Casey Gillaspie a switch hitting first baseman was the 2014 first round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in the June draft out of Wichita State University. Gillaspie spent last season at AAA Charlotte playing in 71 games for the Knights the affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. He would hit .220 with three home runs and 22 RBIs.

In 2017 Gillaspie combined to hit .223 (102-458) with 20 doubles, 15 homers, 62 RBI and 62 runs scored in 125 games between Class AAA Durham in the Tampa Bay organization and Class AAA Charlotte with the White Sox. He began the season at Durham playing in 95 games hitting at .227 clip (80-353) with nine home runs and 44 RBIs. Gillaspie was then traded to the White Sox who assigned him to AAA Charlotte on June 27, 2017 in exchange for LHP Dan Jennings. Gillaspie was placed on the DL a month into his stint in Charlotte after he fouled a ball off his foot on July 25^th in a game at Buffalo. He would come off the DL on August 4 and finish the season playing in 30 games launching six homers and driving in 18 runs hitting .210 (45-105).

Gillaspie had a big year in 2016. He would be named the Rays Minor League Player of the Year after combining to hit .284/.388/.479 (134-472) with 34 doubles, 18 homers, 64 RBI, 78 runs scored and 80 walks in 132 games with Class AA Montgomery and Durham.  At AA Montgomery in the Southern League Gillaspie played in 85 games hitting .270 knocking 11 home runs while adding 41 RBIS. He would lead all the Rays minor league system in home runs and was fourth in RBIs and finished 10 overall in average.  Gillaspie was named the organization's Minor League Hitter of the Month for May and August and for the third straight season he was named to the Southern League midseason All-Star Team.  HE would be promoted to AAA on Durham on July 14 and made an immediate impact. He would have a total of 22 extra-base hits good for third in the International League after the All-Star Break.

Overall at AAA Gillaspie hit .307 in 47 games (55-179) with seven dingers and 23 RBIs.  Following the season he was named the Best Power Hitter and possessing the Best Strikezone Judgment in the Rays system by Baseball America.  The publication also named Gillaspie as the Best Defensive First Baseman in the Southern League and was rated as the No. 9 Prospect in the Rays organization entering the season by the same publication.

Gillaspie would spend most of 2015 at low A Bowling Green in the South Atlantic League where he was named team Most Valuable Player. He hit 17 home runs at three stops in the Tampa system and ranked fourth among Rays minor leaguers.  Gillaspie led the Hot Rods with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs while hitting .278 (65-235) 68 games. He finished second on the club in on base percentage (.358) in slugging percentage (.530) and in OPS (.888).  He would earn accolades by being named to the Midwest League All-Star Team.  His 16 bombs was good for second in the league and after a huge month of June where he hit .282 with eight homers and 18 RBIs he was named the Rays Minor League Hitter of the Month.  He would be promoted to high A port chaollett  but would miss nearly two months of the season with a broken finger suffered five games after being promoted the Florida State League.  Gillaspie would hit .146 in 13 games with the Stone Crabs.  He would Played in 23 games for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League and finish the season rated by Baseball America as the Best Defensive First Baseman in the MWL.

In 2014 Gillaspie made his pro debut at short season A at Hudson Valley in the New York-Penn League. He would be named to the league All-Star team where he led the league in walks (42) and was fourth in RBIs (42) on the season.  For the season Gillaspie hit .262 with seven home runs.

Gillaspie played three seasons at Withica State including his final year as a Junior where he hit .389 with 15 home runs and 59 RBIs.  He added 15 doubles and 58 walks while Collegiate Baseball magazine named him All-American. He would become the first WSU first-team selection by the publication since pitcher Mike Pelfrey in 2005. Gillaspie was not done there as he was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Player of the Yearand he was named a a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, both national player of the year honors. During his 2013 Sophomore seaspn Gillaspie started all 66 games for the Shockers hitting at a .299 clip with 11 long balls and 46 RBIs.

His Freshman season Gillaspie was named to the first team Freshman All-American team by Collegiate Baseball after starting in 57 ganes out of 59 and batting .274 with eight home runs and 32 runs knocked in.  The Omaha, Nebrask native attended Millard North High School in where as a senior, he was the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in the state of Nebraska. The 6’4’’ switch hitter grew up a natural right-hander but took up the left side when he was eight years old. Baseball also runs in his family with his brother Conor is a former Major Leaguer and his father Mark, was an All-American outfielder at Mississippi State and 11th-round selection by San Diego in the 1981 draft. His father was a eight year minor league career including one season with the Royals AA club in Memphis in 1989. … Mark played eight seasons in the minor leagues, primarily as an outfielder.