Baseball Prospectus releases top 10 Rays prospects

With the offseason underway, Baseball Prospectus has begun releasing its top-prospect lists, starting with the American League East.

Having already covered the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox, Baseball Prospectus released the Tampa Bay Rays top 10 prospects list.

1. SS Wander Franco
2. LHP Brendan McKay
3. RHP Shane Baz
4. LHP Matthew Liberatore
5. LHP Shane McClanahan
6. 2B Vidal Brujan
7. SS Greg Jones
8. C Ronaldo Hernandez
9. RHP Brent Honeywell
10. RHP Joe Ryan

Wander Franco, of course, is the Rays’ top prospect. The BP staff praises Franco’s abilities, with the only negatives being a likely move from shortstop due to arm strength and reckless baserunning. Aside from that, BP suggests that Franco’s bat will eventually become one of the best in baseball.

Another thing to note is Shane Baz’s ascent up the list. The Rays acquired Baz in the Chris Archer deal, and he’s dominated ever since. He particularly impressed when he put his arsenal on display in the Arizona Fall League.

Joe Ryan also makes an appearance on the BP list. After entering the 2019 season as a relative unknown, Ryan flummoxed opposing hitters with a nearly invisible fastball. The results were strong enough to warrant a late-season promotion to Double A, where he quickly racked up impressive strikeout numbers to end the season.

The Rays farm system remains as strong as ever, and most of these names should be featured on BP’s top 101 prospect list, which will be coming out later on in the offseason.