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Chris Clegg's top Tampa Bay Rays prospects rankings for 2025. Read his top 10 Tampa Bay Rays fantasy baseball prospect power rankings and outlooks for dynasty leagues.
The Tampa Bay Rays' top prospect list is loaded. It might be the best list in baseball. The Rays, as an organization, scout and develop better than any organization in baseball, primarily because they have to, given their market.
Today, we will cover the Tampa Bay Rays top 10 prospects heading into the 2025 season as part of the MLB Prospect Rankings For Each Team series. There is a ton of talent to know here for dynasty leagues. RotoBaller readers can see reports on the top 10 Tampa Bay Rays fantasy baseball prospects below and can see the full 30 by heading to the Dynasty Dugout!
So, who is on the way to Tampa Bay, and what do those players bring to the table for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues? Let's dive into the Tampa Bay Rays top 10 prospects for 2025.
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No. 10 Rays Prospect - Brailer Guerrero, OF
Age 18, 6-foot-1/215 pounds, Florida Complex League
Guerrero signed the fifth-highest bonus of any international player in 2023, landing $3.7 million from the Rays as a 16-year-old. Already standing at 6-foot-1 and well-filled out for his age, Guerrero has high-end bat speed and massive raw power in all fields.
The lefty posted exit velocities as high as 111 mph as a 16-year-old and peaked at 112 mph at the complex this summer. After he saw his DSL season end early in 2023 due to a shoulder injury, Guerrero also missed time in 2024 with similar issues. Still, in 126 plate appearances, Guerrero slashed .330/.452/.466 with two home runs and 13 stolen bases.
The home-run total and game power are limited by the amount of ground balls he hits. Guerrero starts with his weight back but wraps the bat behind his head before dropping his back shoulder and hands down. The bat path isn’t necessarily bad, and Guerrero controls the barrel exceptionally well.
He will have to work on lifting the ball more often. The power is legit, though, as Guerrero posted a 90th-percentile exit velocity of 105 mph.
The contact skills are better than you might think from a slugger. Making contact on pitches in the zone at an 85 percent clip is impressive, and Guerrero also showed his discipline by chasing less than 20 percent of pitches out of the zone.
Guerrero has shown plus clock times, but given the body, he is likely to slow down over time. Still, the combination of skills here is impressive, and Guerrero needs to be healthy in 2025 and continue doing what he has done to fly up these rankings.
No. 9 Rays Prospect - Jackson Baumeister, RHP
Age 22, 6-foot-4/224 pounds, High-A
A 2023 second-round draft selection by the Baltimore Orioles, Baumeister was traded to the Rays for Zach Eflin and thrived. When I saw Baumeister pitch with Aberdeen in July, he was excellent, but the Rays made a few tweaks post-trade, and he suddenly looked like one of the best pitching prospects in the game.
Tossing 99.2 innings between both affiliates, Baumeister posted a 2.53 ERA with 135 strikeouts and 48 walks. Baumeister finished the year allowing just one run in his final 18 innings and had 28 strikeouts to just two walks. In 29 innings with the Rays org, he posted a 1.24 ERA.
Strike throwing and walks have been the major red flags all year, and before joining the Rays, Baumeister had a 59 percent strike rate. Since the move to Tampa, that mark sits at 69 percent, an unprecedented jump.
I was curious as to how this happened. I went to the release point data, which is pretty much identical. Everything looks the same, so we have to see if this sticks.
It’s a big fastball that has ticked up and is sitting 94-97 mph now with 20 inches of induced vertical break and even some solid horizontal movement. Baumeister added a new cutter with good carry, sitting in the upper 80s.
The curveball is a 12-6 hammer that gets a ton of whiffs. The changeup has strong traits when he throws it, sitting 86 mph with a lot of ride and nearly 14 inches of fade on average.
This ranking might be extremely low if Baumeister comes into 2025 and pitches how he did with the Rays organization down the stretch. He certainly has the stuff and could thrive if the control gains stick. Buy in now before it is too late.
