Wherever he goes, Manzardo keeps hitting
To find a textbook example of a breakout prospect, look no further than Kyle Manzardo. The 22-year-old has always been a slugger. He hit .366/.437/.640 with 11 homers in 47 games in his junior year at Washington State, and when the Rays selected him in the second round of the
To find a textbook example of a breakout prospect, look no further than Kyle Manzardo.
The 22-year-old has always been a slugger. He hit .366/.437/.640 with 11 homers in 47 games in his junior year at Washington State, and when the Rays selected him in the second round of the 2021 Draft, he went 15-for-43 (.349) with six strikeouts in 13 games in the Florida Complex League.
Even so, there are always questions about how the collegiate experience will translate to the grind of Minor League Baseball. So, when the lefty put together a .327/.426/.617 slash line with the second-highest wRC+ (172) of all Minor Leaguers with at least 250 plate appearances, it may not have come as a surprise to those in the know.
The first baseman shot up to No. 4 on Tampa Bay’s top prospects list after starting the year unranked. He was named the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year and earned a spot on MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Year for his stellar season.
Manzardo was born and raised in Couer d'Alene, Idaho -- a state not exactly known for its baseball prowess. In fact, only 32 Major Leaguers have ever come out of the Gem State (Angels' infielder and Boise native Michael Stefanic made the most recent MLB debut for an Idaho native in 2022). Manzardo is well on his way to becoming the next.
The 6-foot-1 slugger played just five games in April before an injury sidelined him for more than a month. Once he came back in mid-May, though, he didn’t miss a beat. In 63 games with High-A Bowling Green, he clubbed 34 extra-base hits, drove in 55 runs, drew 45 walks and had just 46 strikeouts. His 1.072 OPS was too hard to ignore, and he quickly earned a promotion to Double-A Montgomery at the beginning of August.
KYLE MANZARDO WALK-OFF!! pic.twitter.com/A0km89Nh9T
— Montgomery Biscuits (@BiscuitBaseball) August 21, 2022
Although he finished with fewer long balls, the new level didn’t faze Manzardo. He went 32-for-99 (.323) with 26 RBIs, 14 walks and 19 strikeouts in 30 games. He even stole the first bag of his professional career at the very end of the regular season.
“He's got a really good feel for the strike zone, first and foremost. He's a good self-evaluator and knows the pitches that he can do damage on,” Rays’ director of Minor League operations Jeff McLerran told MLB.com’s Adam Berry in September. “He's able to find those pitches, hunt those pitches and then execute when that pitch comes.”
That’s more than apparent when you look at his stats. Of all qualified Minor Leaguers, he finished top 10 in average (eighth), on-base percentage (eighth), slugging percentage (fourth) and OPS (second) while leading all Rays' prospects with at least 250 plate appearances in each slash line category.
Power isn’t his flashiest tool, but 22 homers in 93 games is nothing to scoff at, especially when put in context of his overall approach at the plate. Manzardo walks and strikes out at an almost identical rate, with 59 free passes and 65 whiffs across two levels in 2022; good for a 14.9 percent walk rate and a 16.4 percent strikeout rate. For a first baseman, those kind of numbers are more than acceptable -- and the kind of numbers that have him ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 3 first base prospect.
“I think one of the things that really stands out to us about him is, as good as he's been, the desire to continue to get better,” McLerran said. “He took a lot of pride in getting better defensively on top of putting up the numbers that he did at the plate, and that is a lot of the reason that he's in the spot that he's in.”
One of Tampa Bay's biggest needs for the immediate future is finding someone to man the other hot corner, and Manzardo just might make that decision easy. Another season of him feasting on professional pitching, especially at the Minors' highest level where he projects to begin the season at Triple-A Durham, and it's not hard to envision him at the Trop within the next two years.
Stephanie Sheehan is an contributor for MiLB.com.
Phils' Crawford joins MiLB podcast ahead of Trade Deadline
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the upcoming Minor League promos you do NOT want to miss
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast previews Futures Game, MLB Draft
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Podcast: New Erie identity, new ballparks, new Top 100
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
How clubs across Minor League Baseball are celebrating PLAY BALL Weekend
PLAY BALL Weekend is almost here, and Minor League clubs have put together an exciting calendar of events to celebrate MLB’s youth engagement initiative. Some clubs are hosting youth clinics or other events in their home ballparks while others are bringing the joy of baseball and softball into the local
Here are the weirdest plays and stats from MiLB in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Podcast features first-base promotions for Caglianone, Eldridge
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Cubs' Rojas, Mets' Tong headline May's Minor League Players of the Month
Minor League Baseball announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for May in Major League Baseball’s player development system.
Minor League Baseball, Joe Torre Safe At Home partnership enters ninth year
For the ninth year, Minor League Baseball and Joe Torre Safe At Home have teamed up to raise awareness about violence and abuse and to inspire fans of all ages to join them in SAH’s critical work. This year, 63 MiLB teams will participate in an in-ballpark initiative from May
MiLB podcast discusses Anthony, Caglianone at Triple-A
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the greatest Minor League promos happening in June
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
New playoff format coming to 2025 Dominican Summer League
Minor League Baseball announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin June 2 with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra. The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other