Casey Gillaspie

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #3 prospect in 2017
  The younger brother of Giants third baseman Conor Gillaspie, Casey batted .389 as a Wichita State junior in 2014 while hitting 15 home runs. The Rays selected him 20th overall and signed him for a tick more than $2 million. A midseason hand injury interrupted his first full season, and he struggled after returning. Fully healthy in 2016, Gillaspie hit 18 home runs and drew 80 walks in a season split between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham. Gillaspie has a chance to impact the game offensively, with a blend of power and plate discipline as a switch-hitter with plus power potential. Gillaspie lacks elite bat speed from either side, but he is exceptionally strong and recognizes pitches that he's able to drive. In spite of his average bat speed, Gillaspie has shown the ability to turn on upper-90s fastballs. Offensively, he projects to have a high on-base and slugging percentages. While he's a modest athlete, Gillaspie has sound footwork at first base and creates a big target for infielders. He is an inferior runner. The Rays see Gillasie as a long-term solution at first base, with the ability hit in the middle of the lineup. He will have to hit his way out of Durham first.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #9 prospect in 2016
  A three-year starter at Wichita State, Gillaspie had an excellent summer in the Cape Cod League in 2013. A loud junior season for the Shockers in 2014 produced a .389 average, 15 home runs and 1.202 OPS, so the Rays, convinced of the 6-foot- 4 switch-hitter's ability, selected him with the 20th overall pick that June. He is the younger brother of big league third baseman Conor Gillaspie. Gillaspie's value stems from his offensive upside. He shows above-average bat speed from both sides of the plate and exceptional strength in his core. His disciplined plate approach often puts him in favorable hitter's counts. Batting lefthanded, he shows the ability to drive the ball out to any part of the park, and he has the ability to pull home runs from the right side. Gillaspie is sure-handed at first base and gives infielders a big target. He is a well below-average runner who lacks athleticism, so he draws some concern from scouts as to how he will age. After a hot start at low Class A Bowling Green in 2015, he missed the second half with a hand injury. He got back on the field in the Arizona Fall League but hit just .191 in 89 at-bats. Gillaspie appears destined to begin 2016 at high Class A Charlotte, though he should earn an in-season promotion to Double-A Montgomery. He profiles as a middle-of-the-order hitter with power and on-base ability.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #11 prospect in 2015
  Gillaspie was the 20th overall pick in 2014 who signed for $2,035,500 after ranking among the national leaders in walks and on-base percentage as a junior with Wichita State. Gillaspie possesses above-average power from both sides of the plate and shows good discipline, even though he tended to chase breaking balls and changeups in his first taste of pro ball. He's more polished from the left side but shows above-average hitting instincts with the ability to make adjustments. His bat speed rates a tick above-average and tends to improve significantly when he's ahead in the count. Gillaspie has below-average athleticism that will keep him at first base. He possesses soft hands with an above-average arm and good accuracy but does not impress with either his footwork or his range. The Rays believe Gillaspie has the potential to be a middle-of-the-lineup hitter who holds down first base for an extended period of time. He will move up to the full-season ranks next year at either low Class A Bowling Green or high Class A Charlotte.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #29 prospect in 2014 draft
  The younger brother of White Sox third baseman Conor followed in the family footsteps both with Wichita State and in the Cape Cod League with Falmouth. His eight homers last summer led the Cape, and Gillaspie is bigger than his older brother, checking in at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds. The switch-hitter is a poor runner limited to first base as a lefthanded thrower, but he's a nimble defender for his size. Like his older brother, Gillaspie's value is in his bat, with power from both sides of the plate, and though he's a bit more comfortable from the left side, the swings work from both sides of the plate. He controls the strike zone and ranked among the nation's walks and on-base percentage leaders. When he gets himself into hitter's counts, he has the above-average bat speed and strength to take advantage, with above-average raw power that he gets to consistently. Gillaspie is more laid-back than his older brother but also profiles better as a power-hitting first baseman. He'll look even better to teams that lean on analytics.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Southern League #15 prospect in 2016
  A 2014 first-rounder who missed the second half of his full-season debut with a broken hand, Gillaspie knew he had work to do in 2016, especially after he hit just .191 in the Arizona Fall League last offseason. He focused on improving his physique by losing bad weight and tightening his defensive play as he embarked on his first run at Montgomery. The plan worked. Gillaspie knows what type of hitter he is and stays with that approach. He showed high-level power production in the SL with a balanced, leveraged swing to go with an elite walk rate that earned him acclaim from managers for his strike-zone judgment. He continued to hit following a promotion to Triple-A Durham and finished with 18 total home runs and 80 walks, which ranked 10th most in the minors. A switch-hitter, Gillaspie shows above-average bat speed from both sides of the plate and will hit for power and take his walks, but he won't hit for a high average. Though he is tall, bulky and slow-footed, Gillaspie is nimble enough to play an average first base.
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  Ranked Midwest League #14 prospect in 2015
  Gillaspie did just what you would expect a polished, college first-rounder to do with an assignment to the MWL: he quickly demonstrated he was too advanced for the league. Gillaspie finished second in the league with 16 home runs despite a late-June promotion to high Class A Charlotte. He missed most of the second half with a broken left hand but returned to action just in time to help the Stone Crabs win the Florida State League title. The switch-hitting Gillaspie has plus power potential. He has a quiet setup, but once he starts his swing he uses his whole body with a pronounced hip turn and excellent weight transfer to drive the ball to all fields. "That's big-time power from the left side," one scout said. "He hit one ball I saw that I'm not sure if it landed. He's a legit everyday first baseman with profile power."
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  Ranked New York-Penn League #12 prospect in 2014
  The younger brother of former Wichita State star and current White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie, Casey earned first-team All-America honors as a junior for the Shockers, then had a solid but unspectacular pro debut in the NYPL. The hulking Gillaspie will go as far as his power bat will carry him, for he is a well below-average runner with poor range at first base. But he does have sure hands, and his above-average arm is accurate. Gillaspie has plus raw power, and his swing works from both sides of the plate, giving him a chance to become a plus hitter. He has a patient approach, but some evaluators questioned whether he has the bat speed to hit premium velocity. He showed a tendency to chase elevated fastballs this summer, but he punished mistakes.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #74 prospect in 2017

