Tampa Bay Rays Top Minor League Performers

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Not only is Brent Honeywell one of the Tampa Bay Rays top prospects, but he is also one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. He may well get a chance to make his debut later this year.

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He opened the season with the Montgomery Biscuits, and utterly dominated the Southern League. After striking out 20 of the 46 batters he faced over his two outings, Honeywell was promoted to Durham. There, he has had his struggles, but the strikeouts have continued to pile up.

Overall for the year, Honeywell has an 8-7 record with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.316 WHiP. However, in his 81.1 innings, Honeywell has struck out 103 batters while issuing only 22 walks. Even though he has allowed 85 hits, 81 of which have come at AAA, Honeywell has still been able to overpower the opposition in the International League with his mid 90s fastball and solid changeup and screwball.

Right now, the biggest issue that Honeywell may be having is with his command. While that may be an odd statement considering he has walked only 2.4 batters per nine, opponents know that he will be around the plate. As Honeywell does not yet have that one truly dominant pitch, his tendency to be around the zone that much could lead to a few rough outings.

Next: Blake Snell returning to the rotation

Brent Honeywell is one of the top pitching prospects in the game. With a bit more refinement, he could be ready for the majors this season.