Isaac, who was promoted to High-A Bowling Green on Tuesday, hit his first home run at that level Thursday against Winston-Salem.
Arguably the best first base prospect in the minors, Isaac has yet to face much resistance in pro ball, save for the fact he has a .672 OPS in 91 plate appearances against same-handed pitchers compared to a .907 OPS in 295 plate appearances against righties. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound 19-year-old will need to keep mashing at each level of the minors, given his lack of defensive versatility, but he has at least 70-grade raw power and has a 20.7 percent strikeout rate while being young for Single-A and High-A.
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Rays' Xavier Isaac: Mashing righties
Rotowire
Isaac is slashing .296/.372/.522 with four home runs, three steals and a 26:14 K:BB in 29 games since June 1 for Single-A Charleston.
The 6-foot-3 first baseman could end up with 80-grade raw power when it's all said and done, and his 18.2 percent strikeout rate and 15.4 percent walk rate at Single-A are encouraging marks. It's a small sample, but the lefty-hitting Isaac has a .648 OPS in 61 plate appearances against lefties and a .903 OPS in 192 plate appearances against righties. All seven of his home runs have come against opposite-handed pitching.
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Rays' Xavier Isaac: Dialed in for RiverDogs
Rotowire
Isaac slashed .289/.449/.605 with three home runs and five strikeouts in 12 May games for Single-A Charleston.
The Rays selected Isaac out of high school with the 29th overall pick in last year's draft because of his bat. The 6-foot-3 lefty-hitting first baseman has 70-grade raw power, and the early returns on his hit tool are very encouraging. In May, he had a 10.2 percent strikeout rate and 20.4 percent walk rate, and his 1.25 BB/K is the fifth-best mark in the Carolina League. He missed two weeks in the middle of the month with an undisclosed injury and never landed on the injured list.
