Rays' Kyle Manzardo: Strong hard-hit rate at Triple-A
Rotowire
Manzardo is slashing .262/.333/.548 with three home runs and a 10:5 K:BB in 48 plate appearances for Triple-A Durham.
The Rays didn't mess around, sending Manzardo to Triple-A this year after he dominated in 30 games at Double-A to close last season. Manzardo also set a career high in exit velocity (111.9 mph) on one of his home runs this season, and his 42.4 percent hard-hit rate is up from the 33.5 percent mark he logged in 2022.
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Rays' Kyle Manzardo: Off to Triple-A
Rotowire
Manzardo is opening the year at Triple-A Durham, MLB.com reports.
While Manzardo is widely considered to be one of the best hitters in the minors, the Rays had cover to send him back to Double-A for a month or two since he only played 30 games there last season, but they didn't mess around with this assignment. Manzardo's Triple-A teammate Curtis Mead is on the 40-man roster already and likely ahead in the promotion hierarchy, but it's possible Manzardo kicks the door down sometime this summer.
Rays' Kyle Manzardo: Reassigned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Manzardo was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Rays on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Manzardo was strong in his time in camp with the Rays, with a .280/.357/.600 slash along with two home runs over 28 plate appearances. Considered among the top prospects at the first base position, Manzardo will start 2023 in the upper levels -- possibly with Triple-A Durham -- and has a realistic path to playing for the Rays in 2023.
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Rays' Kyle Manzardo: Slugs second homer of spring
Rotowire
Manzardo went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, four RBI and two runs scored in a Grapefruit League game against the Mets on Sunday.
Manzardo wasn't in the lineup with the Rays' regulars, but he did take Carlos Carrasco deep to account for his second homer of the spring. As he has at every stop in his minor-league career, Manzardo has hit well this spring, maintaining a 1.207 OPS across 21 plate appearances. He won't start the season in the majors, but there's a strong possibility Manzardo makes his big-league debut at some point in 2023.
Rays' Kyle Manzardo: Rakes in Double-A to close out 2022
Rotowire
Manzardo hit .327/.405/.582 with five home runs and a 14:19 BB:K across 29 games to finish out the season following his promotion to Double-A Montgomery.
That's almost as good as what he did at High-A Bowling Green before being promoted (.329/.436/.636). He finishes the 2022 regular season with 22 homers and 81 RBI in 93 games across the two levels, not to mention nearly as many walks (59) as strikeouts (65). The 21-year-old Manzardo could very well crack the majors at some point next year.
The Rays promoted Manzardo to Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 23-year-old first baseman has been a fast climber through the organization, as he'll now move on to his third affiliate since being drafted in the second round of the 2021 first-year player draft. Manzardo decimated South Atlantic League pitching over the first four months of the season, slashing .329/.436/.636 with 17 home runs and a 45:46 BB:K in 275 plate appearances.
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Rays' Kyle Manzardo: On power binge in High-A
Rotowire
Manzardo has hit six home runs while batting .444 over his last 10 games for High-A Bowling Green and is now up to 17 long balls with a .326/.429/.633 batting line on the season.
Manzardo came into this season with concerns about his power potential, especially relative to the expectations at first base, but he's been quieting the naysayers. The combination of power and plate discipline is fantasy gold, and that's exactly what Manzardo has offered this year, as his walk rate (16 percent) isn't far behind his strikeout rate (17.2 percent). The 22-year-old will need to maintain this sort of performance at the higher levels of the minors, of course, but he could conceivably get that opportunity soon.
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Rays' Kyle Manzardo: Back from IL
Rotowire
Manzardo (undisclosed) has gone 5-for-18 with a run scored in his first four games since returning from High-A Bowling Green's 7-day injured list May 12.
The 21-year-old first baseman missed just under a month with the unspecified injury. For the season, Manzardo is hitting .324 with three doubles and an 8:7 BB:K through 44 plate appearances with Bowling Green.
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Rays' Kyle Manzardo: Out with undisclosed injury
Rotowire
Manzardo is on the 7-day injured list at High-A Bowling Green with an undisclosed injury.
Through five games, it seemed like Manzardo was primed to be a big breakout prospect, as he had six hits (including three doubles), eight walks and three strikeouts. He last played April 15, and it's unclear how much longer he will be sidelined.
