Tampa Bay Rays

Fastball: 70. Curveball: 60. Changeup: 40. Control: 45
Track Record: Bitsko reclassified from the 2021 draft to 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic canceled his high school season before he got to throw a pitch. Teams scouted him exclusively off his bullpen sessions, and the Rays saw enough to draft him No. 24 overall and sign him for an above-slot $3 million to forgo a Virginia commitment. With the canceled season, Bitsko threw just 33 innings in his high school career.

Scouting Report: Bitsko has the traits of a major league starter with a physical 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame and a clean delivery. His fastball sits 92-96 mph and touches 98, and he pairs it with a hard, high-spin downer curveball that’s been up to 2,500 revolutions per minute. Both project to be plus or better pitches. Bitsko has shown a feel for a changeup, but it’s sometimes a little firm and lacks deception. He throws everything out of a high three-quarters release point which allows him to work up and down the strike zone.

The Future: Bitsko is very young and will take time, but he has the building blocks to be a mid-rotation starter. If he makes it to low Class A in 2021, he would be the first Rays high school pitcher in the last decade to see full-season ball in his first full season. .

Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 55
Track Record: Goss entered 2019 as the No. 2 starter on Houston’s Cypress Ranch High team, behind Matthew Thompson. He graduated to co-ace after a strong senior season as his stuff ticked up. At pick No. 36, Goss was drafted nine spots earlier than Thompson, but Thompson’s $2.1 million bonus edged out Goss’ $2,042,900.

Scouting Report: Goss showed at instructional league that his stuff is only continuing to get better. His above-average 90-96 mph fastball in high school was sitting 92-95 and touching higher in instructs. He has solid feel and a steady maturity on the mound. His hard high-80s slider is average now and with his feel for spin it should eventually at least be above-average. His changeup isn’t as consistent and needs to add either a little more action or a little more separation but he has feel and comfort with it and it should continue to improve. Goss’ body has room to fill out further, which gives hope for further projection.

The Future: Goss’ stuff is already major league-caliber, and it should just continue to get better. His delivery, knack for pitching and composure make him a safer bet to remain a starter than most young arms. He has potential to be a mid-rotation starter. He should be ready for full-season ball in 2021.

Fastball: 60. Slider: 40. Curveball: 30. Changeup: 50. Control: 55.
Track Record: A poorly timed lat injury crushed Ryan’s draft stock in 2017, but a solid season after transferring to Division II Cal State Stanislaus made him a seventh-round steal for the Rays in 2018. He broke through in 2019 and finished second in the minors with 183 strikeouts as he climbed three levels to Double-A. The Rays added him to their 60-man player pool and brought him to their alternate training site in 2020.

Scouting Report: Ryan’s fastball plays better than its 92-96 mph velocity and average spin rate indicate. He backspins the ball well and hides it in his delivery, leading to lots of swings and misses up in the zone. Ryan dominated the low minors almost exclusively with his fastball, so facing more advanced hitters at the alternate site helped him realize he needed to develop his secondaries. His fringy slider has surpassed his below-average curveball, but neither is consistent. Ryan’s 83-85 mph changeup is his best secondary offering. It comes out of his hand looking like his fastball and has at least average potential, but he still uses it only sparingly.

The Future: Ryan was a fast mover in 2019, but he still has a ways to go before he is ready for the majors. The development of his secondaries will be critical in 2021.

TRACK RECORD: Jones was considered one of the more intriguing prospects of the 2017 high school class thanks to his speed, switch-hitting ability and his glove at shortstop. He made it to UNC Wilmington and followed up a mediocre freshman year and strikeout-filled Cape Cod League appearance with an excellent sophomore season (.341/.491/.543) that carried over into his pro debut.

SCOUTING REPORT: Jones had an inconsistent summer as a late addition to the Rays' alternate training site and sat out much of instructional league with a minor knee injury. He has a discerning eye at the plate with a level swing and adequate hand-eye coordination. He coils into his back leg before exploding out of a compact stance with above-average bat speed. Jones could develop into a high on-base percentage table-setter with gap power that gives him a chance to hit 12-15 home runs a year. Once he gets on base, his plus-plus speed makes him a weapon on the basepaths. Defensively, his range, body control and plus arm are a fit at shortstop, but his hands need to get softer. Jones was limited at shortstop in 2019 because he had a sore shoulder early in his final college season. His arm bounced back in 2020. He showed plus arm strength and better accuracy. Center field is a viable backup plan.