No. 8 Rays Prospect - Brayden Taylor, INF
Age 22, 6-foot/180 pounds, Double-A
Taylor was a 2023 first-round pick and has been solid since his debut in the Rays organization. Splitting time between High-A and Double-A in 2024, Taylor slashed .250/.365/.493 with 20 home runs and 55 extra-base hits. He even stole 29 bases while only getting caught seven times.
Taylor does not have a standout tool with his bat but has become rather solid in the field. He is probably best suited for second base, but he does have a good arm that could keep him on the left side of the dirt.
Striking out at a 26 percent rate in 2024, Taylor saw that number balloon to 37 percent in Double-A. The contact skills are below average, especially for a college bat that spent most of the year in High-A. Taylor does have good plate discipline skills, leading to higher walk rates.
The power and exit velocities are also fringe-average at best. Taylor benefits from lifting the ball, having a 74 percent air rate in 2024. However, he lacks the bat speed to achieve higher pull rates against better velocity, which is necessary for hitting home runs.
Taylor has average foot speed and likely won’t have a significant impact in the stolen base department. The consensus is relatively high on Taylor, but until we see him develop better contact skills, the profile is challenging to project against MLB pitching.
No. 7 Rays Prospect - Gary Gill Hill, RHP
Age 20, 6-foot-2/160 pounds, Single-A
An impressive scouting find by the Rays in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Gill Hill thrived in 2024 with Single-A Charleston. Tossing 108.2 innings, Gill Hill posted a 3.15 ERA with a 24 percent strikeout rate to just a 6.2 percent walk rate.
Still having plenty of projection on his frame, Gill Hill added nearly 20 pounds to his frame entering the 2024 season, and the velocity came with it. After sitting between 91-92 mph in 2023 at the complex, Gill Hill now sits between 93-95 and has topped out at 97 mph. Throwing from a low release height, the fastball plays up with good IVB horizontal movement.
The slider is sharp and has a nice two-plane break, getting plenty of swings and misses while sitting in the mid-80s. It is Gill Hill’s best offering. The changeup had nice fading action, and he sells it well with arm speed similar to the fastball. He also utilizes a cutter as a bridge pitch from the fastball to a slider.
Strike throwing was Gill Hill’s strength, though, and he has a strong feel for location on all four pitches. The low walk rate is backed by a plus strike rate of 66.5 percent. The results were impressive because he spent the entire season as a teenager in Single-A. Seeing Gill Hill take another step forward in 2025 would not be shocking, either, as he likely starts the season with a talented group in Bowling Green.
No. 6 Rays Prospect - Santiago Suarez, RHP
Age 20, 6-foot-2/175 pounds, Single-A
After signing with the Marlins in 2022 and putting together an impressive DSL season at 17, the Marlins traded Suarez to the Rays, where he thrived. After reaching Single-A at the end of 2023, Suarez returned to Charleston, where he spent the entire 2024 season as a 19-year-old. Pitching 111.2 innings, Suarez posted a 4.11 ERA with a 26 percent strikeout rate to just a 4.7 percent walk rate.
For his age, Suarez has advanced stuff and command. His fastball sits in the 94-96 range before tapering to 93 on the bottom end by the end of starts. Suarez’s fastball averages 18 inches of IVB from a low release height and a flat VAA, making it an extremely tough pitch for hitters. It even plays up beyond the velocity, thanks to good extension.
Suarez’s curveball flashes being a plus pitch, sitting between 78 and 82 on the high end with nice depth and horizontal movement. The two-plane breaker gets ugly swings and chases out of the zone. At times, it plays more like a slider, others more like a curve.
The split-changeup sits in the upper 80s, and Suarez also flashes a cutter that reaches 91. He has a highly athletic delivery that he repeats well. All the makings are there for Suarez to be a solid starting pitcher long-term. Incorporating his secondaries more in 2025 could lead to a major breakout, as he used his fastball and cutter 75 percent of the time in 2024.
Suarez has some of the best command of any teenager in baseball, which allows his stuff to play up.
