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As they do every year, Baseball America, the most esteemed prospect website/service, released their Rays' top 10 prospects. Here is the list below:
| Name | |
| 1. | Chris Archer |
| 2. | Taylor Guerrieri |
| 3. | Hak-Ju Lee |
| 4. | Alex Colome |
| 5. | Richie Shaffer |
| 6. | Enny Romero |
| 7. | Blake Snell |
| 8. | Tim Beckham |
| 9. | Derek Dietrich |
| 10. | Drew Vettleson |
The site's policy is to not share large quantities of information behind the pay wall in respect of Baseball America. However, there are still a few interesting quotes on some of the players that I thought should be shared.
On Chris Archer:
But the progress he made after the all-star break showed that he has the ability to be a No. 2 or 3 starter, particularly if he can trust his changeup more against major league hitters.
On Taylor Guerrieri:
His changeup has a chance to give him a third plus pitch as he incorporates it more into his repertoire.
On Hak-Ju Lee:
At the plate, Lee tends to slap at pitches and uses the opposite field more often than not.
On Alex Colome:
Colome made the transition from a thrower to a pitcher in 2012 after trying to strike out every batter earlier in his career. He struggled at the beginning of his starts early in the campaign before he improved his pitch selection and command.
On Richie Shaffer:
Shaffer is the most polished hitter and biggest impact bat in the system.
On Enny Romero:
He was unhittable at times in the FSL, but struggled at others because of self-inflicted mistakes.
On Blake Snell:
He would have led the Appalachian League with a 2.09 ERA in 2012 if he hadn't fallen seven innings short of qualifying because Tampa Bay shut him down with fatigue in mid-August.
On Tim Beckham:
Beckham continues to maintain plus bat speed that generates raw power to all fields.
On Derek Dietrich:
One of the better power hitters in the system, Dietrich could be a poor man's Jeff Kent.
On Drew Vettleson:
If Vettleson makes the necessary adjustments, he could have solid tools across the board.
There are a few changes from last year's list, which is listed below:
| Ranking | Player |
| 1. | Matt Moore |
| 2. | Hak-Ju Lee |
| 3. | Chris Archer |
| 4. | Taylor Guerrieri |
| 5. | Alex Colome |
| 6. | Alex Torres |
| 7. | Tim Beckham |
| 8. | Enny Romero |
| 9. | Drew Vettleson |
| 10. | Mikie Mahtook |
Of the most notable changes, Alex Torres dropped from the list. It was a lost season for the Rays' starter, whose loss of command has dropped him down many top prospect lists.
Mikie Mahtook also dropped from the list, while Blake Snell and Derek Dietrich made the cut.
Matt Moore was the only graduate from the list, losing his prospect status by surpassing the rookie innings mark.