2015 DRaysBay Community Prospect #1

Welcome to the 2015 edition of the community prospect list! For four straight years, we've held these polls to create a consensus top prospect list for the fanbase. This is my first year running it, so hopefully I don't mess things up, especially on the first day.

Michael, our previous host, explained the rules nicely last year, so I'll just copy what he had to say.

For this year's list, the rules will be the same as before. Cast a "+1" vote as a reply to the prospect listed that you think is best. The player receiving the most votes is announced the winner of the spot. Each poll will be open for voting for a two day period, and the goal is to create a top 30 list.

A few notes to remember.....

1. Please vote for the prospect that you believe to be the best. Even if the player does not have a good shot at winning, I encourage you to vote for the best prospect. Runoffs are the times to vote for the prospect you like who has the best shot of winning.

2. If you want to vote for someone who is not listed, reply "(player name) +1" to "Others." If you think someone should be added to the list, reply with their name to the comment reading "Testers." They will then be added to the pool of contenders for the next poll.

3. There are many ways in which to decide who you want to vote for. Things such as scouting reports, statistics, age relative to league, position, and pedigree should all be considered. How you weigh these will determine your pick.

4. Discussion is encouraged. Perhaps the best part of doing this list, for me, is engaging in the many conversations. It helps everyone to make a better choice, to reevaluate their take on a player, and to share their views with others.

My intention is to start a new poll every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, starting next week. We'll start off with Tuesday and Thursday.

With the current makeup of the farm system, this should be a wild year for voting. I'll start the player pool with the six players that appeared in the top five on Baseball America or Baseball Prospectus' top Rays prospect lists.

SS Willy Adames (R/R, 6'1 180, 19 years old in 2015)

2014 statistics at Class A West Michigan/Bowling Green: .271 BA, .353 OBP, .429 SLG, 8 HR, 41 XBH, 6/12 SB, 10.5 BB%, 24.5 K%

Acquired in this summer's David Price trade, Adames comes with the highest ceiling in the return. He owns four potential above average tools in his bat, power, glove and arm. Whether he's a shortstop long-term remains to be seen. Early in his pro career, he's shown the ability to wait for his pitch.

He's expected to start the 2015 season at Class A-Advanced Charlotte.

RHP Alex Colome (6'2 210, 26 in 2015)

2014 statistics with Triple-A Durham: 86 IP, 3.37 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 8.1 BB%, 19.8 K%
2014 statistics with the Rays: 23 2/3 IP, 2.66 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 10.3 BB%, 13.4 K%

Colome is finally out of options, so it's hard to envision a scenario in which he's on here again next offseason. After returning from a 50-game suspension to start the season, he actually showed a little improvement with the Bulls with the lowest walk rate of his career.

Overall command is still something to improve on, but with his hard fastball and promising cutter, breaking ball and changeup, he has the stuff to get whiffs in the big leagues.

He's expected to start the 2015 season with the Rays.

RHP Brent Honeywell (6'2 180, 20 in 2015)

2014 statistics with Rookie Princeton: 33 2/3 IP, 1.07 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 4.7 BB%, 31.3 K%

Honeywell burst onto the scene after the Rays drafted him in the second round in 2014. His arsenal is led by his screwball, a pitch hitters in the low minors no doubt struggled with. His fastball sits in the low-90's and can touch the mid-90's, and his breaking ball and changeup are a work in progress.

He's expected to start the 2015 season with Class A Bowling Green.

RHP Nathan Karns (6'3 210, 27 in 2014)

2014 statistics with Triple-A Durham: 145 1/3 IP, 5.08 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 9.9 BB%, 24.5 K%
2014 statistics with Tampa Bay: 12 IP, 4.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 8.2 BB%, 26.5 K%

Karns continued to pile up the strikeouts in his first year in the organization, but his season was inconsistent. His fastball and curveball combination give him a certain role as a big league reliever, but the Rays hope he could be more. With a better changeup and command, he could still be a starter.

Since the Rays are probably going to continue developing him as a starter, I expect he'll be in Durham.

C Justin O'Conner (R/R, 6'0 190, 23 in 2015)

2014 statistics with Class A-Advanced Charlotte and Double-A Montgomery: .278/.316/.466, 12 HR, 49 XBH, 3.8 BB%, 23.1 K%

O'Conner enjoyed a breakout 2014 when he finally put together his great glove and arm with solid offense. His arm behind the plate can change games and could get him to the big leagues itself. At the plate, he offers the power potential to be an everyday player in the future.

He's expected to start 2015 back with Double-A Montgomery.

SS Adrian Rondon (R/R, 6'2 180, 16 in 2015)

2014 statistics: Not sure if they have these for Dominican amateur workouts

Rondon was the top international prospect in the 2014 international signing period, and the Rays completely disregarded their international pool limit to secure his talent. He has as many professional at-bats as I do right now, but that'll change soon with his superior talent. He can stick at shortstop and swing the bat.

I personally expect he'll start 2015 in the Gulf Coast League.

You can find more detailed scouting information (with some subscriptions necessary) at Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, Minor League Ball, MLB.com, ESPN and plenty of other places.