THE FUTURE: The pandemic means Jones will get his first full-season at-bat as a 23-year-old. He's seven months older than Juan Soto. Jones' athleticism is exciting, but he needs to make up for lost time.

TRACK RECORD: A three-year starter at Florida State, Walls has managed to carve a path for himself despite the overflow of middle infielders in the Rays' system. Even in a system with so many options, Walls has managed to establish himself as the club's best defensive shortstop, with enough bat to be a potential major league regular.

SCOUTING REPORT: Walls is a plus defender at shortstop whose steady reliability and sticky hands are matched by above-average range and an above-average, accurate arm. Walls manages to slow the game down with an excellent internal clock. Walls can play other infield spots, but the Rays haven't had him work much at second or third because he's so reliable at short. Offensively, Walls is more likely a bottomof-the-order hitter than someone who tops a lineup. He's a switch-hitter who is comfortable against lefthanders and righthanders. Walls is an average hitter with below-average power. He's best as a pest whose bat control makes it hard for pitchers to strike him out. His above-average speed is a useful bonus.

THE FUTURE: Where Walls fits on the Rays' roster is hard to decipher, but the more scouts from other teams have seen him, the more convinced they are that he'll be a starting shortstop. The question is whether it will be with the Rays or with another club after a trade.

TRACK RECORD: The younger brother of first baseman Nate Lowe, whom Tampa Bay traded to the Rangers in December, Josh was a first-round pick out of high school as a two-way third baseman/righthander. The Rays moved him to the outfield after his first pro season, reasoning that his speed was a better fit in center. Lowe was supposed to miss time in 2020 as he recovered from shoulder surgery, but the delayed start meant he was ready for the alternate training site. The Rays added him to their 40-man roster after the season.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lowe is a big league-ready center fielder. He is a plus defender with plus speed, and his plus arm fits in right field as well. Lowe's athleticism and defense should get him to the majors, but his bat is what could hold him back from a significant role. He's a fringe-average hitter with swing-andmiss and timing issues. His swing is a little grooved. He has struggled to handle pitchers who can locate up-and-in, as he prefers to get his long arms extended. Pitchers who do stay away can find that his average power gives him the ability to line balls the other way, and he yanks balls down-and-in over the fence.

THE FUTURE: Lowe should be at least a fourth outfielder, but unlike most potential fourth outfielders, he has impact potential. With three plus tools on his scouting report, Lowe could be a star if he takes a big step forward at the plate, but that's a big ask for any hitter.

TRACK RECORD: If Honeywell's career had gone as planned, he would be arbitration eligible by now. Instead he ranks as a Rays Top 30 Prospect for the seventh time. Right before he was expected to join the Rays' rotation in 2018 he blew out his elbow. He fractured his repaired elbow in 2019. Then he had a further surgery in May 2020 to remove scar tissue that was compressing his ulnar nerve in that elbow. But he returned to the mound at the alternate training site, was added to the Rays' taxi squad for the playoffs and came close to making his big league debut.

SCOUTING REPORT: As hard as it may be to believe, Honeywell's stuff has returned to close to where it was before he missed three consecutive seasons. His average fastball is now more 91-93 mph rather than the 94-96 he flashed before his string of injuries, but his plus screwball and plus changeup are very close to what they were before. So too is his above-average mid-80s cutter. His command and control were not back yet to average in 2020.

THE FUTURE: Honeywell was able to get back to 90% of where he was pre-injury in an abbreviated 2020. If that's where he ends up, he will be a useful big league starter and could help the Rays in 2021. If he finds a little more as he puts distance between his last surgery, he could somehow still be a mid-rotation starter, though his durability is a significant question.

TRACK RECORD: Losing the 2020 season may be a little more costly for Johnson than most prospects because he's still just getting started on his pitching career. Primarily a shortstop at Louisburg (N.C.) JC, he turned himself into a top 50 draft prospect when he moved to the mound for his junior year at Campbell. Johnson has just 89 innings of experience between college and pro ball.

