MVN - Most Valuable Network

Top 10 Prospects: Tampa Bay Devil Rays

One by one I plan on taking a look at all 30 Major League Baseball teams and ranking their top ten prospects in order (click here to see others so far). As always let me know if you agree or disagree with any of my rankings.

1.) Delmon Young, OF
Young will spend his first full year in the majors in 2007. He missed a lot of 2006 in AAA Durham (only played in 86 games) due to his suspension for throwing a bat at an umpire, but still put up .316/.341/.474 numbers and .317/.336/.476 in 30 games with the Devil Rays. Young has both the ability to hit for power and average with pretty good defense. The only thing that will stop this youngster from being a star is his bad temper and lack of patience.

2.) Evan Longoria, 3B
Longoria has a little above average power but is great at getting on base. In A ball he posted .327/.402/.618 and .267/.266/.486 in AA ball. The slugger also posted 18 home runs in just a half season after being drafted. Has a solid glove at third base and is a key to the future of the Devil Rays.

3.) Reid Brignac, SS
Brignac would be a lot higher on this list but his less than impressive defense at a defensive position hurts him. This is in part due to the fact that he is a bit on the large side for a middle infielder. He has shown he is a very good hitter in high A ball last season with .326/.382/.557, 21 HRS and 83 RBI in 100 games and has proven to be one of the top offensive shortstops in the minors. If he can get better in the field he will shoot up the list going into 2008.

4.) Jeff Niemann, RHP
Niemann has recovered well from a shoulder injury and demonstrated it with a 2.68 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in half a season of AA ball. He has a tall 6’9” frame which helps with his solid fastball and excellent knuckle curve. Looks to be a great fit behind Kazmir as the number two man in the Rays future rotation.

5.) Elijah Dukes, OF
Dukes’ incredible strength and speed are sometimes overshadowed by his disciplinary problems which have become an all to common problem for many Devil Rays’ prospects. Dukes has all the skills to be a great player but needs to grow up a little and realize what a great opportunity he has before him.

6.) Jacob McGee, LHP
McGee is a very physical lefty who can get his fastball upwards of 95 mph with excellent movement. Also is very good at changing speeds which makes his fastball all the more dominant. McGee will make a very nice number three starter behind Kazmir and Niemann in the coming years which will help make the Rays staff very strong in the AL East.

7.) Wade Davis, RHP
Davis has a great big-league build and has a solid presence on the mound. He has a hard fastball (94 mph) and a newly honed in curveball. Davis does need to work on his delivery and its consistency as he tends to alter it a bit as the game wears on. This mechanics help will also help in his wavering command which can cause him trouble at times.

8.) Jeremy Hellickson, RHP
Hellickson tends to slip down many people’s lists due to his small stature. This doesn’t stop the young righty from possessing excellent arm speed and action which provides his pitches with a sharp motion. Its difficult to pinpoint his career path, but he may be best suited for the bullpen.

9.) Matt Walker, RHP
Walker has a fastball (89-96 mph) with great movement and a powerful overhand curveball (the best in the system) with a sharp break. While he does have these two strong pitches, he still needs to work on his mechanics and approach to the game. He tends to try to overpower hitters too much which leads to him overthrowing the ball and losing his command. More work in the minors should hopefully helps this and help him gain a solid third pitch.

10.) Joel Guzman, 1B/3B/OF
Guzman has the potential to put up solid power numbers when you combine his lethal bat speed and his natural strength. Guzman lacks the ability to make solid and consistent contact which could end up holding him back. Defensively he can play first, third, or the outfield but will most likely end up being parked over at first base due to the extreme depth the Rays have at third and in the outfield.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 14th, 2007 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Top 10, Whipps' Archives, Tampa Bay Devil Rays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.