2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 12

Table of Contents

Last winners

Anderson Brito, RHP
21 | 21 5’10” | 155
A+ (Back) | 3.28 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 49.1 IP (12 GS), 31.1% K, 13.4% BB

Australian Rugby League | 11.1 IP, 6 H, 7 BB, 22 K

Acquired in the Brandon Lowe trade, Brito has three-plus pitches with a fastball that can reach 100 yards through the cutter and a mid-80s curveball with two breaks, surprising depth, and he works best with a mid-80s slider. He also mixes a developing low-90s cutter and a scattered but interesting mid-80s changeup with strong speed and movement separation, and his smaller frame helps limit hard contact, adding some deception. The concern is control, as he has a below-average A-ball rate in 2024-25 and lacks consistent feel off his slider, which currently has him viewed as a slightly wild high-leverage reliever. Still, he has the upside as a mid-rotation starter with multiple pitches, improved durability, and meaningful command gains, making him potentially the broadest outcome on this list. Baseball Prospectus describes him as having “the stuff of Shohei Ohtani and the body of Johnny Cueto.”

rank

player

Location

Number of votes

all

percentage

last season

1

Carson Williams

SS

14

25

56%

1

2

Brody Hopkins

Right HP

19

25

76%

8

3

Jacob Melton

of

14

28

50%

not applicable

4

Theo Gillen

of

14

26

54%

13

5

Ty Johnson

Right HP

12

25

48%

15

6

Daniel Pierce

SS

13

twenty three

57%

not applicable

7

Jader Arenamo

nuclear factor

15

28

54%

not applicable

8

TJ Nichols

Right HP

13

28

46%

does not exist / does not exist

9

Michael Foret

Right HP

8

33

twenty four%

not applicable

10

Santiago Suarez

Right HP

11

30

37%

16

11

Anderson Brito

Right HP

7

28

25%

not applicable

Brito is arguably a top-5 prospect based on content, but due to the variety of projections, he ranks No. 11 on our list. It was a very close vote, with four candidates receiving at least 5 votes. Brito narrowly beat out the X-man, who had just earned a spring training invitation, by one vote, and who had already received the first-place vote in our poll.

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Testers recommended Chandler Simpson for this upcoming round, but he’s over the rookie limit for the 2025 season and I’m thankful I don’t have to write up his profile this year. Simpson may be the fastest guy in baseball, but his bat completely disappears at the AAA/MLB level. Projection is difficult! Instead, we’ll add Aidan Smith.

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candidate

Caden Bodine, C
22 | 22 SR | 5’10” | 200
A (Barr) | .326/.408/.349 (133 wRC+) 49 PA, 0 HR, 0 SB, 5 BB, 8 K

Bodine was drafted 30th overall in the 2025 draft and was acquired in the Shane Baz trade. With his 60-grade hitting skills and ability to block and catch with ease behind the plate, he’s considered a relatively safe prospect. There were concerns that his smaller stature limited his edge power, but those concerns were offset by solid rebounding discipline on both sides of the plate. His sweeter swing is left-handed. All catching prospects will see their value proposition change as they challenge the system, but his defensive behavior, leadership and catching give him real value and make him a solid contributor in the major leagues.

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Slater de Brun
18 | 18 Pickup/Pickup | 5’10” | 187

DeBrun was selected 37th overall in 2025 via the Rays’ trade of picks, essentially reacquired in the Sean Baz trade. Like many of the Rays’ outfield prospects, he’s not expected to develop much power, but will make up for it with the ability to hit all fields, with the benefit of years of development. His batting average improved due to a quick, compact swing, while his double speed improved his baserunning and range to center field; he has a solid arm that can stick around for the long haul. The key to his development is improving pitch selection to maximize his power potential. Despite yet to play a professional game, there’s a good chance he’ll skip the complicated league and make his debut for Charleston this season.

Bush Homer
24 | close/close | 6’3” | 215
AA | .301/.375/.360 (122 wRC+) 546 PA, 0 HR, 57 SB, 8.8% BB, 17.9% K

The Double-A starting center fielder, acquired in the 2024 Jason Adam trade, passed the test of senior pitching, but just barely. He lacks power in his game due to a lack of use of his lower body in the swing, and he’s finding long-term success more often than you would with a low-power approach. His calling cards are Rays defense and blazing speed, especially after grabbing 57 sacks in back-to-back seasons.

