Xavier Isaac - 2/21/24

The Rays strike gold in the draft with high school left-handed hitting first baseman

Prospect Spotlight 🔦

Xavier Isaac – Age: 20– B/T: L/L, 6’3” 240 – Rays (High-A)

• Born: 12/17/2003 in Fayetteville, NC

• Draft: 2022, Tampa Bay Rays, Round: 1, Overall Pick: 29

• High School: East Forsyth, Kernersville, NC

Every year there is a draft surprise, but the Tampa Bay Rays selecting Xavier Isaac in the first round of the 2022 draft was particularly shocking. It was a similar to the Texas Rangers selecting Evan Carter in the first round of the 2020 draft, where the baseball journalism industry was largely unaware of Carter. Isaac’s case was different than Carter’s, as people weren’t as familiar with Isaac due to injuries keeping him out of the showcase circuit, whereas COVID made it difficult for people to get to know Carter. In both cases though, they came out of the gate strong and it looks like the both teams are being rewarded by going off of the board. Evan Carter has a World Series ring and Xavier Isaac is now a Top 100 prospect for many different outlets. Let’s look at what he’s done to earn that status.

For most domestic draftees, there’s an amateur track record to draw upon but in Isaac's case, there isn't much to talk about due to his injuries. For Isaac, the most noticeable change from amateur to pro was his physical frame. He has improved his body and fitness tremendously, becoming more lean and athletic. For power hitting amateurs, there tends to be concerns about the hit tool, especially for an unknown first base-only prospect. So far in pro ball, Isaac hasn’t had many issues. His swinging strike rate of 13.7% was slightly high for A-ball, but it wasn't out of control. He walked roughly 14 percent of the time, and struck out around 21 percent. Overall, this is a sound approach for a power hitter and he shouldn’t be plagued by the typical strikeout issues that power hitters run into as they climb the minor league ladder. Isaac doesn't have a plus hit tool, but it still projects as average.