Reviewing “the deepest and best system in baseball.”
Baseball Prospectus has released their top Rays prospects for 2025 with some high praise for the Tampa Bay organization, calling it “the deepest and best system in baseball.”
This also comes one year removed from the publication calling the Rays system “shallower” than usual in 2024, which goes to show how much value was gained by the painful trades of several star players.
Baseball Prospectus is behind a paywall, so I will provide only glimpses of their coverage. For more, read on at the site.
1. Carson Williams, SS
70 — “All-Star Shortstop”
2021 first round draft pick
Major League ETA: 2025
2. Brody Hopkins, RHP
55 — “Kirkland-brand Kumar Rocker”
Part of the Randy Arozarena trade return
Major League ETA: Late 2026/Early 2027
3. Jackson Baumeister, RHP
55 — “... he’s added a bridge cutter to the mix to give him four average-or-better offspeed options.”
Part of the Zach Eflin trade return
Major League ETA: Late 2025
4. Xavier Isaac, 1B
55 — “Even marginal improvements in his contact rates could make Isaac a clear first-division first baseman”
2022 first round draft pick
Major League ETA: 2026
5. Dominic Keegan, C
55 — “Bat-first backstop with a good enough bat to get a couple days a week at DH/COF as well.”
2022 fourth round draft pick
Major League ETA: Late 2025/Early 2026
6. Brayden Taylor, 3B
55 — “... he should make last year’s Brandon Lowe comp look reasonably prescient.”
2023 first round draft pick
Major League ETA: 2026
7. Theo Gillen, SS/OF
55 — “... you are getting some sort of premium defensive position with advanced contact skills and developing power.”
2024 first round draft pick
Major League ETA: 2028/2029
8. Trevor Harrison, RHP
55 — “Harrison continues to generate late, uncomfortable swings even when his velocity dips into the mid-90s deeper in starts.”
2023 fifth round draft pick
Major League ETA: 2027
9. Ty Johnson, RHP
55 — “... he’s a Top-101 quality arm after adding a tick or two and improving his strike-throwing”
Part of the Isaac Paredes trade return
Major League ETA: 2026
10. Jose Urbina, RHP
55 — “It’s unusual to see an IFA arm move this quickly after signing, but Urbina has an appropriately rare combination of polish and projection for a teenaged arm.”
2023 international free agent
Major League ETA: Late 2027/2028
11. Chandler Simpson, OF (Double-A Montgomery)
12. Yoniel Curet, RHP (Double-A Montgomery)
13. Aidan Smith, OF (Low-A Charleston)
14. Tre’ Morgan, 1B/OF (Double-A Montgomery)
15. Gary Gill Hill, RHP (Low-A Charleston)
16. Santiago Suarez, RHP (Low-A Charleston)
17. Cooper Kinney, IF (High-A Bowling Green)
18. Brailer Guerrero, OF (FCL Rays)
19. Ian Seymour, RHP (Triple-A Durham)
20. Émilien Pitre, 2B (Low-A Charleston)
21. Colton Ledbetter, OF (High-A Bowling Green)
22. Dylan Lesko, RHP (High-A Bowling Green)
23. Owen Wild, RHP (High-A Bowling Green)
24. Mason Montgomery, LHP (Tampa Bay Rays)
25. Matthew Etzel, OF (Double-A Montgomery)
Persons of Interest
Homer Bush, Jr., OF (High-A Bowling Green)
Enderson Delgado, C/1B (Low-A Charleston)
Paul Gervase, RHP (Double-A Montgomery)
Mac Horvath, IF/OF (High-A Bowling Green)
Jacob Kmatz, RHP (Did Not Pitch)
Trevor Martin, RHP (Double-A Montgomery)
Ronny Simon, IF/OF (Triple-A Durham)
Jeremy Pilon, LHP (Low-A Charleston)
Ben Peoples, RHP (Double-A Montgomery)
Austin Shenton, 1B/3B (Tampa Bay Rays)
Notable changes in the top prospects are the complete absence of SS Adrian Santana (No. 6 in 2024), as well as drop offs from RHP Santiago Suarez (7 to 16), OF Colton Ledbetter (8 to 21), and LHP Mason Montgomery (10 to 24).
