Joshua Schwagger over at BaseballRanks.com put together a lengthy article on the top 250 minor league baseball players as of September 2016. The list included 12 Tampa Bay Rays; only 4 teams had more prospects on the list. Topping that list is RHP Brent Honeywell, coming in at #15 overall and #1 for pitchers. Here’s what he had to say about that ranking:
The highest rated arm is Brent Honeywell. To be fair, I had to fight my urge to place Jason Groome over him but it is a little premature to do that. Brent Honeywell is a fantastic pitcher that continues to show enormous growth as the inning count increase. His 6’2” 180 frame generates a low 90s fastball that he can already locate exceptionally well. His simple release and effortless delivery likely lead the way to more ticks on the gun if he ever decides it’s a necessity. Though it probably will come at the expense of scap loading and unneeded force on his upper half. His best offering is a screwball that can dazzle even the best hitters. He has a great arsenal at his disposal which keeps batters guessing.
Personally I’m all aboard this ranking. Honeywell is my organization #1 overall and this seems right in the range that I would like to see him as well. After that, the list gets a little more... unique. I think it’s safe to say there isn’t another list even similar to this one anywhere on the interwebs. Take a look and let us know what you think. Remember, this was made in September before a few off season moves were made.
Tier Rank Name Team Position Age
2 15 Brent Honeywell Rays (AA) P 21
3 29 Willy Adames Rays (AA) SS 20
4 50 Jake Bauers Rays (AA) 1B 20
6 74 Garrett Whitley Rays (A-) OF 19
7 88 Richie Shaffer Rays (AAA) 1B 25
7 98 Casey Gillaspie Rays (AAA) 1B 23
8 110 Taylor Guerrieri Rays (AA) P 18*
10 141 Brett Sullivan Rays (A) C 22
10 145 Joshua Lowe Rays (R) P 18
10 149 Jacob Faria Rays (AAA) P 23
12 180 Jesus Sanchez Rays (R) OF 18
15 236 Jose Alvarado Rays (A+) LHP 21
*Taylor Guerrieri was actually 23 at the time of this listing. That must have been a typo.
Knowing Shaffer’s fate makes his ranking look super aggressive, but was he even close to that high before all the DFAs?
Brett Sullivan in the top 150 and #8 in the organization is also different from what we’ve seen. He’s a good hitter who has a year under his belt as a converted catcher. He could rise up the ranks quickly if he ...catches... on quickly. And then there’s the wild lefty flame-throwing reliever Jose Alvarado to close out the list. I’ve seen him in some top 30s, but at #12 he’s above some more established names that were omitted like Chih-Wei Hu, Daniel Robertson, Justin Williams, Adrian Rondon, or Lucius Fox.
So what do you all think? Are you on board with the aggressive placements, or is the list too far in left field for your preference? I like Joshua’s swagger, even if I don’t necessarily agree with him leaving Hu or Robertson off the list.