It’s hard to disagree with the names at the top of the list. You simply can’t argue with the work Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, Sam Dykstra and the rest of the Pipeline staff put into these annual rankings. The Rays were well-represented, too, with Junior Caminero at No. 4 followed by Carson Williams (No. 20), Curtis Mead (No. 55) and Xavier Isaac (No. 58).
This is the first year since 2015 the Rays haven’t had a pitcher on MLB Pipeline’s preseason Top 100 list. Tampa Bay also didn’t have a preseason Top 50 pitcher in 2007, ’06 or ’04, the first year of MLB.com’s prospect rankings. Mayo just put together an informative deep dive into 20 years of rankings, if you’re into this kind of thing.
Yes, it’s the first time in a decade without at least one Rays pitching prospect on the preseason list. Blake Snell and Brent Honeywell Jr. were on in 2016, then Honeywell and José De León in ’17. Brendan McKay joined Honeywell from ’18-20, Matthew Liberatore cracked the ‘19 preseason list, and Shane Baz was on there from ‘20 until he graduated. Shane McClanahan debuted on the ’21 preseason list, and Taj Bradley held down a spot entering ’22 and ’23.
Now, obviously, prospect rankings aren’t the end-all, be-all. Those Top 100 pitchers didn’t all work out. There’s a wide range of outcomes just in that small sample. Snell has won two Cy Young Awards. McClanahan quickly earned two All-Star nods. Honeywell and McKay were stalled by injuries. Liberatore begot Randy Arozarena. Baz and Bradley are just getting started.
This may not even matter for the Rays this season, either. They can roll out a rotation with Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot and Bradley. Baz is back, albeit with a limited workload. Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen should join the group later in the season. They have some depth in Naoyuki Uwasawa and lefty Jacob Lopez, among others. McClanahan will return in 2025.
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