Lowe, Franklin, Rondon headline Rays instructs

It was a tough year for the Tampa Bay Rays at the Major League level, as the club finished last in the American League East with a 68-94 overall record, the second-worst mark in the AL, and 25 games back of the division-winning Red Sox.

Down on the farm, however, there were plenty of positives to take away from the season, and that trend has continued this fall in the Rays’ instructional league, held annually in Port Charlotte, Fla., where the organization has been able to get a look at many of its top prospects under the same roof.

• Rays Top 30 Prospects list

Headlining the Rays’ crop of talent in instructs this year is Josh Lowe, who was considered by many scouts to be the top two-way player in the 2016 Draft class, standing out as much for his potential on the mound as at the plate and third base. The Rays preferred him in the latter role and made him their first-round pick in June, selecting him with the No. 13 overall pick and then giving him $2.6 million to pass on a commitment to Florida State.

The natural hitting ability Lowe showed as a Georgia prep carried over into his summer professional debut, as the 18-year-old posted a solid .249/.374/.405 slash line with 14 extra-base hits and a 37-59 walk-to-strikeout ratio over 54 games between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast and Appalachian Leagues.

But after spending his entire debut manning the hot corner, the Rays have had Lowe, the club’s No. 4 prospect, working out in center field during instructional league, a position which the organization believes can be his long-term home.

“He’s 6-foot-4, but also a wonderful athlete with 4.1-second speed and strides like a center fielder should,” Rays director of Minor League operation Mitch Lukevics said. “And after reviewing with our staff internally, we decided that we would take advantage of his gift, his speed, and shift him to center field. He’ll go through a learning curve out there, but Josh stands out on the baseball field regardless of what he’s doing.”

Joining Lowe in instructional league this fall are fellow 2016 draftees Ryan Boldt and Jake Fraley, who became teammates on Short Season Hudson Valley after the Rays selected them with …

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