Tampa Bay Rays: Where all Top-30 prospects will start the season

The Tampa Bay Rays released the Opening Day rosters for each of its affiliates. Take a look at where each of the Rays Top-30 prospects will begin the season:

The Tampa Bay Rays enter the season with the #2 farm system in all of baseball. A typically conservative organization when it come to promoting their players showed a little aggression with their most recent assignments over the past 2 seasons. So far, they have released the rosters for 4 of their affiliates:

Take a look at Baseball America’s ranking of the Rays Top-30 prospects and where they will begin the season in 2019:

#1: Wander Franco, SS, A

#2: Brent Honeywell Jr., RHP, AAA

#3: Brendan McKay, LHP/DH, AA

#4: Ronaldo Hernandez, C, HiA

#5: Matthew Liberatore, LHP, R-LoA

#6: Jesus Sanchez, OF, AA

#7: Vidal Brujan, 2B, HiA

#8: Brandon Lowe, U, MLB

#9: Nate Lowe, 1B, AAA

#10: Moises Gomez, OF, HiA

#11: Shane Baz, RHP, R

#12: Shane McClanahan, LHP, A

#13: Nick Solak, 2B, AAA

#14: Nick Schnell, OF, R-LoA

#15: Tanner Dodson, RHP/OF, HiA

#16: Josh Lowe, OF, AA

#17: Ian Gibaut, LHP, AAA

#18: Andrew Velasquez, U, AAA

#19: Colin Poche, LHP, AAA

#20: Anthony Banda, Injured List, MLB

#21: Taylor Walls, U, A-HiA

#22: Lucius Fox, SS, AA

#23: Tyler Frank, SS, HiA

#24: Joe McCarthy, OF, AAA

#25: Austin Franklin, Injured List, A

#26: David Mercado, RHP, R

#27: Drew Strotman, Injured list, A

#28: Jose De Leon, Injured List, MLB

#29: Matt Krook, LHP, AA

#30: Resly Linares, LHP, HiA

• Best guess as of now

Breakdown by roster based on players that have been assigned to this point (25):

MLB Tampa Bay Rays:

• 3 Top-30 prospects
• Brandon Lowe, who signed a 6 year/24M extension this spring, is the only active prospect playing in Tampa Bay Rays as Jose De Leon and Anthony Banda are recovering from TJ Surgery.

AAA Durham Bulls:

• 7 Top-30 prospects
• An absolutely stacked roster that includes a pair of Top-10 prospects

AA Montgomery Biscuits:

• 5 Top-30 prospects
• Jesus Sanchez returns to Montgomery where he struggled after a late season promotion. He will be joined by Brendan McKay, on of the most exciting prospects in all of baseball.

HiA Charlotte Stone Crabs:

• 6 Top-30 prospects
• A ton of players to watch in 2019 including Moises Gomes and Really Linares. With a strong start, Wander Franco could make a jump to Charlotte as well.

A Bowling Green Hot Rods:

• 4 Top-30 prospects
• For now, Bowling Green will play home to the prospect phenom, Wander Franco and 2018 first round draft pick, Shane McClanahan.

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As the other short season season rosters are revealed, I will update the list above.