Earlier Winner
11. Gary Gill Hill, RHP20 | 6’2” | 160A | 3.15 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 108.2 IP (22 G, 21 GS) 24.2% Ok, 6.2% BB
The wheels fell off towards the top of his first full skilled season, however earlier than these final 4 begins Gill Hill had a 2.40 ERA over his first 18 appearances for Charleston, and it’s only one dangerous begin that pushes that over 2 runs on common. His physique has developed nicely as a starter regardless of a low arm slot, certainly one of solely three youngsters in 2024 to amass greater than 100 IP (one of many others is fellow org pitcher Santiago Suarez). His fastball is as much as 96 mph, and he’s examined a curve, slider, change, and cutter up to now, inducing weak contact throughout.
2025 DRaysBay Neighborhood Prospect Record
Rank
Participant
Place
Votes
Complete
Share
Final Season
Rank
Participant
Place
Votes
Complete
Share
Final Season
1
Carson Williams
SS
27
28
96%
2
2
Brayden Taylor
2B/3B
14
29
48%
6
3
Xavier Isaac
1B/OF
19
32
59%
4
4
Tre’ Morgan
1B
11
24
46%
20
5
Chandler Simpson
OF
15
32
47%
15
6
Aidan Smith
OF
11
31
35%
N/A
7
Yoniel Curet
RHP
12
26
46%
7
8
Brody Hopkins
RHP
8
23
35%
N/A
9
Dom Keegan
C
9
26
35%
9
10
Trevor Harrison
RHP
5
24
21%
N/R
11
Gary Gill Hill
RHP
7
25
28%
N/R
Gary Gill Hill slots in at No. 11 after incomes Prime Canine honors at Charleston in 2024 heading right into a formative 12 months for him as an athlete and starter. If he succeeds, this rating will look low! Subsequent spherical provides Homer Bush Jr. as a candidate.
Candidates
Jackson Baumeister, RHP22 | 6’4” | 224A+ (BAL) | 3.06 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 70.2 IP (18 GS) 29.5% Ok, 14% BBA+ (TBR) | 1.24 ERA, 1.59 FIP, 29.0 IP( 7 G, 5 GS) 41.9% Ok 4.8% BB
Coming into the season, the 63rd total choose from the 2023 draft was a two-way prospect (catcher) out of Florida State who was nonetheless studying to pitch, however the lack of mileage solely enticed the Rays to nab him within the Eflin commerce on the deadline. His 95 mph fastball has professional carry, and in early showings he’s flashed a number of main league breaking balls. What he’s throwing is a shifting goal, however that’s as a result of he’s teachable and that provides projection. His supply has reduction danger in its excessive elbow and torque, however not as a lot as Curet. He dialed in his command in his seven video games with the Rays. If he can common 50 grade command he’s a No. 3 starter.
Homer Bush Jr., OF23 | R/R | 6’2” | 200A+ (SDP) | .272/.362/.347 (111 wRC+) 341 PA, 4 HR, 43 SB, 8.8% BB, 17.3% KA+ (TBR) | .272/.367/.498 (124 wRC+) 121 PA, 2 HR, 14 SB, 10.7% BB, 23.1% Ok
Son of a former Blue Jays and Yankees outfielder, Bush Jr. was acquired alongside RHP Dylan Lesko and C J.D. Gonzalez within the Jason Adam commerce on the 2024 deadline and has the best path to the majors among the many three. He is perhaps the toolsiest participant within the system, relying in your opinion of Smith’s bat. Bush Jr. is an elite runner and the talents to stay in middle at each degree. Fangraphs says, “Bush is poetry in movement on the basepaths, operating with grace and pace not like all however a handful of professional baseball gamers,” and Baseball America flagged him as their sleeper within the Rays system.
Theo Gillen, OF19 | L/R | 6’2” | 195A | .154/.353/.192 (86 wRC+) 34 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, 23.5% BB, 41.2% Ok
The Rays prime draft choose from 2024, the highschool outfielder had a number of critical accidents to beat to grow to be the No. 18 total choose, together with labrum, wrist, and knee. His line drive swing is anticipated so as to add energy as he develops, however given his harm historical past that may be a query not a given. For now the Rays will deal with him like a blue chip middle area prospect, however he ought to have a lot of time to develop.
Brailer Guerrero, OF19 | L/R | 6’1” | 215CPX | .330/.452/.466 (155 wRC+) 126 wRC+, 2 HR, 13 SB, 17.5% BB, 25.4% Ok
Guerrero’s first 12 months state aspect went nicely sufficient, which was not a assure after requiring labrum surgical procedure simply 7 video games into his profession with the Rays after signing for $3.7 million in 2023. He bought paid because of exit velo’s within the 110’s. This 12 months he made it 28 video games earlier than succumbing to a shoulder harm once more. It’s a particular bat, however he has to remain wholesome to be a viable prime prospect.