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The younger brother of Giants third baseman Conor Gillaspie, Casey batted .389 as a Wichita State junior in 2014 while swatting 15 home runs. The Rays selected him 20th overall and signed him for a tick more than $2 million. A midseason hand injury interrupted his first full season, and he struggled after returning. Fully healthy in 2016, Gillaspie swatted 18 home runs and drew 80 walks in a season split between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham. Scouting Report: Gillaspie has a chance to impact the game offensively, with a blend of power and plate discipline. He's a switch-hitter with plus power potential. Gillaspie lacks elite bat speed from either side, but he is exceptionally strong. He has plus-plus strike-zone awareness and recognizes pitches that he's able to drive. In spite of his average bat speed, Gillaspie has shown the ability to turn on upper-90s fastballs. Offensively, he projects to have a high on-base and slugging percentages. While he's a modest athlete, Gillaspie has sound footwork at first base and creates a big target for infielders. He is an inferior runner.
  
  The Future: The Rays see Gillasie as a long-term solution at first base, with the ability hit in the middle of the lineup. He will have to hit his way out of Durham first.
• December, 2014 Scouting Report
  Gillaspie was the 20th overall pick in 2014 who signed for $2,035,500 after ranking among the national leaders in walks and on-base percentage as a junior with Wichita State. Gillaspie possesses above-average power from both sides of the plate and shows good discipline, even though he tended to chase breaking balls and changeups in his first taste of pro ball. He's more polished from the left side but shows above-average hitting instincts with the ability to make adjustments. His bat speed rates a tick above-average and tends to improve significantly when he's ahead in the count. Gillaspie has below-average athleticism that will keep him at first base. He possesses soft hands with an above-average arm and good accuracy but does not impress with either his footwork or his range. The Rays believe Gillaspie has the potential to be a middle-of-the-lineup hitter who holds down first base for an extended period of time. He will move up to the full-season ranks next year at either low Class A Bowling Green or high Class A Charlotte.