The Tampa Bay Rays have long been known for making something out of nothing. And they haven’t departed from their modus operandi this year; they’ve struck again with Kameron Misner, an outfielder drafted #35 overall in 2019.
Ranked as the Rays’ 26th-best prospect in MLB Pipeline’s 2024 scouting report, many parts of Misner’s game gave him breakout potential. We’re now witnessing his emergence at the big-league level, which is great news for fantasy managers. Here are four pieces of Misner’s MLB pipeline scouting reports from 2023 and 2024 that, when combined with his success at the big league level, show he’s here to stay.
Four Reasons to Pick Up Kameron Misner Now
2023: “Misner is every bit as tooled up as [Josh Lowe], with light-tower power along with plus speed.”
Misner has flashed both of these tools so far in the big leagues. In 50 at-bats thus far, the outfielder has three home runs. That puts him on pace for a 30-homer season with 500 at-bats. Although reaching either of those benchmarks is far from a certainty this early in the season, he’s flashed his home run potential early and often in 2025.
As for his speed? Misner has only swiped one base so far this season, but that could change as he adjusts to the big leagues and earns more trust from the coaching staff to steal bases. His sprint speed so far this season is 28.4 feet/second according to Baseball Savant, which ranks in the 85th percentile of big leaguers. The 6’4 outfielder swiped 120 bases in 504 minor league games, which is impressive given his size and power. Stolen base potential and light-tower power are two of the most valuable traits for fantasy baseball managers, especially in roto leagues, and Misner possesses both in spades.
2023: “The Rays have encouraged Misner to be less passive at the plate, believing he often put himself in disadvantageous counts that forced him to swing at two-strike breaking balls.”
Misner has improved in this department, but still has a way to go. He’s seen 18 two-strike breaking balls this season, three of which he whiffed on. That’s respectable for a big leaguer with just 72 career plate appearances, and it’s a sign that he’s working on his plate approach.
Having chased pitches out of the zone just 24.6% of the time this season, Misner ranks in the 68th percentile in Chase%. And in two-strike situations, the Rays outfielder has been significantly above average. His xwOBA in such counts is .286, which is 78th percentile among big leaguers with at least 100 total pitches seen.
2024: “The Rays previously compared Misner to another athletic, toolsy outfielder who took some time to hit his stride: Josh Lowe.”
The fact that the Rays view Misner and Lowe similarly should make fantasy managers excited about the talent Misner possesses. Both players are 6’4 left-handed hitting outfielders, and the Rays successfully developed Lowe into a very productive big leaguer at his peak. He had a breakout season in 2023, stealing 32 bases and knocking 20 home runs en route to a .292/.335/.500 finish. To expect Misner to post lofty numbers like that this season could be a bit of a stretch, but posting a 20-20 season in his rookie year isn’t out of reach.
2024: “He’ll take a walk, as evidenced by his career .370 on-base percentage in the minors.”
While his walk rate isn’t very impressive – just 7% so far in 2025 – it’s a very small sample size, and all the evidence is there for Misner to start drawing free passes at the same clip he did in the minor leagues. In addition to not chasing pitches outside of the strike zone, Misner already has +3 Take Runs this season (runs based on taking pitches). His track record of drawing walks in the minor leagues and his productive swing decisions so far in 2025 add to his fantasy baseball skill set. With his sprint speed, Misner can score lots of runs once he gets on the base paths.
Misner, whom the Rays have long been viewed as a 20-20 threat at the MLB level, has outstanding expected stats to start the season. While the back of his baseball card is certainly looking good so far – a .360/.404/.660 slash line with three home runs – his expected stats back it up, which is perhaps more important in the long haul. Misner’s .275 xBA is in the 73rd percentile, and his .514 xSLG is good for the 80th percentile.
Best of all? Misner is rostered in just 52% of Fantrax leagues. He represents a perfect opportunity to pick up a player with speed, power, and on-base potential that’s been developing ever since he stepped foot on a professional baseball field.
