DRB Prospect Review: #17 Mason Auer
A prospect with some of the best tools in the system
Over the offseason, the Draybay community takes part in an exercise in which we compile a list of 30 prospects in the Rays system based on popular vote.
Now that the 2024 season has concluded, we can look back at these rankings and see how each individual player performed.
We have already covered
- #30. Erick Lara.
- #29. Kenny Piper
- #28. Tanner Murray
- #27. Jacob Lopez
- #26. Marcus Johnson
- #25. Cole Wilcox
- #24. Dru Baker
- #23. Trevor Martin
- #22. Joe Rock
- #21. Ian Seymour
- #20. Tre’ Morgan
- #19. Brailer Guerrero
- #18. Jose Urbina
We resume the reviews at #17.
17. Mason Auer
Before the Season
23 | BT: R/R |6’ 1” | 210
AA | .205/.292/.348 (.640, 72 wRC+) 511 PA, 11 HR, 47 SB
Auer is the textbook case of why you usually wait until a player reaches Double-A to evaluate their hit tool with any level of certainty. After boasting wRC+ in the 130’s across Class and High-A last season, the Rays aggressively moved the 2021 5th rounder up yet again, and the results were uninspiring at the plate. Auer tried changing his swing mid-season to be more open, upright, and farther back in the box, so we’ll see how that plays out on offense this year. Notably, Baseball America reports that, “Defensively, Auer is a big league-ready, plus-plus center fielder with a plus-plus arm.“ Big praise for a 22-year old.
How it Went
It was a season long slump for Mason Auer in his second year in Double-A. A prospect with some of the loudest tools in the Rays system, Auer has struggled since the start of the 2023 season to generate any more buzz around him. The power and speed are still there, but high strikeout rate and inability to get on base has harmed his prospect status. Since the start of the 2023 season, Auer is hitting .198/.282/.337, registering a 74 wRC+; it is worth nothing that following the All-Star break, Auer registered a 98wRC+ over his final 132 PA of 2024. Auer’s defense still gives him a viable path to the big leagues, but his offense will have to improve at least somewhat.
Final 2024 Statline
CPX: .143/.400/.143 | 0 HR | 4 SB | 10.0 K% | 30.0 BB% | 89 wRC+ | 10 PA
AA: .190/.264/.325 | 6 HR | 23 SB | 26.3 K% | 7.6 BB% | 76 wRC+ | 331 PA