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Nathan Flewelling, center
19 | 19 left/right | 6’2” | 200
A | .229/.393/.336 (126 wRC+) 439 PA, 6 HR, 9 SB, 20.3% BB, 27.6% K
A+ | 22 PA, 4 H, 5 BB, 6 K

The 94th overall pick in the 2024 class, Flewelling made his debut at age 18 and played a full season (75 C, 26 DH), plus five games of coffee (3 C, 2 DH). In the long run, he can grow to level 50-60 strength and level 50 defense, making him a follower. His superior zone awareness at the plate offsets his lagging contact, and most importantly, his ability to call plays and pitches is already a plus for the position. With his performance with a High-A bat, he could crack the top 100.

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Trevor Harrison, RHP
20 | 6’4” | 225
A | 2.61 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 82.2 IP (17 GS), 22.4% K, 10.7% BB
A+ | 3.33 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 24.1 IP (5 GS), 23.8% K, 12.4% BB

Harrison became a top pitcher in the MLB system thanks to his stellar pitching and high heat. He hit some bumps in the road as he increased his pitch count against hitters, but he still managed over 100 innings in 22 starts. A power pitcher through and through, his hard slider flirts with the cutter classification and could evolve into two different pitches in the future. It will be interesting to see how his changes play out when he faces challenges at the next level, but for now he has the upside of quality stuff and a rotation anchor. (video)

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Xavier Isaac, 1B
22 | 22 Pickup/Pickup | 6’3” | 240
AA | .201/.366/.446 (144 wRC+) 175 PA, 9 HR, 1 SB, 19.4% BB, 29.7% K

Isaac’s season was cut short in large part by the discovery of a brain tumor, which derailed an otherwise promising start to the season, and despite some minor arm injuries, he was able to repeat that run at Double-A as a 20-year-old. He has the best power projection in the system, and if he can hold his own throughout the 2026 season — especially against lefties, which is a bit concerning — the former first-round pick (No. 29 overall in 2021) could see his status restored to the top of the Rays’ prospect rankings.

Trey Morgan, 1B/LF
23 | 23 Pickup/Pickup | 6’0” | 215
AAA | .274/.398/.412 (119 wRC+) 402 PA, 8 HR, 8 SB, 15.9% BB, 19.2% K

Morgan continues to hit without power in 2025, much to the dismay of some evaluators, but his current 50-grade hitting tool and feel for the zone allow for major league projections. In 2025, he continues with an improved, quieter two-strike approach that built on the AFL’s successful swing revamp last year. The Rays gave Morgan 14 starts in left field last season, and Baseball America called his defense “playable,” but his value is tied to his defensive prowess in Game 1.

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Aidan Smith, OF
21 | 21 close/close | 6’2” | 190
A+ | .237/.331/.388 (114 wRC+) 459 PA, 14 HR, 41 SB, 11.5% BB, 31.2% K

Smith, acquired in the Arozarena trade, became the prince of promise, a five-tool athlete with a powerful bat, a pretty face and a center field glove. That promise was somewhat fulfilled in 2025, as his strikeout rate jumped 9% and his power stroke faltered after facing harder velocity in High-A, causing his batting and power ratings to drop into the mid-40s. It’s a complete transformation into a “center,” but it’s not a compliment when it comes to his ceiling. He played with fire, but the drop in contact rate left some evaluators feeling burned.

Brendan Summerhill
22 | 22 L/R | 6’3” | 200
A | .333/.429/.444 (160 wRC+) 42 PA, 0 HR, 5 SB, 6 BB, 5 K

After an All-Star performance in the Cape Cod Summer League, Summerhill showed off one of the best hitting skills in the NCAA as a junior at Arizona. His draft stock took a slight hit due to injury (fractured hand from hitting a cooler) and he ended up being selected 42nd overall, but Summerhill rebounded strongly with a game in Charleston to end the year. Summerhill has excellent barrel control that allows for high contact distance on long swings. He also has great pace, which provides the opportunity to stay in the centre. Evaluators would like to see more features to complete the five tool profiles. Even if that power doesn’t materialize, that’s a projection for an above-average contributor.

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Jose Urbina, RHP
20 | 6’3” | 180
A | 2.05 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 92.1 IP (19 GS), 26.4% K, 8.2% BB
A+ | 2 Emergency Room (2 hours), 4.0 IP (1 GS), 5K, 0BB

Good pitchers continue to grow and adjust, and Urbina has done that consistently at his level and at a young age. Physically, he’s grown in power, with a 96 grade on his fastball after a high-octane burst in 2024, and technically, he’s grown, too, refining his slider and two-flat curveball into complementary pitches — lacking extra command but pitching with feel. At 19, he took on the starting workload and earned an additional start in High-A, where he allowed two solo hits and struck out five. Overall, age, body, and body of work put him on track to be on the top prospect list in the near future.

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