Tampa Bay Rays farmhand Kean Wong can add a bit of all-star gravy to his first season as a Biscuit. ADVERTISING Tampa Bay Rays farmhand Kean Wong can add a bit of all-star gravy to his first season as a
Tampa Bay Rays farmhand Kean Wong can add a bit of all-star gravy to his first season as a Biscuit.
The 2013 Waiakea graduate has been named to the Double-A Southern League All-Star game, which will be held Tuesday at Trustmark Park in Mississippi, home of the Braves’ affiliate.
It’s the first season at the Double-A level for Wong, who’s batting .260 with a .314 on-base percentage and a .646 OPS.
The Montgomery Biscuits second baseman has added versatility to his profile, playing third base.
It’s the second time Wong, a fourth-round pick, has made an all-star team. In 2014 at Single-A Bowling Green, he was named to the 50th Midwest League All-Star Classic.
On the mlb.com’s Top 30 prospect list, Wong is ranked at 26th.
According to baseball-reference.com, Wong is 3.1 years younger on average at the Double-A level.
Since signing in 2013, he’s been fast-tracked, jumping a step on the ladder each year. He played rookie ball as an 18-year-old and batted .328.
In his first full pro season at Bowling Green, Wong batted .306 and was promoted to Advanced-A ball last year.
He batted .274 in 2015 for the Charlotte Stone Crabs in the Florida State League and was scheduled to play in the Arizona Fall League, considered a finishing school for top prospects.
However, Wong hurt his wrist late last season and was sidelined over the summer.
The second base prospect ranked higher than Wong has not played. Ryan Brett, at No. 11, has been on the disabled list with a wrist injury.
Last season at Triple-A, Brett batted .247 in 328 at-bats in his first rodeo for the Durham Bulls, who compete in the International League.
In the MLB first-year player draft, the Rays picked only one second baseman in University of Nevada junior Miles Mastrobuoni, who batted .364.
Tampa Bays starting second baseman is Logan Forsythe, who’s batting .302 with a .382 on-base average in 139 at-bats.
According to baseballprospectus.com, Forsythe, 29, is on a two-year, $10.25 million contract with a 2018 option.
The budget-conscious Rays are second-to-last in 2016 MLB payroll at $70,071,377. Only the Milwaukee Brewers are more frugal at $66,204,678.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who haven’t won a World Series since 1988, lead the league with a payroll of $245,996,497.
Wong hasn’t started at catcher or in the outfield in the minors, but he could in a pinch, adding more value to his profile for the Rays, who rarely sign big-ticket free agents.
It’s a reason Tampa Bay is always near the bottom of MLB payrolls, but for farmhands like Wong also an open door for opportunity.
