Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospects To Know
Tampa Bay Rays top prospects to know for the 2025 season.
You are reading the free version of the Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospects. In this version, you will get the full writeups on the top prospect in the system, the biggest sleeper, and a player I could see breaking out in 2025.
In this edition, you will see what I offer in the full team reports. For every farm system, you will get my top 50 ranked players and detailed reports on the top 30. Each report includes advanced player data, traditional scouting thoughts from live and video looks, plus thoughts from scouts around the league.
Let’s dive in on what you get in the full report!
Glossary:
FFG = Future Fantasy Grade - essentially, what is the likely long-term outcome for the prospect? This is always going to be more conservative. Handing out ace tags is not something I like to do. So, this is a realistic outcome.
90th Peak = If the player hits their best-case outcome, what does it look like?
Variance = How risky is this player’s profile, and how likely are they to hit their likely outcome? Low variance is good; high means more risky.
Format for report: Name/Position/Age on 2025 Opening Day/Height/Weight/Highest Level
Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospect
1. Carson Williams, SS, 21, 6’2”/180, AA
Williams is a glove-first shortstop who oozes athleticism and tools across the board. The former first-round pick in 2021 has made improvements over the last several years and seems close to putting it all together at the plate. After being a two-way player who was committed to California University, the Rays handed him a $2.3 million bonus, and Williams has developed nicely as a shortstop.
Being relatively consistent in surface-level performance for three straight seasons, Williams hit 20 home runs and stole 33 bases in Double-A in 2024. The slash line of .256/.352/.469 was strong, but Williams did strike out 28.5 percent of the time. The wRC+ of 142 was pretty impressive for a hitter who spent half the season as a 20-year-old in the most pitcher-friendly league in baseball.
The bat speed comes easy as Williams easily whips the bat through the zone, and his swing creates natural loft. The exit velocity data is plus or better, even by MLB standards. Despite the contact concerns, Williams should be a consistent 25-home run threat in the majors.
After the first month and a half of the season, it seemed like Williams was making progress in the contact department. But it was not long before the numbers dipped. He finished the year with a 68 percent overall contact rate, similar to past seasons. The contact skills are hampered by his struggles against breaking balls. Williams mashes fastballs and becomes very susceptible to swing and miss against breaking ball, even in the zone.
The approach is sound as Williams does not chase out of the zone often and has shown a propensity to walk, running a nearly 12 percent walk rate as a professional.
Speed is also a big part of his game, and it also translates on the base paths, showing the ability to steal efficiently. The speed plays well at shortstop, too, as Wiliams is as smooth as they come from a glove perspective. Some scouts have given Williams a 70-grade glove, and he easily has a 70-grade arm.
There is a lot of upside to dream of, but Williams will have to make consistent contact against breaking balls to reach his full potential at the plate. It is as toolsy of a profile as they come, and Williams has the skills to be a fun MLB player. If the hit tool comes along ever so slightly, it is an actual five-category producer.
FFG: Power/Speed SS
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .260/.350/25 HR/25 SB
Variance: High
Buy/Sell: Buy
Tampa Bay Rays Sleeper Prospect
19. Jose Urbina, RHP, 19, 6’3”/180, A
Signing with the Rays in 2023 from Venezuela, Urbina Looked respectable at the complex, considering he was still 17 years old in 2023. Urbina returned to the complex in 2024, where he pitched 48 innings before heading off to Single-A Charleston, where he was one of the younger players in the Carolinas League.
The velocity has fluctuated throughout his young career, but Urbina has shown flashes where he will sit 94-96 and top out at 98 mph. With a tall projectable frame, Urbina still has plenty of room to fill out and consistently sit in the mid-90s.
Urbina spins his slider well, sitting in the mid-80s, and it shows flashes of being a plus pitch. The curveball sits in the upper-70s with good depth and sweep and sometimes blends into the slider. Urbina’s changeup is presently below average, but a developing pitch, sitting in the upper-80s.
Throwing strikes at a respectable rate for his age, Urbina walked just six percent of batters once he moved to Single-A Charleston. The upside is here for Urbina to take a big step forward in 2025. He likely starts the year in Charleston and spends most, if not all, of the upcoming season there.
FFG: SP5/RP
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 120 IP/4.10 ERA/130 K
Variance: Extreme
Buy/Sell: Buy in Deep Leagues
Tampa Bay Rays 2025 Breakout Prospect
13. Ty Johnson, RHP, 23, 6’6”/205, A+
Johnson was traded to Tampa as part of the Isaac Paredes deal. The 2023 15th-round pick out of Ball State blossomed throughout the year and was even better after being traded to Tampa. I saw him pitch with Myrtle Beach in the second week of the season, and honestly, it was not good. I deleted the film I had of him and went on.
But as Johnson began to dominate, it was evident I had just seen a bad start. I watched him pitch again in early August with Bowling Green, and it was impressive. In 84 innings, Johnson posted a 2.79 ERA with 120 strikeouts and 26 walks. After being traded to the Rays org, Johnson posted a 0.78 ERA with a 46 percent strikeout rate in 23 innings.
The Rays lowered Johnson’s release height on his entire arsenal. The fastball sits 95-97 with the fastball, which is up from what it has averaged early in the year. The former 15th-rounder out of Ball State has a pretty low release height, considering his 6’6” frame. The amount of ride he creates on the fastball is average in a general sense at 15.5 inches, but considering release height, it is above average. The pitch consistently gets over ten inches of arm-side run, and he lands it in the zone quite often. The more impressive thing is the amount of in-zone whiff the fastball generates. He also began to throw a two-seamer much more often with the Rays.
The slider was his most used secondary, sitting in the 84-87 mph range with a nice two-plane break. He mixes in an 83 mph changeup but does not throw it often. Johnson’s long-term development as a starter probably hinges on the ability to continue to develop that changeup.
Johnson has a strong arm and a lot of bat-missing ability. His strike-throwing has been better than expected from a 6’6” frame with a funk release. Finishing the season with a 65.5 percent strike rate and a 19.2 percent swinging strike rate are highly impressive numbers. If Johnson can work deeper into starts more consistently in 2025, his stock will soar.
FFG: SP5/Elite Swing-Man
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 130 IP/3.50 ERA/150 K
Variance: Very High
Buy/Sell: Buy