Xavier Isaac

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #5 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Isaac was hard to scout as an amateur because a foot injury kept him from playing for most of the summer as a rising high school senior outside Winston-Salem, N.C. The Rays were one of the teams who stayed on him, drafting him 29th overall in 2022 and signing him for slot value of $2,548,900. Isaac has rewarded Tampa Bay by steadily exceeding expectations. Isaac cut 20 pounds in offseason workouts heading into 2023, which paid off both at the plate and in the field in a season he spent primarily with Low-A Charleston.
  
  Scouting Report: Isaac’s massive frame and raw power understandably led to him being pegged as a slugger coming out of high school, but he’s shown himself to be more of a pure hitter than a grip-it-and-rip-it slugger. His natural approach is to work counts, wait until he gets a pitch he likes and then line the ball around the field. Isaac has top-of-the-scale raw power, and the Rays will work to get him to try to let loose more often in hitter’s counts to get to his 30-plus home run potential. He proved in 2023 that he should be more than a DH. His improved agility paid off in better range to go with soft hands at first base. He’s now an average defender with an accurate, average arm, a promising sign for an organization that emphasizes first base defense. Isaac is a below-average runner, but he’s not a clogger, and he swiped 12 bases in 12 tries in 2023.
  
  The Future: It’s hard to impress scouts with a first-base only profile, because the hitting demands are so severe, but Isaac is a rarity as an above-average hitter with massive power. He’ll need to stay on top of his conditioning, but he’s already demonstrated his willingness to put in the work. He’ll head back to High-A Bowling Green to start 2024 and could eventually be Yandy Diaz’s replacement at first base.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 65 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #13 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The Rays made one of the most surprising picks of the 2022 first round when they drafted Isaac with the 29th pick and signed him to the slot-recommended $2.548 million bonus. Isaac had missed the entire 2021 summer showcase circuit because of a broken bone in his foot, meaning MLB teams got very few chances to see him face top-level pitching. The track record of players with Isaac's profile of prep prospects who missed the summer showcase circuit is concerning. Recent other examples among first round picks include Austin Beck, Keonic Cavaco, Connor Scott and Jordyn Adams. All four have been disappointments as pros.
  
  Scouting Report: The Rays are extremely confident in Isaac's bat, as that's his standout and only carrying tool. He is a massive (6-feet, 240 pounds) first baseman who is a below-average runner and currently a below-average fielder at first base. He actually looks more comfortable in the outfield, but with his frame and speed, is unlikely to stick there as a pro. If Isaac hits like the Rays believe, none of that will matter. Isaac has exceptional power potential with top-of-the-scale raw power that matches up with almost anyone. He also has shown bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the whole field, but that was largely in games against non-competitive pitching.
  
  The Future: Isaac had just 21 plate appearances with the Rays' Florida Complex League team in his pro debut, so it will be 2023 before evaluators get a feel for what he can do. He's a high-risk prospect, but one with a middle-of-the-lineup, home-run champ ceiling.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 65. FIeld: 40. Run: 30. Arm: 45.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #69 prospect in 2024
• Ranked Baseball America's #99 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The Rays made one of the most surprising picks of the 2022 first round when they drafted Isaac with the 29th pick and signed him to the slot-recommended $2.548 million bonus. Isaac had missed the entire 2021 summer showcase circuit because of a broken bone in his foot, meaning MLB teams got very few chances to see him face top-level pitching. The track record of players with Isaac's profile of prep prospects who missed the summer showcase circuit is concerning. Recent other examples among first round picks include Austin Beck, Keonic Cavaco, Connor Scott and Jordyn Adams. All four have been disappointments as pros.
  
  Scouting Report: The Rays are extremely confident in Isaac's bat, as that's his standout and only carrying tool. He is a massive (6-feet, 240 pounds) first baseman who is a below-average runner and currently a below-average fielder at first base. He actually looks more comfortable in the outfield, but with his frame and speed, is unlikely to stick there as a pro. If Isaac hits like the Rays believe, none of that will matter. Isaac has exceptional power potential with top-of-the-scale raw power that matches up with almost anyone. He also has shown bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the whole field, but that was largely in games against non-competitive pitching.
  
  The Future: Isaac had just 21 plate appearances with the Rays' Florida Complex League team in his pro debut, so it will be 2023 before evaluators get a feel for what he can do. He's a high-risk prospect, but one with a middle-of-the-lineup, home-run champ ceiling.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 65. FIeld: 40. Run: 30. Arm: 45.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The Rays made one of the most surprising picks of the 2022 first round when they drafted Isaac with the 29th pick and signed him to the slot-recommended $2.548 million bonus. Isaac had missed the entire 2021 summer showcase circuit because of a broken bone in his foot, meaning MLB teams got very few chances to see him face top-level pitching. The track record of players with Isaac's profile of prep prospects who missed the summer showcase circuit is concerning. Recent other examples among first round picks include Austin Beck, Keonic Cavaco, Connor Scott and Jordyn Adams. All four have been disappointments as pros.
  
  Scouting Report: The Rays are extremely confident in Isaac's bat, as that's his standout and only carrying tool. He is a massive (6-feet, 240 pounds) first baseman who is a below-average runner and currently a below-average fielder at first base. He actually looks more comfortable in the outfield, but with his frame and speed, is unlikely to stick there as a pro. If Isaac hits like the Rays believe, none of that will matter. Isaac has exceptional power potential with top-of-the-scale raw power that matches up with almost anyone. He also has shown bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the whole field, but that was largely in games against non-competitive pitching.
  
  The Future: Isaac had just 21 plate appearances with the Rays' Florida Complex League team in his pro debut, so it will be 2023 before evaluators get a feel for what he can do. He's a high-risk prospect, but one with a middle-of-the-lineup, home-run champ ceiling.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 65. FIeld: 40. Run: 30. Arm: 45.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  August Update: Isaac didn&#39t play on the showcase circuit during the 2021 summer after dealing with a foot injury. If he had, his prodigious raw power might have made him one of the more famous players in the class. Isaac is an extra-large, 6-foot-4, 240-pound first baseman who has monstrous raw power and bat speed. He hits towering home runs to all fields in batting practice—to the point where scouts don&#39t seem to hesitate when grading him out with 80 raw power. Because of his first base-only profile and lack of track record against top competition during the summer, Isaac is bound to be a polarizing prospect in the industry. More conservative teams reliant on that history to get more confidence in Isaac&#39s hit tool might be more willing to let him get to campus at Florida and prove his hitting ability. There are other teams that have seen him this spring that see a power hitter, yes, but one who has shown solid hitting traits as well. It might be hard to find a player who is more high-risk, high-reward than Isaac—that also makes him one of the most compelling prospects in the 2022 class.