Prospect season continues as Keith Legislation, the previous entrance workplace exectuive, large league scout, and present author for The Athletic, has launched his Prime 100 prospects getting into the 2025 season in addition to his Prime 20 prospects within the Rays system.
Keith Legislation appears decrease on the highest finish of the Rays system than most pundits as solely two gamers graced his Prime 100, with Carson Williams slotting in at eighth total and 2023 first rounder Brayden Taylor positioned at 89th; Xavier Isaac was on his simply missed checklist. In response to Legislation, it took some additional convincing from scouts to resolve to incorporate Taylor among the many Prime 100.
Amongst Keith Legislation’s Prime 20 Rays prospects, there few surprises. The article is paywalled, so I’ll solely share the Prime 10 and a few tidbits of the blurbs that I discovered attention-grabbing.
Carson Williams
Brayden Taylor
Xavier Isaac
Theo Gillen
Brailer Guerrero
Tre’ Morgan
Aidan Smith
Trevor Harrison
Gary Gill Hill
Santiago Suarez
Some notable data on a number of gamers:
Carson Williams
Williams is probably the most enigmatic prospect within the minors to me: He does completely all the pieces you’d need a position-player prospect to do, besides he strikes out method too typically…Williams is a plus defender at brief with a straightforward plus arm. He has 70 pace and reveals above-average to plus energy
Theo Gillen
He has a fairly, left-handed swing that produces arduous contact to all fields, with above-average energy in BP that hasn’t carried over up to now. He’s a powerful child and properly put collectively, with tougher contact and extra in-game energy very possible as he matures…The Rays are transferring him to heart, the place his 70 pace ought to make him a minimum of an above-average defender and maybe much more, given how optimistic the early stories on his protection had been. He might be a star if he hits as anticipated
Brailer Guerrero
It’s actual, now energy, a minimum of a 60 and trending up, with plus bat pace and the exit velocities to again it up. He’s not only a energy bat, with some really feel to hit already… He might be one of the best hitter the Rays have produced in a really very long time.
Aidan Smith
He reveals good ball/strike recognition and has began to select up breaking stuff extra typically, though that may in all probability be his largest developmental hurdle going ahead. I feel he’s a strong common with an honest shot to be a 55, ending up a high-OBP proper fielder with 15-18 homers a 12 months.
Brody Hopkins
He’s a low three-quarters man with a unfastened, very quick arm, working as much as 98-99 with motion, and may spin two breaking balls, led by a slider he makes use of nearly as a lot because the fastball. He’s seen his management tick up already in his year-plus in professional ball — and he’s solely been a full-time pitcher for lower than three years.
Chandler Simpson
Sure, Simpson could be the quickest man in baseball, or a minimum of within the minors. It’s actually 80 pace. He stole 104 bases in 121 makes an attempt within the minors final 12 months, and 94 in 109 makes an attempt the 12 months earlier than. It’s game-altering pace. He by no means strikes out, coming in round 9 p.c in every of the final two years, and since he’s an 80+ runner, any ball he places in play may change into a single. Nonetheless, he additionally has grade 20 energy…I get the thrill, and if I performed fantasy baseball I’d need him on my group, however in actual major-league phrases, I discover it arduous to see him as greater than a 0.5 WAR/12 months participant.
Dominic Keegan
Keegan appears like a powerful backup catcher who would possibly play each day for some groups. He’s labored arduous on his protection and game-calling to beat what are in all probability only a 45 glove and 50 arm.
General, Keith Legislation ranks the Rays system as ninth finest in baseball.
The Rays solely put two guys on the highest 100, however the high quality doesn’t fall off as shortly as you progress via their high 20 because it does for many organizations. They nonetheless develop expertise in addition to any group in baseball, and so they have a variety of depth, particularly in potential beginning pitching, that a minimum of considerably mitigates the paucity of possible stars within the system past Carson Williams.