No. 5 Rays Prospect - Brody Hopkins, RHP
Age 23, 6-foot-4/200 pounds, High-A
Hopkins is as unique of a starter as you will find in the minors. A 2023 sixth-round selection by the Mariners out of Winthrop, Hopkins was traded to the Rays in the Randy Arozarena deal.
He put together an impressive 2024 season between Single-A and High-A, posting a 3.05 ERA across 115 innings with 133 strikeouts and 53 walks. Strike throwing was sometimes an issue, and Hopkins posted a strike rate below 60 percent, which is well below average.
Hopkins' fastball is in the 95-97 range and has reached triple digits. He throws two variations of the fastball: a four-seam and a sinker. The four-seam shows respectable ride and run, but his sinker has a lot of running life, often touching over 20 inches of arm-side movement.
It comes from a low, funky arm slot at five feet, as you can see in the video below. This makes the riding four-seam even more impressive.
Hopkins’ sweeper is his best pitch, generating impressive whiff rates. It sits at 87-89 mph and has some depth and 13-15 inches of sweeping action. He also mixes in a curveball in the 85-87 range with more depth than the slider and throws a cutter with a shorter horizontal break and more ride.
His changeup, around 89 mph, has nice depth and arm-side movement. It plays well off the sinker and is his go-to pitch against left-handed bats.
On top of the impressive arsenal, Hopkins is an athlete. He moves exceptionally well on the mound and is strong on grounders and bunts in the field, making plays look smooth. It is important to remember that Hopkins is newer to pitching and was an outfielder in college. He pitched a total of 31 innings before his draft year at Winthrop.
The stuff is arguably some of the most unique in the minors. Hopkins is far from a finished product as an arm and has a wide range of outcomes, but the stuff is legit. Hopkins could get pushed aggressively in 2025 but must show improved strike-throwing ability.
No. 4 Rays Prospect - Xavier Isaac, 1B
Age 21, 6-foot-3/240 pounds, Double-A
Isaac was a rare prep first baseman the Rays selected in the first round. He was an analytics darling who fit the Rays system perfectly. While having a big frame, Isaac has outgrown his 6-foot-3 height and is much closer to 6-foot-5.
The power is the calling card here, and it showed up this year as Isaac spent the entire season as a 20-year-old and posted a 108 mph (90th percentile) exit velocity to pair with a hard-hit rate well north of 50 percent. Isaac has also hit some majestic home runs, maxing out at 114 mph.
However, contact skills became a significant issue in 2024 as Isaac moved up the ladder. He struck out in 33.3 percent of plate appearances and saw that number jump to 40 percent in Double-A. The overall contact rate of 60 percent is a concern, and he paired it with a scary in-zone contact rate of 68 percent.
His plate discipline is solid, as he rarely expands the zone. His chase rate is 26 percent, and his walk rate is north of 13 percent. However, at this point, the profile is pretty scary when considering the contact.
Isaac has the power to be a 35-home-run bat. The fact that he will be a first-base-only profile puts a ton of pressure on him to hit. He looked a bit lost when I saw him in the AFL in the outfield. His athleticism is impressive because of his frame, and Isaac is a good runner.
Last year, he suffered a wrist injury that could have affected him, but the exit velocities were still elite, so they did not zap power. Can he make more contact in 2025? That will help answer some questions about his profile.
No. 3 Rays Prospect - Tre' Morgan, 1B
Age 22, 6-foot/215 pounds, Double-A
Morgan is a gamer and someone who does all the right things on the field. A professional hitter is the best way to describe Morgan, who puts the ball in play nearly every time he steps in the box. On top of that, the former third-round pick out of LSU is a 70-grade first baseman and not too shabby in the outfield.
Jumping from Single-A to Double-A by the season's end, Morgan was consistent in his approach and felt to hit and wound up walking as often as he struck out. The .324/.408/.483 slash was strong, and he hit 10 home runs with 36 extra-base hits.
