NATHAN FLEWELLING, TAMPA BAY RAYS, HIGH-A (end of 2025), RANK: 14

The catcher position is one that is growing deeper and deeper at the major league level. Quality catchers for fantasy baseball go from Cal Raleigh at the top, down to say Austin Wells around 25th overall. At the minor level, there is not quite the same quality of depth, but there is an abundance of intriguing options oozing with potential. One of those just happens to be an 18-year-old who played at Single-A Charleston and High-A Bowling Green in 2025. There aren’t many prospects at such advanced levels at that young of an age, but those who qualified in 2025 are a who’s who among minor leaguers. Rainiel Rodriguez (162 wRC+), Jesús Made (128 wRC+), Nathan Flewelling (127 wRC+), Leo De Vries (125 wRC+), Justin Gonzales (118 wRC+), and Luis Peña (114 wRC+) were the top six qualified 18-year-olds who played at least one game at High-A last season. Four of the six should be known staples at this point in the prospecting world, but the other two could be next and it is time to get acquainted with Flewelling.

In 2024, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Flewelling in the third round of the MLB draft, 94th overall. After signing for $774,000, he would not get into any games that season. His first taste of minor league baseball would officially come in 2025 at Single-A. He would slash .229/.393/.336, with six home runs and 16 doubles. His 127 wRC+ was fueled by an extremely high walk rate, 20.3%. His strikeout rate was on the higher side as well though, coming in at 27.6%. That ability to take a walk in such a high volume greatly increased his OBP too. Not very often do you see a batting average down around .220 and an OBP topping out close to .400. It showed a real knack for being patient at the plate and not chasing pitches. The lower batting average might be expected given his age-to-level as well, so it wasn’t overly concerning. As such, he would get a late season promotion to High-A. He played only five games there, but his walk and strikeout rates were still in line at 22.7% and 27.3% respectively. A very small sample, but he did manage a 147 wRC+ in those five games.

The best aspect of Flewelling’s profile as an 18-year-old was clearly his ability to take a walk, rating in the 98th percentile for the entire minor leagues. What really held him back from being a star, closer to Rainiel Rodriguez in value, was his strikeout rate (28th percentile) and his batting average (42nd percentile). Both, more than understandable for a prospect at these levels and at this age. As he gets older, the expectation is for those two marks to improve. The power would need to increase, but he did show a solid ability there with six homers and 17 doubles. The 23 total is actually closer to the 29 Rodriguez had at Single-A and High-A. Even Flewelling’s 126 wRC+, was somewhat close to Rodriguez’s 145, both at Single-A. Probably where Flewelling was noticeably worse was in contact rate, 70.1% to  Rodriguez’s 74.8%. Ultimately, I think we are looking at a very advanced catcher at the plate in Flewelling, he just needs to get more at-bats and show better results on contact.

Flewelling definitely isn’t a top 100 prospect yet, but he has the makings of one. Tampa Bay has been aggressive with his placements given his age and with his ability to take a walk, I understand it. When the hit tool and power catch up to his profile with experience, he should really take off in rankings. He already has good size at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, which should add a healthy amount of power projection down the line. He is well on his way to being a major league catcher with a .250/.375/.400 slash line outcome possible. If he can hit 20 home runs in the major leagues, we are looking at a Drake Baldwin level of catcher in the future, but his current value is in the 10th to 15th range of catching prospects. He is definitely a prospect worth targeting, one who is oozing with potential.