Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45

Gray offers some of the best high school power in the 2025 class, as well as a tantalizing combination of physicality and athleticism -- and the possibility of catching. A club that believes he can stay behind the plate could pop him as early as the second round, something that hasn't happened to an Iowa prep hitter since Kellen Sweeney in 2010. Gatorade's state high school player of the year, he put on a show during batting practice at the Draft Combine.

A switch-hitter, Gray has a smoother swing as a lefty but crushes balls from both sides. He led Iowa's summer high school league with 14 homers as a junior and produced the highest exit velocity (109 mph) and best maximum (87 mph) and average (83 mph) bat speeds at the Super 60 Showcase in February. While he wasn't a showcase circuit regular and hasn't faced a lot of top competition, he displays some feel to hit and scouts believe he's more than just a masher at the plate.

Gray has surprising speed for a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder, clocking plus times in the 60-yard dash and playing as an average runner. The Oregon recruit is raw as a receiver and has average arm strength, though he needs to clean up his footwork and release. If he can't hack it as a catcher, he has the power and athleticism to profile on an outfield corner.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40

There have been two players drafted out of Dallas Center Grimes High School in Grimes, Iowa. The first was left-hander Tony Watson, the all-time holds leader who enjoyed an 11-year career in the Majors -- but only after going to Nebraska and getting selected by the Pirates four years later. The second was Gray, who coincidentally enough went to the Rays in the third round of the 2025 Draft while Watson was working in Tampa Bay’s front office and signed for $918,300.

Gray’s appeal is obvious: There is massive power in his switch-hitting bat. He had some of the best high school pop in his Draft class, and he put on an absolute show at the Draft Combine. He combined that with impressive athleticism, good enough to be named Gatorade’s High School Player of the Year for Iowa, and he was drafted as a catcher. He’s known for crushing balls from both sides of the plate, running exit velocities up to 115 mph in bridge league games after joining the Rays, although his left-handed swing is smoother. He also produced the best maximum (87 mph) and average (83 mph) bat speeds at the Super 60 Showcase in February 2025. He’s considered an eager student of the game for someone with relatively little advanced coaching, and he’s shown enough feel to hit to think he might be more than just a home run launcher.

Gray is also a surprisingly good athlete for someone listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, recording plus times in the 60-yard dash and playing like an average runner. He isn’t expected to enter professional ball as a catcher, despite his Draft status, and he’s more likely to get most of his early work at first base. He has the arm and athleticism to sprinkle in some outfield duties, however, and his power-oriented offensive profile would certainly play in any corner.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40

Gray offered some of the best high school power in the 2025 class, as well as a tantalizing combination of physicality and athleticism -- and the possibility of catching. Gatorade's state high school player of the year for Iowa, he put on a show during batting practice at the Draft Combine, and that helped propel him into the third round, where the Rays made him the Hawkeye State’s highest prep position player pick since Kellen Sweeney in 2010. He signed for $918,300.

A switch-hitter, Gray has a smoother swing as a lefty but crushes balls from both sides. He led Iowa's summer high school league with 14 homers as a junior and produced the highest exit velocity (109 mph) and best maximum (87 mph) and average (83 mph) bat speeds at the Super 60 Showcase in February. While he wasn't a showcase circuit regular and hasn't faced a lot of top competition, he displays some feel to hit, and scouts believe he's more than just a masher at the plate.

Gray has surprising speed for a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder, clocking plus times in the 60-yard dash and playing as an average runner. The former Oregon recruit is raw as a receiver, has average arm strength and he needs to clean up his footwork and release. The Rays intend to give him ample chances behind the plate, but if he can't hack it there, he has the power and athleticism to profile in an outfield corner.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/24/2026	IF Taitn Gray assigned to Tampa Bay Rays.
	03/05/2026	C Taitn Gray assigned to Tampa Bay Rays Prospects.
	08/06/2025	FCL Rays activated C Taitn Gray.
	08/03/2025	C Taitn Gray assigned to FCL Rays.
	07/25/2025	Tampa Bay Rays signed C Taitn Gray.
	05/26/2025	College Workout activated C Taitn Gray.
	07/28/2024	C Taitn Gray assigned to High School Workout.