2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 22

Rebecca French

2 months ago

Last winners

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 commitment led to a 9% spike in his strikeout rate in 2025, and his power stroke faltered after facing harder velocity in High-A, causing both his batting and power ratings to drop into the 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.

rank	player	Location	Number of votes	all	percentage	last season
1	Carson Williams	SS	14	25	56%	1
2	Brody Hopkins	Right HP	No. 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 Frater	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
12	Xavier Isaac	1B	9	28	32%	3
13	Caden Bodine	C	10	25	40%	not applicable
14	Brendan Summerhill	of	11	27	41%	not applicable
15	Slater Debrun	of	10	25	40%	not applicable
16	Nathan Flewelling	C	8	26	31%	not applicable
No. 17	Trevor Harrison	Right HP	9	26	35%	10
18	Jose Urbina	Right HP	13	26	50%	25
No. 19	Trey Morgan	1B/low frequency	15	25	60%	4
20	Jackson Baumeister	Right HP	12	27	44%	12
twenty one	Aidan Smith	of	No. 17	29	59%	6

Smith was only considered in the voting above the player he was tied with last week – arresting George W. Bush’s free fall before he could move further up the rankings. Ranking higher? not sure. Add Gil Hill!

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candidate

Fabricio Blanco, SS
17 | 17 SR | 5’11” | 161

The Venezuelan, a bat-first center infielder, was an elite prospect in the international signing process, and some considered him to be the Rays’ best signee this offseason, even though he only received a $1 million bonus. He can make quick plays from both sides of the glass, but in the long run he may settle into swinging right-handed and with quick hands. He has the ability and instinct to stick to the short term, a high-IQ attitude and a tenacious demeanor.

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

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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.

Cooper Fleming, SS
19 | 19 left/right | 6’3” | 190

Fleming was one of the best high school bats in the 2025 draft class, but he unexpectedly fell into the Rays’ fold in the second round. His swing is too quiet and lacks the power needed to hit the ball, but he makes up for it with a historically high contact rate, and if his defenses are expected to hold up, he’ll be rated as first-round material. The Rays persuaded him to give up his education at Vanderbilt University by exceeding the terms ($2.3 million in Comp-A funds).

Gary Gil Hill, RHP
21 | 21 6’2” | 160
A+ | 3.82 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 136.2 IP (25 GS), 18.8% K, 5.3% BB

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Gill Hill is a ground ball player who brought glory to the Rays’ scouting department when he was taken in the sixth round in 2022. He improved his arm position in 2024 with great success, but got off to a rocky start in 2025, which muddied his statistics even more. Overall, GGH has the body and looks to be a major league starter, especially thanks to a high-90s fastball and control, but will need to find a long-term solution for his backhand as he climbs the ladder. Therefore, he will serve as a reliever until he finds a third pitch in his arsenal.

The good news: The 2023 $3.7 million signing is out of a complicated league in his final season as a teenager. The bad news: He was injured again, with hamstring and knee injuries limiting him to 51 games for Charleston. The Rays tried to make up for lost time with an aggressive attack in the AFL, resulting in just two hits in 29 games. He makes a loud impact with a quick, quiet swing and preloads it by reaching back for more power. He seems to make his swing decisions early, resulting in some extra impact on anything stalling, but that could easily be fixed with some consistent playing time.

Dom Keegan, C
25 | 25 close/close | 6’0” | 210
AAA | .241/.306/.429 (89 wRC+) 297 PA, 10 HR, 0 SB, 8.1% BB, 30.6% K

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Keegan is at an inflection point in his minor league career, joining the 40-man roster as the third catcher, but overall, the jury is still out. At Vanderbilt, the Rays trusted him more at first base than the back end, so he kept him behind the ball, but reports suggested his defense was still below average and an elbow injury in the spring of 2025 derailed his season, especially with his bat speed. While his lack of improvement on the fringes of his game has some evaluators questioning his once-certain major league projections, he’ll be on the radar for the long haul in spring training, where his ability to punish zone errors could flourish.

The Cuban power bat made his major league debut with Miami last year after recovering from a spring hamstring injury and was traded to the Rays in February. He’s positioned as the fourth outfielder, but there’s an option left, so the organization may send him to regular duty and give him one last chance to develop. If not, he’s a defensively capable center fielder, which helps a lot in platooning. Running for the best in baseball.

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Acquired in the Shane Baz trade, Irvin was once a draft favorite after committing to baseball instead of football at USC, but surprisingly struggled as a draft-eligible sophomore. But that didn’t stop Baltimore from drafting him in the third round (97th overall) in 2024. Now a pro, Irving completely revamped his swing in the first half of 2025 and earned an early promotion to Double-A for his efforts, where he didn’t look defeated. His biggest threat is his speed, which improves his base, and he can easily project to the major league bullpen thanks to the added defensive instincts (the BA gave him a 70 for his run game and field tools). His offensive prowess benefits from his ability to count, but evaluators would like to see him punish fastballs more often so he can be considered a regular.

Taylor entered 2025 as a top-100 prospect after destroying High-A (154 wRC+) and became an afterthought on prospect lists in 2025, though he was drafted as a “fall star” in the Arizona Fall League in between, where he struggled to keep his chase rate low and his slugging rate high. The Rays chose to invite Taylor to major league spring training this year, so the juice must be worth it.

Victor Valdez, SS
17 | 17 close/close | 6’1” | 186

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A nice swing and a low strike rate earned Valdez a big payday this winter – $3.5 million – and his power projection is as good as you can reasonably ask for from a youth bat, with Baseball America giving him a 25-plus home run projection, and Baseball America praising his blazing foot speed, bat speed and zone control. According to reports, his lateral movement ability on defense continues to improve, with smooth movements and strong arms. If all goes well, it’s the middle-order bat on the left side of the infield. Upon signing, the Rays traded him to Francisco Lindor. It will be interesting to see if his first pro season solidifies the five-tool profile.

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