60 games right after he was drafted, basically all at A+ Brevard County - which was notoriously a hitter's black hole. The fact he OPS-d near 0.700 in that league to open his professional career shouldn't be a huge negative. He wasn't afforded extended time at Helena or low A for a few months, or even a milb spring training to get comfortable. Then in fall instructional league 2016 Ray injured his knee and had surgery, which prevented him from having an offseason to really develop more aside from rehabbing his knee. He played all of last year in the high A Carolina league and results weren't good for a touted prospect. He showed some flashes in last year's AZ fall league, particularly towards the end.

 

Having the full offseason this past winter to work on his craft instead of rehabbing an injury appears to have paid off - AA is a good level for him to be performing well at, he's still young for that league and a solid season there should re-establish him as a quality prospect.

[adambr2]

Not to be that guy but just asking, if Ray reclaims his former top 30 value is there really any way he is NOT trade bait rather than part of the future?

 

Cain and Yelich presumably aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe you could groom him as the RF of the future, but it's hard to see them grooming a guy as a CF just to waste him in right.

[mrn1ceguy]

Not to be that guy but just asking, if Ray reclaims his former top 30 value is there really any way he is NOT trade bait rather than part of the future?

 

Cain and Yelich presumably aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe you could groom him as the RF of the future, but it's hard to see them grooming a guy as a CF just to waste him in right.

 

If Ray does awesome this year in AA and awesome again in AAA next year, I could see him start 2020 in AAA and then come up in June as 4th OF. This allows him to get ~80 games in 2020 to cover an injury or to give each starter (Yelich, Cain, Santana/Phillips) about 20 games off. Note i have Braun on the bench for 2020.

If he continues to perform well, then either Cain or Santana/Phillips could be moved that offseason. Note, I have either Santana or Phillips moved no later then the end of 2019. This allows for us to refresh the OF with good, young talent so that it stays a strength through at least 2022.

[Lathund]

Ray is at least a year (mid-season 2019. Likely later) away from the majors even in most realistic best-case scenarios. Who knows what the outfield will look like at that time. Could be that Cain, Yelich, Santana/Phillips and a semi-healthy Braun has Ray blocked. Could also well be that Santana is traded, Phillips is a bust and Braun is never healthy. In the latter case, he could certainly be part of the future. It depends on a lot of things really. How much will good performances actually increase trade value? What players are out there that Ray could be a part in acquiring? What injuries occur? Who else gets traded?

 

I don't think his trade value ever really gets to the point where that's the best option. If it ever gets really high, then it's because he lived up to pre-draft hype in which case I obviously want him with the Brewers. His defense and baserunning gives him a decent floor, where he doesn't have to hit super well to still be a contributor. I'd keep him around and see if he fulfills his potential. Which is probably unlikely, but a solid 4th OF or average starter isn't at all out of the question; and getting that cheaply might very well be worth more than Ray as the 3rd piece in some trade.

[reillymcshane]

I am a person who has preached patience with regard to Ray. I liked his talent, skillset and makeup. As such, I had him ranked 8th in our preseason poll - which was tied for the 2nd highest of all the people who voted. I am happy to see him doing well. However, the guy has been very streaky at times in his short career, and I want to see some sustained success before I get too excited. I'm not ready to dismiss a year and half of mediocrity just yet.

 

I hope Corey's success continues. I don't know enough about developing players to be more than an armchair evaluator - but I hope Ray has ironed out the hitches and hiccups in his approach - and keeps producing.

 

Personally, I'd like to see Ray just stay at Biloxi all year and put together a good campaign. If that happens, then we can talk bigger things. But I'm not going to get to caught up in things just yet - even if I'm cautiously optimistic about his future.

[CheeseheadInQC]

If anyone doesn't like Ray, then that individual does not like the Brewer's system. I'm not one to get too excited over 6 weeks of stats. But with Woodruff's graduation, Ray appears to be firmly in the organization's top 5 prospects. In alphabetical order, Burnes, Hiura, Peralta, Phillips, Ray...I really don't see how anyone else could be included in that group right now.

 

If you're buying into Ray's early season production this year, then I think you could at least make a case for Nottingham under a similar production finally matching hype, premium position argument, but that's neither here nor there.

 

As for Ray, the track record of college first rounders who have the type of season that he had last year is pretty depressing, but he does fit the type who I could see breaking the trend. He always felt kind of halfway between the advanced college bats and the toolsy prep outfielders in that he had progressed enough in college to remove some of the early flameout risk of the prep guys but not enough to suggest smooth sailing through the minors like Benintendi or Senzel. Because of that, I also find myself more ready to shed the skepticism last year brought if he puts together a quality season this year, especially given that he isn't repeating a level.