SCOUTING REPORT: While he didn't play in an official game in 2020, Johnson didn't let the layoff go to waste. He attacked his throwing program with intensity and added some good weight. He showed up at instructional league with a plus mid-90s fastball that can now touch 99 mph with late run and a sharp, above-average slider with high spin at 2,700 to 2,800 revolutions per minute. Johnson also has worked on a fringe-average curveball, and his average changeup has modest fading action. Johnson is athletic and has impressed with his ability to quickly improve as a pitcher. His arm works well as part of a clean delivery, and his control and command are quickly getting to average with a chance to eventually be better than that.

THE FUTURE: Johnson just needs to wrack up the innings he hasn't been able to log yet. His present fastball/slider combo gives him a backup plan as a reliever, but his four-pitch assortment gives him a shot to be a mid-rotation starter.

TRACK RECORD: Williams is the highest drafted Arizona State shortstop since Deven Marrero was a firstrounder in 2012. Marrero is an interesting analogue for Williams. Like Marrero, Williams is considered an excellent defensive shortstop who faced questions about his bat. He hit .300/.383/.400 for his Sun Devils career.

SCOUTING REPORT: Williams makes the shortstop position look easy because he is a fluid athlete who has such smooth actions. He's rangy with an excellent first step. His ability to be at least an above-average glove at shortstop and possibly plus is why he was a top-40 pick despite persistent questions about his bat. Williams puts the bat on the ball, but he just doesn't frighten pitchers. His contact ability makes him a bottom-of-the-order hitter who isn't a complete nothing offensively, but he projects as a below-average hitter with well below-average power.

THE FUTURE: The Rays love to collect athletic up-the-middle defenders with contact ability. If they can unlock a little more in Williams' bat, he's a future big league regular. If not, his glove still could pave a way to a role.

TRACK RECORD: Half of the 28 high school position players drafted ahead of Padlo in 2014 have either been released or have reached minor league free agency. In other words, Padlo has been a slow mover. Drafted by the Rockies, Padlo was dealt to the Rays in 2016, along with Corey Dickerson, in the deal that surrendered German Marquez to Colorado. Padlo came close to making his big league debut in 2020, when he was part of the Rays' taxi squad.

SCOUTING REPORT: Until 2019, the oft-injured Padlo was a slugger who didn't slug. More consistent at-bats and a better understanding of when to let loose in advantageous counts helped him start to tap into his plus-plus raw power. He's still likely a .220-.240 hitter if he plays every day in the majors thanks to a pull-heavy approach, but the Rays' clever platooning would likely keep him from facing many of the pitchers who would hamstring him. Padlo has made himself into an average defender at third base with an above-average arm, and he can also play first base. He's athletic with a decent first step, but he's a below-average runner.

THE FUTURE: Padlo's power is real. As a righthanded slugger, he could fill a need as a platoon option, but his next stop is a return to Triple-A. He has two minor league options remaining.

TRACK RECORD: The Rays take a patient approach with high school pitchers. They had even more reason to do so with Bradley, since he was young for his draft class. Instead of getting his first shot at full-season ball in 2020, his third pro season, Bradley instead had to wait for instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Bradley was primarily an outfielder for most of his time in high school, and now that he's focused on pitching, his velocity has steadily climbed. He sat in the low 90s in his draft year and ticked that up to 92-94 mph in 2019. In shorter stints at instructs in 2020 he sat 94-97 mph on his best days. His plus fastball has some life, giving it swing-and-miss potential. His breaking ball keeps getting tighter. His breaking ball and his changeup are average at best, but he knows how to spot them, and he reads swings well. Bradley's intelligence and feel give him a solid chance to continue to get better.

THE FUTURE: Bradley's lack of a plus secondary pitch makes it hard to project him as more than a No. 4 starter. For someone who has come far in a short time, he may continue to exceed projection.

TRACK RECORD: Gomez turned in an outstanding debut in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2016 and an equally impressive full-season debut in the Midwest League in 2018. He hit for power but struggled to hit for average at high Class A Charlotte in 2019. The Rays left him unprotected for both the 2019 and 2020 Rule 5 drafts. He went unpicked both times.

SCOUTING REPORT: Gomez hits the ball as hard as anyone in the Rays' system when he makes contact. He regularly stings balls with 105-plus mph exit velocities. Now he just has to figure out how to make contact more regularly. Gomez has above-average bat speed and plus power potential. His swing is quite simple, with a significant timing step as he loads with an aggressive weight transfer. But his swing has some stiffness to it. He swings through hittable pitches and his takes seem to at times be guesses, making it hard to project him as even a below-average hitter. Gomez has gotten bigger and stronger. He's still an average runner, but he is now a fringe-average defender in the corners with an average arm.

