The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple minor league levels, each containing plenty of impactful prospects which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up-to-date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
The Tampa Bay Rays have long been the gold standard of player development in the American League East. With fewer resources and poor attendance, the Rays had to get creative and utilize their system in ways that other teams in the division didn’t have to. Even as the team became successful, their farm system remained strong and is still among the best in all of baseball. Here are the Rays top prospects!
Notable Prospect Promotions and News
- It felt like Rays’ shortstop prospect Carson Williams was in the Minors forever. Still, in reality, the 22-year-old has only played one season in AAA before his promotion to the Majors on August 22nd. Before his call-up, Williams struggled mightily in Durham, slashing .213/.318/.447, although he did have 23 homers and 22 steals. The problem for Williams has always been contact and consistently finding the barrel. Throughout his career, Williams has consistently produced power and speed, but it has come with strikeout rates well over 30%, including a 34.1% rate this season. Those struggles have carried over to the Majors, where Williams has already struck out 12 times in 30 at-bats and is running a contact rate of 67.2%. On the flip side, Williams is a terrific defender and is flashing the leather at the highest level. Like Jones, there will be plenty of hot streaks throughout his career, but there will also be many lows and prolonged slumps unless the contact improves.
- Bob Seymour has arguably been the top prospect bat for the Rays this season. The 26-year-old had 30 HRs, 87 RBIs, and 70 runs scored at Triple-A before his MLB debut on August 15th. In fact, Seymour has mashed at every level over the past two seasons. In 2024, he hit 28 homers and drove in 95 runs across two levels, but like most sluggers, he struggled to avoid the swing-and-miss. Since joining the Rays, Seymour has seven hits, including a home run, in his first ten games, posting an OPS of .536. Seymour was playing every day following his promotion, but has since taken on a bench role and has just two starts over the past ten days.
Notable Prospect Performances
- The Rays knew what they were doing when they acquired RHP Brody Hopkins from the Mariners as part of the Randy Arozarena deal. Hopkins has been outstanding since joining the organization, pitching to a 2.94 ERA over 137 1/3 innings. In that span, Hopkins has a 34.8% strikeout rate, although he’s had bouts of wildness and struggles with control. Everything came together for the 23-year-old in August. Hopkins posted an ERA below 1.00, allowing just two earned runs with 28 strikeouts in 21 innings (4 starts). Opposing hitters had a .147 average against. His best start came on August 1st against Columbia. Hopkins went seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, while striking out ten, recording the second double-digit strikeout game of his career (July 2024). He’s now ascended to the top-ranked pitcher and #3 overall prospect for the Rays.
- Do not adjust your screens, you are reading this correctly. And yes, this is the same Forrest Whitley who was once the #1 overall prospect in the game and a former first-round pick of the Astros. The Rays took a flier on the once highly-regarded prospect, acquiring him from Houston in July. Thus far, the voodoo magic in Tampa has rubbed off on Whitley, at least in the Minors. He’s made nine starts at Triple-A Durham, producing a 2.38 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. Perhaps most importantly, his walk rate is below 9% for the first time in a very long time. Command and control, plus a rash of injuries, have always been the most significant obstacles holding Whitley back. The Rays could right the ship, and we can get one more look for the 27-year-old in the Majors as a true post-hype breakout.
Brody Hopkins has been almost unhittable this month for Double-A @BiscuitBaseball.
5 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 3 BB | 8 K@RaysBaseball's No. 3 prospect has held opponents to a .170 average-against over four August starts. pic.twitter.com/H3N7A53WVL
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 28, 2025