[MrTPlush]

Corey Ray should project just fine in RF. He should have the power to be a prototypical guy at the corner spot. Not like he is a 10 homer guy. If he hits enough to tap into his power it will come. If the power doesn’t come then you won’t have to worry about him even using an MLB roster spot.

 

He seems like prime trade bait to fill a hole with a proven guy in the future though.

[TooLiveBrew]

I'll echo all the other comments -- great to see him hitting. Hope he can keep it going! Would be big to have another good bat in the pipeline.

[LouisEly]

If anyone doesn't like Ray, then that individual does not like the Brewer's system. I'm not one to get too excited over 6 weeks of stats. But with Woodruff's graduation, Ray appears to be firmly in the organization's top 5 prospects. In alphabetical order, Burnes, Hiura, Peralta, Phillips, Ray...I really don't see how anyone else could be included in that group right now.

Luis Ortiz has been more successful than Ray at a much younger age. But he's on the DL right now - out of sight, out of mind.

 

Zack Brown was in the same draft class, is a couple of months younger, and has put up better numbers for a pitcher than Ray has for a hitter. You could easily argue he's been more successful than Ray. He doesn't have the first round pedigree, but Burnes was a 4th round pick so that shouldn't disqualify Brown.

 

Adrian Houser was in the majors at younger age than Ray is now. He's been quite unlucky with a .385 BABIP this year, but has a 10.2 K/9 against only 2.4 BB/9.

 

Troy Stokes and Jake Gatewood put up better numbers at a younger age than Ray last year.

 

This is just limiting to guys who are at AA or above.

 

There are a number of guys who could arguably be in that #5 position if you take away the draft status of Ray and the last week of his stats.

[And That]

Ray was, relatively speaking, a raw college hitter. He's also a fighter who so far has overcome everything presented to him. To think that he couldn't overcome his "shortcomings" is naive, to say the least. He's a big league hitter. Those saying otherwise over the past year are going to look pretty ridiculous.

[Mr Southpaw]

Ray was, relatively speaking, a raw college hitter. He's also a fighter who so far has overcome everything presented to him. To think that he couldn't overcome his "shortcomings" is naive, to say the least. He's a big league hitter. Those saying otherwise over the past year are going to look pretty ridiculous.

 

Woah, big league hitter? I love to see his power numbers go up as they have this past week (5 home runs), but baseball is a sport of streaks. One week up, one week down. If he can do a .275/.350/.500 for the entire year, I will have a little more faith in your statement.

[clancyphile]

Ray was, relatively speaking, a raw college hitter. He's also a fighter who so far has overcome everything presented to him. To think that he couldn't overcome his "shortcomings" is naive, to say the least. He's a big league hitter. Those saying otherwise over the past year are going to look pretty ridiculous.

 

Put it this way... I don't think the Brewers did him any favors by putting him into Brevard County. The injury also hampered him.

 

I will see how 2018 goes in Biloxi. I do think Stokes is a better bet as of now. If Stokes and Ray force the issue... Yelich could move to first.

 

Lots of time.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Ray was, relatively speaking, a raw college hitter. He's also a fighter who so far has overcome everything presented to him. To think that he couldn't overcome his "shortcomings" is naive, to say the least. He's a big league hitter. Those saying otherwise over the past year are going to look pretty ridiculous.

 

Put it this way... I don't think the Brewers did him any favors by putting him into Brevard County. The injury also hampered him.

 

I will see how 2018 goes in Biloxi. I do think Stokes is a better bet as of now. If Stokes and Ray force the issue... Yelich could move to first.

 

Lots of time.

 

Yelich is a Gold Glove-caliber LF and is 26. Why in the world would they move him to 1B?

 

Right now, if Ray and Stokes are confined to LF, they are trade currency. Hopefully Ray has the defensive chops to play all three positions in the OF. That will only help his value. I think Stokes is likely confined to LF, though.

[JDBrewCrew]

ODB

3:26 What can be made of Corey Ray's start to the season? Reason for optimisim?

 

Eric A Longenhagen

3:26 Definitely

 

At least one prospect writer on board with the "break out"

[NYChez]

Ray is first in the organization in extra base hits (25 before Memorial Day) and third in walks.

[CheeseheadInQC]

His OBP is up to .400 for May with 16 walks to 19 strikeouts. I don't know if it is sustainable, but if it is, suddenly he is looking like a guy who deserved to go No. 5 in the draft.