Tampa Bay Rays Minor Leaguer Wins Pitcher of the Month Honors

During the off-season, the Tampa Bay Rays and Athletics made a trade that appears to be working out well for both sides this season. The A's received left-handers Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez, and both have had dominant stints in green and gold this season. After a rough month of April, Springs has lowered his ERA on the year to 4.07, while Lopez is 2-3 with a 3.58 ERA in eight starts.

The key piece that the A's sent back to Tampa was big right-hander Joe Boyle, who was recently named the International League's Pitcher of the Month. Boyle went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in six games (five starts), allowing six earned runs on 18 hits and 11 walks over 30 innings.

In his time with the A's, Boyle certainly showed glimpses of what he could end up being, with a fastball that sat at 98 mixed in with some nasty stuff. He also had a bit of an issue limiting free passes, holding a 17.7% walk rate in the big leagues last season across 47 2/3 innings.

This season with the Rays he made one brief appearance on their big-league roster back in April, tossing five frames without allowing a hit, but two walks and a hit batter ended up leading to two unearned runs. He also struck out seven in his time on the mound.

Most of the 25-year-old's time this season has been spent in Triple-A Durham, and his results have been tremendous. Over 73 innings he holds a 6-4 record with a 1.85 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP, allowing just 41 hits. He's been more like the guy that A's fans saw glimpses of in 2023 and 2024. His strikeout rate has also jumped up to 32.9%, while his walk rate has sunk to 10.6%.

Boyle's breakout could open up some possibilities for the Rays at the Trade Deadline and over the offseason, where they can trade one of their pitchers to address another area of need, while clearing a spot for Boyle in the rotation when they feel that he's ready.

Another piece of the trade, first baseman Will Simpson, hasn't been quite as good of a return for Tampa. After a solid campaign in the lower minors last season, he was promoted to Double-A Midland late in the year, playing 18 games with the RockHounds and smacking a pair of homers while batting. 348 with a .408 OBP. He also held a .449 BABIP, which meant that his numbers would likely dip.

That dip has certainly happened in his first year with the Rays, as Simpson is batting .210 with a .278 OBP and five home runs in 65 games. He also holds a .247 BABIP, which is well below league average and cause for a bit of a bounce back in the second half.

The final piece of that deal, for now, was Jacob Watters, who holds a 4.87 ERA (5.04 FIP) over 20 1/3 innings in Double-A. He has been on the IL since May 14. The Rays also have the No. 42 overall pick in the upcoming draft that was also part of the deal. This gives them three picks in the top 42 in this year's Draft.

It should also be noted that the A's had a pair of Player of the Month honorees in June as well, with Jack Perkins, who was called up to West Sacramento on June 22, earning Pitcher of the Month after going 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA in three starts for the Las Vegas Aviators.

Outfielder Carlos Cortes also earned Hitter of the Month honors, batting .369 with a .455 on-base. He also led Minor League Baseball in RBI (36) and total bases (76) and led the league in doubles (14), slugging percentage (.738) and OPS (1.193).