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| Myers hit the second-most homers in the minor leagues last season. (US Presswire) |
The Rays have invited top prospect Wil Myers to spring training, the team announced. Tampa Bay acquired the outfielder from the Royals as part of the James Shields trade back in December.
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Myers, 22, hit .314/.387/.600 with 37 homers and 109 RBI in 134 games split between Double-A and Triple-A last season. The Royals drafted him in the third round of the 2009 draft and watched him develop into one of baseball's best offensive prospects.
The Rays recently agreed to sign Kelly Johnson to play second base, which likely pushes Ben Zobrist into the outfield on a full-time basis. Desmond Jennings and Matt Joyce figure to man the other two outfield posts, so Myers could begin the season back in Triple-A. Tampa has kept several of its top youngsters -- specifically Jennings, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore -- in the minors long enough to delay their free agency, which is something they'll presumably consider repeating with Myers.
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