14. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays were a minor league system media darling for a significant time in the mid- to late-2000s, when it seemed they had a factory of elite players coming through their system.
Upon closer look, it was evident that the players were a significant result of early draft positions, and as the team saw more success, their drafting and international work suffered, and the Rays system began to dry up significantly.
With Andrew Friedman moving to the Dodgers, the Rays revitalized their focus on the minor leagues, spending significant money on development, on international talent acquisition, and on scouting for the draft.
This has produced some very good drafts and some elite prospects, but more than anything, it’s given the Rays a very deep system of high-ceiling talent right now. High ceilings often mean high rate of failure, but the ones who do hit big tend to hit real big and be elite players, so that approach to drafting and international signing has really put excitement into the system.
The Rays affiliates have now become must-see TV on the milb.tv app due to their high-ceiling players. It’s remarkable what you may see a guy like Adrian Rondon or Lucius Fox do on a given night with their incredible athleticism.
Elite prospects – The Rays have a few prospects that I’ll be considering among the top 75 within my top 125 and six guys I considered for the top 125 overall. That doesn’t include players like Rondon and Fox, who are some of the most gifted athletes in the system and could easily leap forward by midseason.
System depth in legit prospects – The Rays have a mixed bag here. While there are some very solid pitching options near the majors and some of the hitting options are starting to set a baseline, much of the system is still very high ceiling, low floor type of players.
Proximity to majors of legit prospects – The Rays have seen great progression in the last 12 months of their best prospects, and currently four of their top five prospects have reached the upper minors and six of the top 10. It’s very likely they’ll see 2-3 of those players in the majors this season.
System reputation – The Rays had a reputation that outpaced reality for a long time in their talent acquisition, and it began to show as the talent stopped being as great and therefore the results were no longer as spectacular.
They’ve revamped things throughout their farm system, and the players in the system talk about how much more loose things are now than just a few years ago, how guys are treated like individuals, not pieces to a bigger puzzle. That has certainly led to an attitude that is evident in the way their minor league teams play. Now, how that will push forward prospects as they move toward the big leagues is still to be seen.
Top 5 Born 1991 or since (age 25 season this year)
1. Blake Snell
2. Willy Adames
3. Matt Duffy
4. Brent Honeywell
5. Jake Bauers
Next: #13