AL East 2015: Center Fielder Rankings
By Nate Wardle
4. Tampa Bay Rays – Desmond Jennings, Mikie Mahtook
Once again, I will say that Jennings’ numbers are very unimpressive. Last year, he was ahead of Bradley Jr. and Rasmus. This year, it is just Rasmus’ replacement, and that is because it is hard to know what to expect from Dalton Pompey.
Jennings posted his lowest stolen base total of his career, only hit 10 home runs, and hit a slash of .244/.319/.378. He did not make any errors, but also doesn’t have the range of most of his center fielder counterparts. On a team lacking offense, the Rays need Jennings to be better. But at this point, he is who he is. A career .248 hitter, Jennings also played in the fewest games of his career for a season he was in the majors for the entire year. Once rated as one of the top position prospects in all of baseball, Jennings hasn’t translated that into major league success.
Mahtook is a player who is not highly touted, but could end up eventually winning this job if the Rays continue to see mediocrity from Jennings. He spent all of 2014 in AAA Durham, so he is seasoned enough to be ready for the job.
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