The Tampa Bay Rays are a hub for prospects, but recent numbers tell a different story.
The Tampa Bay Rays have long been revered for their elite farm system. But recent data is demonstrating a decline.
After having four players on Major League Baseball’s top 100 prospects list in 2024, Tampa Bay is down to two in 2025. Part of this is because Junior Caminero, the No. 4 prospect in 2024, was selected to the Major league roster and became a star quickly.
However, other players such as shortstop Carson Williams slid in the rankings, while Dylan Lesko and Xavier Isaac fell out. Currently, the Rays only have two players in the top 100: Williams at No. 50 and outfielder Theo Gillen at No. 65.
A late September farm system rankings list by Bleacher Report outlined Tampa Bay’s backslide.
“Disappointing 2025 campaigns from Carson Williams (Tier 1 preseason), Xavier Isaac (Tier 2 preseason), Brayden Taylor (Tier 3 preseason) and Tre' Morgan (Tier 3 preseason) have knocked the Rays out of the upper echelon of farm systems, but they still have a wealth of prospect talent.,” it wrote. “Brody Hopkins is now the clear top pitching prospect in the system after posting a 2.72 ERA with 141 strikeouts in 116 innings at Double-A.”
The outlet also provided its own top 10 prospect list for the Rays at the time, which is outlined below:
1. OF Theo Gillen (Tier 2)
2. SS Carson Williams (Tier 3)
3. RHP Brody Hopkins (Tier 4)
4. 1B Xavier Isaac (Tier 4)
5. SS Daniel Pierce (Tier 4)
6. OF Brendan Summerhill (Tier 4)
7. RHP Santiago Suarez (Tier 4)
8. RHP Trevor Harrison (Tier 4)
9. RHP T.J. Nichols (Tier 4)
10. C Dominic Keegan (Tier 4)
J.J. Cooper of Baseball America also outlined the Rays’ prospects based on tools:
Best Hitter: Theo Gillen
Best Power Hitter: Xavier Isaac
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Theo Gillen
Fastest Baserunner: Homer Bush Jr.
Best Athlete: Brody Hopkins
Best Fastball: Brody Hopkins
Best Curveball: Brody Hopkins
Best Slider: Brody Hopkins
Best Changeup: Moises Palma
Best Control: Santiago Suarez
Best Defensive Catcher: Kenny Piper
Best Defensive Infielder: Carson Williams
Best Infield Arm: Carson Williams
Best Defensive Outfielder: Aidan Smith
Best Outfield Arm: Aidan Smith
Williams is still being lauded as a good defender, but his propensity to strikeout has not done him any favors when it comes to his skillset at the plate. In a Q & A chat, Cooper revealed his expectations for Williams.
“I think an average hit tool is a big ask at this point,” he wrote. “He can be a solid big leaguer without an average hit tool, but he'll need to make a lot of improvements to get to a 50-hit tool.”
Cooper also talked about the future power that Gillen displays and what a healthy season for Isaac may look like.
“He's healthy again now after dealing with elbow, back and wrist issues in 2025. What I think is fair to expect is him to return to Double-A. He needs to show some of the hitting ability he had in A ball.”
“Even late in 2024, Isaac got too focused on getting to his power, which makes him much more pitchable than when he uses the whole field and lets his plus-plus raw power play more naturally.”