Morgan has a unique two-strike approach, getting extremely wide and not utilizing a stride. Morgan will put the bat on any pitch remotely close and put it in play. He had a 90 percent contact rate on two-strike swings. Morgan does an excellent job hitting the ball where it is pitched and rarely misses. The overall contact rate of 81 percent is impressive, and he chased at a 26 percent clip.
Although his power lags behind the contact, Morgan creates barrels at an above-average clip, thanks to his launch angles. He also has a heavy line drive and ground-ball approach and uses the entire field well.
Morgan has a strong feel for contact and plays as a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman. In my looks in the AFL, he also looked strong in the outfield. Morgan is a professional hitter who could reach the majors in 2025.
No. 2 Rays Prospect - Aidan Smith, OF
Age 20, 6-foot-2/190 pounds, Single-A
After being selected in the fourth round of the 2023 draft by the Mariners, Smith got off to an incredible start to his pro career. He was then part of the Randy Arozarena trade, sending him to Tampa Bay. In 97 games in 2024, Smith slashed .288/.401/.473 with 11 home runs, 45 extra-base hits, and 41 stolen bases.
Smith already has a great frame at 6-foot-2/190 pounds and easily generates power, but does not put a significant focus on that, letting the power come naturally. His swing is efficient, and he can drive the ball to all fields. Smith put the ball in the air at a 66 percent clip in 2024 and pulled 52 percent of batted balls. The exit velocity data was also strong, as Smith posted a 90th percentile near 103 mph with a max of 113 mph.
Smith is a fast runner, posting a 6.48 60-yard dash, which is plus or better. He can potentially be a power and speed threat. In 2024, he stole 41 bases in 97 games and was caught just six times. His speed also leads to good range in the outfield.
Being a selective hitter, Smith’s contact rates ran closer to average, but he also showed a lower chase, which was helpful because he walked at a 14 percent mark. Given the power, speed, and ideal launch angles, Smith has a chance to be a fantasy baseball darling, but he still seems to be a bit underrated.
No. 1 Rays Prospect - Carson Williams, SS
Age 21, 6-foot-2/180 pounds, Double-A
Williams is a glove-first shortstop who oozes athleticism and tools across the board. The former first-round pick in 2021 has made improvements over the last several years and seems close to putting it all together at the plate. After being a two-way player who was committed to the University of California, Berkeley, the Rays handed him a $2.3 million bonus, and Williams has developed nicely as a shortstop.
Being relatively consistent in surface-level performance for three straight seasons, Williams hit 20 home runs and stole 33 bases in Double-A in 2024. The slash line of .256/.352/.469 was strong, but Williams did strike out 28.5 percent of the time. The wRC+ of 142 was pretty impressive for a hitter who spent half the season as a 20-year-old in the most pitcher-friendly league in baseball.
The bat speed comes easy as Williams quickly whips the bat through the zone, and his swing creates a natural loft. The exit velocity data is plus or better, even by MLB standards. Despite the contact concerns, Williams should be a consistent 25-home-run threat in the majors.
After the first month and a half of the season, it seemed like Williams was making progress in the contact department. But it was not long before the numbers dipped. He finished the year with a 68 percent overall contact rate, similar to past seasons. The contact skills are hampered by his struggles against breaking balls. Williams mashes fastballs and becomes very susceptible to swing and miss against breaking balls, even in the zone.
The approach is sound, as Williams does not often chase out of the zone and has shown a propensity to walk, running a nearly 12 percent walk rate as a professional.
Speed is also a big part of his game, and it also translates on the base paths, showing the ability to steal efficiently. The speed plays well at shortstop, too, as Williams is as smooth as they come from a glove perspective. Some scouts have given Williams a 70-grade glove, and he easily has a 70-grade arm.
There is a lot of upside to dream of, but Williams will have to make consistent contact against breaking balls to reach his full potential at the plate. It is as toolsy of a profile as they come, and Williams has the skills to be a fun MLB player. If the hit tool comes along ever so slightly, it is an actual five-category producer.
For full reports on the Top 30 Prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays system and the top 50 ranked, head to the Dynasty Dugout for more of Chris's work!
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