ST. PETERSBURG – The Dominican Wander Franco has already arrived. On Tuesday night, the best prospect in all of baseball became a major league player with an impressive debut in which he put all his tools on display. It was a sight to be savored by a player who notified the baseball world that everything said about him is real.
When you see Franco in action in his early 20s, it’s almost impossible not to think ahead. Now that the Rays have brought their best minor league prospect to the Big Top, what’s next for the best farm in all of baseball?
First, don’t lose sight of the talent already on the Rays’ roster. They are still practically – except for the loss of ace Tyler Glasnow – the same group that until the end of May had the best record in the majors. Tampa Bay continues to rely on those players – the core of last season’s American League champions – and there is no rush to make a lot of changes to the clubhouse.
But the Rays always work with one eye on the future. And that future looks bright given the number of top-tier prospects already playing well at the top level of the minor leagues.
“Not just for this season, but beyond, we have to have those waves of talent coming up our system and coming in to be impact players on our Major League team,” Rays general manager Erik Neander said. “And we believe that not only for this year, but for the future, we are well positioned with our system, certainly in Triple-A, but even lower, to continue to have players who reach the Major Leagues and help us win games. here”.
The strength of the Rays program is not just in its future stars, but in its depth, with potential impact players at every level. The Triple-A Durham roster referred to by Neander is particularly full of good players, even after the promotion of a pair of shortstops, Taylor Walls and Franco.
Remember Drew Rasmussen, the reliever who recently came up, threw fire for two innings and returned to Durham to open up the roster for Franco? He’ll be back – he would likely be a figure in the bullpen of several teams – and he won’t be the only one.
Even after Franco’s promotion, the Bulls have seven of the Rays’ top 30 prospects on their active roster. They also have Colombian right-hander Luis Patiño, the club’s second-best prospect when the season began, in the rotation.
Part of the pack of players the Rays received for Blake Snell, Patiño appears to be the one most likely to make the biggest impact this season. He was already part of the team at the beginning of the year, with a 3.60 ERA with 19 strikeouts and four walks in 15 innings spread over five games, thus graduating from official prospect status.
Patino is preparing his arm to open at Durham and has worked 15 scoreless innings between his last three starts, including 5.0 innings Friday in which he set a career-high by striking out 11 batters. He’ll be back in the big team at some point, and with his electrifying arsenal, he could play a big role in a rotation that is trying to make up for Glasnow’s absence.
Let’s look at some of the prospects that could be part of the Rays’ next litter.
The prospective position players on the 40-year roster
Vidal Bruján, the Rays’ No. 2 prospect, is the definition of a dynamic player. The 23-year-old switch-hitter has long been at the top of the order, is explosively fast and has shown surprising power to start the season. He can play six positions on defense. He does a number of things well and his versatility – presuming he improves his game in the outfield – should allow him to solve any need that arises in the majors.
Ranger Josh Lowe (No. 10) is emerging in Durham, hitting .299 / .367 / .578 with nine homers and nine stolen bases in 166 plate appearances. He still strikes out quite a bit, but he has found a more balanced plan of attack at the plate that hasn’t affected his natural power. Lowe’s path is blocked right now by overcrowded outfields – Kevin Kiermaier, Randy Arozarena, Manuel Margot, Austin Meadows and Brett Phillips – but like Bruján, Lowe will be ready if his services are needed.
Kevin Padlo (No. 21) had a hit and struck out eight times in nine games for the Rays when he was promoted earlier this season. Padlo is a capable option for some of the infield corners, though he’s hitting just .210 with a .699 OPS for Durham this year.
Pitching prospects on the 40 roster
The Rays have already raised right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr., their 17th-best prospect and who made his MLB debut on April 11. At Triple-A, he has a 1.65 ERA. He could help out in the bullpen if need be.
Left-hander Brendan McKay, the Rays’ third-best prospect, started the season as a hitter in Durham, but is now pitching again after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder last August. The southpaw has already thrown in extended practice games, but he probably has to test his arm against better hitters in the minors to show he’s ready.
Right-hander Drew Strotman (No. 18) is farthest from the majors. This year in Class-A he has 43 strikeouts in 39.1 innings, but also a high walk rate (5.03 per nine innings) and a 4.58 ERA in nine starts, including eight starts.
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