Heading into the 2017 season, Casey Gillaspie was considered one of the Tampa Bay Rays top prospects. Their fifth ranked prospect in the preseason, Gillaspie seemed as though he would be a part of the Rays future, even though fellow top prospect Jake Bauers was also a first baseman. As Bauers can also play in the outfield, the idea was that both players could coexist in the lineup.
As the 2017 season progressed, Gillaspie struggled. In his first full season with the Durham Bulls, Gillaspie produced a .227/.296/.357 batting line. While he still displayed a decent amount of power, with 15 doubles and nine homers, this is not the season that the Rays had envisioned for one of their top prospects.