Rays Highly-Ranked Prospect ‘Looks Like Future All-Star'

Recently, Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required) got to watch two High-A games between the Bowling Green Hot Rods and Wilmington Blue Rocks. Gillen was on the field for both games and lived up to expectations.

So much so, Law came away with the impression that the young outfielder is eventually going to be an All-Star when he reaches the Major Leagues with Tampa Bay.

“He looks like a future All-Star, especially given how much smarter a hitter he is than any other A-ball hitter I’ve seen this season,” Law wrote.

The approach at the plate is just one of many reasons to like Gillen’s long-term outlook. It enables him to fight off tough pitches and make opposing hurlers work incredibly hard to get him out.

As Law noted, during the game on Friday, the star outfielder faced 30 pitches in five plate appearances. That includes his final at-bat, when he roped a 94 mph pitch for a single into center field, which means he saw 29 pitches in his other four plate appearances, averaging more than eight per.

His in-game adjustments, pitch by pitch, also caught the eye of Law. Gillen was able to make changes on the fly, which resulted in two hits against left-handed pitching, something he had been struggling with previously.

Possessing a short enough swing to have elite contact, but long enough to generate whip and bat speed, Gillen has all the tools at the plate to become a legitimate difference maker.

Defensively, he looks the part as well. One start was made in center field and one in left field, and he looked above average in both spots. With what looks like 60-grade speed, Gillen has the makings of a five-tool player.