Ty Johnson, RHP23 | 6’6” | 205A (CHC) | 3.48 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 33.2 IP (10 G, 4 GS) 36.1% Ok, 7.5% BBA+ (CHC) | 3.62 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 27.1 IP (8 G, 6 GS) 28.4% Ok, 10.3% BBA+ (TBR) | 0.78 ERA, 0.95 FIP, 23.0 IP (6 G, 3 GS) 46.4% Ok, 4.8% BB
Acquired as the ultimate piece of the Paredes commerce, Johnson is tall with blossoming velocity as an expert. His fastball is flat however as much as 98 and he includes a breaking ball with glove-side motion that has always improved since being drafted. Johnson’s supply has a novel dip and drive that includes a compact arm motion for his measurement, and finishes with a late leg kick and spin. His lack of a 3rd pitch provides a reliever projection, however the Rays pitching lab has loads of time to see if they’ll develop one thing horizontal to offer him a starter’s projection.
Dylan Lesko, RHP21 | 6’2” | 195A+ | 6.96 ERA, 6.27 FIP, 84.0 IP (22 G, 19 GS) 25.6% Ok, 19.2% BB
The important thing return for RP Jason Adam, Lesko was the Padres fifteenth total choice within the 2022 draft regardless of him needing Tommy John surgical procedure that Spring; his outcomes haven’t but materialized. I mixed his outcomes for each organizations in a single stat line above because the Rays solely gave him 6 appearances (3 begins) earlier than the season ended. He has a fastball as much as 98 mph and a plus-plus change.
Mason Montgomery, LHP25 | 6’2” | 195AAA | 6.26 ERA, 5.29 FIP, 87.2 IP (31 G, 14 GS) 26.1% Ok, 8.9% BBMLB | 1.86 ERA, 1.20 FIP, 9.2 IP (9 G, 0 GS) 45.9% Ok, 13.5% BB
Montgomery is all fastball, as evidenced by his horrid ends in Durham as a starter. He transitioned to reduction in August the place he targeted on simply throwing his plus-plus fastball and laborious breaking ball, and that earned him a promotion to the Rays shortly thereafter, the place he was capable of max-effort his means into being an efficient bullpen piece, with 93rd percentile fastball velocity and actually good extension. The 2-pitch combo is legit sufficient that he might be trusted with excessive leverage in 2025, supplied batters aren’t barreling him up.
Ian Seymour, LHP26 | 6’0” | 210AA | 2.36 ERA, 2.72 FIP, 91.1 IP (17 GS) 28.3% Ok, 6.3% BBAAA | 2.33 ERA, 4.25 FIP, 54.0 IP (10 GS) 27.9% Ok, 8.4% BB
The Rays group’s different Virginia Tech man with a giant smile (I’m you Erik) has a cool supply, with a excessive excessive motion that requires atypical hip motion and a robust head jerk; it’s not one you’d train your youngsters, however his constant success speaks for itself. After a robust return from Tommy John surgical procedure in 2023, Seymour ranked among the many prime ten pitchers in all of minor league baseball with 162 strikeouts throughout Double- and Triple-A, totally regaining his pre-surgery kind and 92 mph fastball. His change up is the star of the present, tunneling exceptionally nicely together with his fastball, but when he sticks to pitching a number of TTO he has a wide range of breaking balls to work with.
Santiago Suarez, RHP20 | 6’2” | 175A | 4.11 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 111.2 IP (23 GS) 25.7% Ok, 4.7% BB
Suarez is the whole lot you need in a beginning pitching prospect, with projectable command and plus-plus management exhibited by his constant, low stroll charges. It’s a great physique and supply, a significant league fastball and curve, and he’s already mixing in a cutter with maturity past his place in Charleston. He’s slated for a flip in Excessive-A subsequent season, however one has to surprise how aggressive the Rays might get together with his journey up the ladder.
Owen Wild, RHP23 | 6’2” | 230A | 3.06 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 35.1 IP (7 GS) 26.6% Ok, 6.3% BBA+ | 2.72 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 86.0 IP (17 G, 15 GS) 31.9% Ok, 6.2% BB
Wild has an 80-grade baseball identify for a pitcher that hasn’t discovered his fall off the desk breaking ball simply but. The 2023 seventh-rounder out of Gonzaga remains to be throwing within the low-90s, however has a plus fading change up that might be his ticket to the majors. He shouldered 121 innings in his first skilled season, with a dip and drive, over-the-top supply that appears clear, though repeatability is a priority with a truncated arm stroke that may be slightly late. He ought to return to Excessive-A in 2024, however might see promotion shortly if his third pitch locks in.