THE FUTURE: Gomez can be a 30-home run slugger in the majors, but only if he adds more adjustability to his swing. He needs a bounce-back season in his move to Double-A.

TRACK RECORD: After battling wrist and knee injuries in the past, Schnell was healthy for the first time in three pro seasons in 2020. Unfortunately, Schnell's healthy season was spent at home thanks to the pandemic.

SCOUTING REPORT: Schnell leapt into the first round with an excellent senior year of high school where he showed plenty of home run power. That has yet to translate to pro ball, even though he shows plus raw power in batting practice. Schnell needs plenty of at-bats against lefthanders, because he doesn't seem to pick the ball up all that well against them. He also is vulnerable to pitches off the plate. Schnell's defense has steadily gotten better and he actually runs a little better now, turning in plus times at his best. He's a plausible long-term center fielder who can be an above-average defender.

THE FUTURE: Schnell is moving slower than his peers from the 2018 first round. He has a chance to be a center fielder with plus productive power, but there's a lot of projection involved in that. A solid 2021 at Class A would help kick-start Schnell's development.

TRACK RECORD: Fleming led all Division III pitchers with a 0.67 ERA in 2017, which helped him become the first Webster University player ever drafted. He embellished his credentials in 2020, when he not only became the school's first major leaguer, but he pitched in the World Series.

SCOUTING REPORT: Fleming is a modern version of the crafty lefty who used to fill the back end of many rotations. He likes to pepper the outside bottom corner against righthanded hitters, working on and off the edge of the zone with plus command. His 88-93 mph fringe-average sinker and his above-average low-80s changeup are thrown to that same spot, with the changeup's deception and fade baffling hitters looking to feast on a low-90s fastball. His below-average mid-80s slider lacks power, depth or tilt, but it pairs well as he sneaks it up-and-in on righthanded hitters looking to dive over the plate. Fleming's changeup and slider don't baffle same-side batters, so he's better against righthanded hitters. He has a quality pickoff move.

THE FUTURE: The Rays trusted Fleming enough to insert him into their rotation and use him in their playoff bullpen. He fits best as a bulk or long reliever, and the Rays have shown they can get the most out of pitchers like Fleming.

TRACK RECORD: Thompson went from minor league afterthought to World Series reliever in the span of two seasons. He was a dominating sidearm reliever at Campbell, going 16-3, 1.12 over 70 appearances and 161 innings in two seasons. He missed all of 2018 because of Tommy John surgery. The Rays nabbed him for $24,000 in the minor league phase of the 2018 Rule 5 draft that December. A year and a half later he finished second among Rays pitchers with 25 appearances.

SCOUTING REPORT: As a pro, Thompson has gotten more athletic in his weight transfer into his rear leg, but he remains the epitome of a sidearm sinker/slider righthander. His plus low-90s sinker has one of the lowest spin rates in the majors, which gives it dramatically more sink than the average two-seamer to go with average run. He gave up only one extra-base hit and three flyball outs off his sinker in 2020. He'll occasionally sneak a low-90s four-seamer up in the zone to try to surprise a hitter. His plus mid-70s slider destroys normal notions of what a slider should be. It has no depth, but it runs away from righties and in on the hands of lefties. Its lack of depth makes it much tougher for lefties to hit.

THE FUTURE: Thompson's assortment is unusual, and he marries that with above-average command. He has the tools to be a productive, durable reliever.

Hitting: 45. Power: 50. Running: 40. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55.

TRACK RECORD: Hunt failed to make the Area Code Games as a rising high school senior and used it as motivation to get stronger. The added strength and power made him one of the fastest risers in the 2017 draft, and the Padres selected him 69th overall and signed him for an above-slot $1.6 million. Hunt stood out as one of the top defensive catchers in the low Class A Midwest League in his full-season debut in 2019. The Padres made him a late addition to their alternate training site in 2020. The Rays acquired him in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego after the season.

SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt's strength is his defense. Though tall for a catcher at nearly 6-foot-5, he moves well behind the plate, is a plus receiver and pitch framer and has the intelligence and work ethic to lead a pitching staff. He controls the run game with an above-average, accurate arm. Hunt has good timing at the plate and stays in the strike zone, but his upper-body, handsy swing limits his impact. He has the size to project 15-20 home runs once he adds more strength and learns to incorporate his lower half.

