Tampa Bay Rays Prospects Xavier Isaac, Tre' Morgan Continue Joint Journey at Spring Training

Xavier Isaac and Tre' Morgan are both ranked among the top first base prospects in baseball, so it's only natural that the two Tampa Bay Rays have been engaged in some friendly competition.

Feb 17, 2025; Port Charlotte, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays infielder Tre' Morgan (92) poses for a photo during media day. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have a veteran All-Star at first base in Yandy Díaz, but it's hard not to look toward the future at the position.

Xavier Isaac, the Rays' first-round pick from the 2022 MLB Draft, is ranked as the No. 4 first base prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. Tre' Morgan, who went to Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft, came in at No. 5 on the outlet's preseason list of top first base prospects.

Both Isaac and Morgan joined the Rays for their big league spring training camp to open 2025. Through Monday morning, Isaac was 0-for-3 with two walks, while Morgan was 3-for-10 with a run in Grapefruit League play.

Neither is seriously contending for a spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster, as the 21-year-old Isaac and 22-year-old Morgan have yet to even log a single Triple-A at-bat. Still, the two are making the most of their time alongside big leaguers, learning behind Díaz, Eloy Jiménez and others.

"Getting to know the guys, really, I'm up here for a reason," Isaac said. "I've always just wanted to be up here every day to see how it is, so it's a good taste of it."

Isaac and Morgan's journeys have been intertwined for years at this point, considering their shared position and time as teammates in Single-A, High-A and Double-A. They even stayed together at the Arizona Fall League in 2024.

"It's a unique relationship," Morgan said. "It's one that I dealt with in college – that competition aspect, plus when we're off the field, we're the best of friends."

As Morgan tells it, Isaac is the bigger trash talker of the two. Whatever smack talk tendencies that Morgan has picked up came from Isaac, he said.

Manager Kevin Cash gave glowing reviews of both prospects, expressing just how excited he was to work with them directly in camp.

"Tre', you heard all season long last year about his hit ability and his approach and the competitiveness in his at-bats," Cash said. "When he gets down to two strikes, it's on. He does not like to swing and miss, he doesn't like to get out."

Morgan hit .324 with an .891 OPS in 2024, recording 10 home runs, 23 doubles, three triples, 68 RBIs and 20 stolen bases across 101 minor league games. Isaac, meanwhile, hit .264 with 18 home runs, 21 doubles, two triples, 78 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and an .850 OPS in 102 games.

Cash noted that Isaac has been hampered a little bit by an arm injury so far this spring, but that his dynamism at the plate and in the field have been on display nonetheless. Isaac even has shown enough that Cash said he could become a "very good" outfielder moving forward, on top of providing solid defense at first.

"It's big power, lot of tools, a lot of athleticism – I didn't appreciate the type of athlete that he was," Cash said. "He can run, so that's a pretty unique, cool package to have with that power-speed skillset."

Isaac said he loves Cash and has enjoyed getting to lay the groundwork with coaches in preparation for his eventual promotion. Outside of fostering those relationships and staying healthy, though, Isaac has one task left to take care of in the final few weeks of camp.

"Just have fun," Isaac said. "That's the main goal."

Playing alongside some of his best friends in Morgan, Chandler Simpson and Brayden Taylor, it shouldn't be too difficult for Isaac to tick off that box.

Related MiLB Stories

• SUSANA THROWING GAS: Nationals pitching prospect Jarlin Susana topped 100 mph with his fastball four separate times against the Cardinals on Saturday. CLICK HERE

• TAYLOR, SEYMOUR SHOW POP: The Rays didn't complete the comeback against the Pirates on Friday, but top prospects Brayden Taylor and Bob Seymour impressed in the clutch. CLICK HERE

• METS PROSPECT DOMINATES: Blade Tidwell, No. 2 pitching prospect in the Mets' farm system, tossed an immaculate inning in a spring training game on Saturday. CLICK HERE

Follow MiLB On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Minor League Baseball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.