THE FUTURE: Hunt projects to be a defensively-minded catcher who starts in his peak years. He'll see high Class A in 2021.

TRACK RECORD: The Rays acquired Martinez for the unrelated Jose Martinez in a late-August deal with the Cubs. Pedro Martinez impressed in his two years with the Cubs--he was considered one of the more advanced teenage hitters in the Arizona and Northwest leagues in 2019. The Rays brought him to instructional league in the fall.

SCOUTING REPORT: Martinez has an advanced feel for hitting for his age. The switch-hitter has an understanding of the strike zone and has already demonstrated his bat-to-ball skills and good timing at the plate to go with average bat speed. His modest gap power should eventually turn into 10-12 home runs a year. He's an above-average runner. He has an above-average arm and could be an average shortstop and above-average second baseman. He'll probably bounce around multiple positions as a Rays prospect.

THE FUTURE: Martinez spent the winter as one of the younger players in the Venezuelan League, a further reminder of how he's advanced for his age. He's ready for full-season ball in 2021.

TRACK RECORD: Hernandez signed for $10,000 during the 2017 international signing period and quickly emerged as a potential bargain. He finished second in the Dominican Summer League in home runs (12) and OPS (1.099) in his pro debut in 2018 and kept it up by ranking tied for second in home runs (11) and third in OPS in the Rookie-level Arizona League (1.079) the following year. He was set to make his full-season debut in 2020, but instead he took a step back without the structure professional baseball provided. The Rays acquired him from the Rangers in December in the deal that sent Nate Lowe to Texas.

SCOUTING REPORT: The Rangers brought Hernandez to their alternate training site during the summer and found a player who had lost strength and weight. He didn't have access to quality facilities in the Dominican Republic, where he spent the shutdown, and wasn't back to where he should have been until the end of instructs. When he's right, Hernandez has plus power on par with anyone in the Rays' system. He has trouble recognizing pitches and needs work on his hit tool, but the power comes naturally. Hernandez generates force through proper sequencing, quick hands, good extension and good bat speed. Hernandez signed as a catcher, but he's exclusively a first baseman and left fielder now.

THE FUTURE: Hernandez will begin at low Class A in 2021. As long as he's hitting homers, he will keep rising.

TRACK RECORD: Doxakis picked the perfect time for a breakout. A consistent performer at Texas A&M, he had been viewed as a soft-tosser. But he started throwing 91-93 mph more often as a junior, which turned him into a second-round pick in a pitching-poor 2019 draft class.

SCOUTING REPORT: Even with improved velocity, Doxakis pitches with a below-average fastball, though his funky delivery makes it hard to square up. He sits around 90 mph, though his fastball has quality life and he can run it and cut it. His ability to dot corners with above-average command and plus control lets his fastball work, and it sets up his above-average mid-80s slider. It has two-plane break and he's shown he can use it against lefties and righties. His fringy changeup will need to get better as he climbs the ladder.

THE FUTURE: Doxakis is yet another crafty Rays lefty whose fastball plays better than the radar gun readings would indicate. If he can continue to add further velocity, he has back-end starter potential.

TRACK RECORD: Seymour earned a spot in Virginia Tech's weekend rotation just a couple of weeks into his college career. He left as one of the best starters in program history. The coronavirus shutdown cost him his shot at topping Joe Saunders' school strikeout record. Saunders is the only Hokie to be drafted higher than Seymour in the 21st century.

SCOUTING REPORT: Seymour was one of the most competitive pitchers in college baseball in 2020. He wouldn't rank among the top 60 players in the class based on pure stuff, but his makeup and toughness help him get the most out of his ability. Setting up from the extreme third base side of the rubber, Seymour's closed-off delivery means that righthanded hitters are staring at his back because he hides the ball well. Seymour's delivery has plenty of effort and a hard finish, but his arm is consistently on time. He throws strikes and has been durable. Seymour generally has sat 91-93 mph and sometimes struggles to maintain that velocity, but he touched 95 more often in 2020. His changeup is an above-average pitch already. His cutterish short slider gives him a fringe-average breaking ball.

THE FUTURE: Despite Seymour's durability, scouts largely see him moving to the bullpen because of his delivery. His run-through-a-wall competitiveness should serve him well in any role.