Tampa Bay Rays 2016 Top 10 Prospects: Where Are They Now?

We look back five years at the Tampa Bay Rays’ top ten prospects of the 2016 season and where they are now.

We’ll be using the MLB Pipeline’s rankings from the end of 2016 for our check-in to see how the Tampa Bay Rays‘ top 10 prospects are doing now. We start with the man who finished 2016 as the Rays’ 10th best prospect.

10. Casey Gillaspie

Casey Gillaspie was a first-round draft pick in 2014. The 6’4” 240-pound first baseman was selected with Tampa Bay’s 20th overall pick and found himself ranked as their eighth-best prospect heading into the next season.

Gillaspie projected as a powerful, switch-hitting first bagger. He projected as 20+ homer threat with quality defense at first. He moved very well around the bag for a guy that could be a pro-wrestler.

Baseball Prospectus set his major league ETA as 2017.

In 2015 at Low A-Bowling Green, Gillaspie lived up the standard he set in college when he finished the 2014 season at Wichita State with a .394/.524/.692. He smashed 16 homers in just 234 at-bats in Bowling Green that season. Gillaspie slashed .278/.358/.530.

He was promoted all the way to AAA-Durham the following season where he slashed .307/.389/.520. Casey Gillaspie’s stock was on the rise.

As you would imagine, Gillaspie found himself in Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list prior to the 2017 season.

Gillaspie was traded by the Rays midway through the following season. 2017 was a disaster for Casey Gillaspie in Durham. He slashed .227/.296/.357 before breaking his toe. His success from the previous season still carried enough value that the Rays were able to move him to the Chicago White Sox for lefty reliever, Dan Jennings.

Gillaspie went straight to AAA-Charlotte for the White Sox where he continued to struggle. Gillaspie would only muster a .210 batting average with a .300 on-base.

In 2018, things didn’t get much better. He slashed .220/.285/.325 with only three home runs.

By 2019, the former first-round draft pick found himself in playing for the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.

9. Garrett Whitley

Garrett Whitley was selected in the first round of the 2015 draft by the Rays with the 13th overall pick. He came into professional baseball with blazing speed as his top tool. He had superb range in the outfield and above-average power. He brought the kind of potential you would hope to see from a 13th overall draft pick.

Whitley signed with the Rays straight out of high school. He worked his way up to Bowling Green by 2017 at age 20. He slashed .249/.362/.430 with 18 doubles and 13 homers in just 358 at-bats. His slugging percentage of .430 was .51 points higher than the previous season. The icing on the cake, he stole 21 bases and was only caught four times.

He went on to play winter ball in the Australian Baseball League after the 2017 season and played the ’17-’18 season with the Perth Heat. The heatwave continued for Whitley in Australia as he slashed .265/.384/.503 in 40 games. The arrows were certainly pointing up for the five-tool talent.

Screeching Halt

Whitley entered the 2018 spring still ranked as the ninth-ranked prospect, but his game appeared to all be coming together. Toward the end of the spring, he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder diving for a ball. The momentum he had been building came to a screeching halt.

Whitley was out of the season.

Whitley rehabbed and returned to action in Charlotte last season. Still just 22-years-old, Whitley got back to work. He was perhaps a tad rusty, but as if professional baseball isn’t hard enough, try taking a year off.

His speed was on full display as he ripped 25 doubles, seven triples, and swiped 16 bags. He slashed .226/.339/.412. A real bright-side to his 2019 season, Whitley totaled 42 extra-base hits in just 114 games. He was invited to spring training this season. He is no longer ranked inside of the top 30 prospects, but his skills can change that perception very quickly.

Another Setback in 2020

Just two days prior to this writing, Whitley was struck in the face with a foul ball. Whitley was seated in the dugout when a foul ball rocketed through the entrance of the dugout and hit Whitley square in the face before he could react. According to Rays manager, Kevin Cash, Whitley will miss a significant amount of time with multiple facial fractures.

We wish Garrett Whitley the best in his recovery and hope to see all five of those tools on display in St. Pete in the near future.

7. Chih-Wei Hu

Chih-Wei Hu signed out of Taiwan in August of 2012 by the Minnesota Twins and rocketed through the minor league system. He sported a 2.45 ERA at age 19 in Rookie Ball in 2013. He took his Rookie Ball dominance to a new level in 2014 with a 1.69 ERA through 16 innings. The Twins promoted him up to Class-A where he pitched to a 2.29 ERA in 55.0 innings.

In 2015 it was more of the same from Hu as he posted a 3.22 ERA in 109.0 total innings. He was traded to the Rays along with Alexis Tapia in exchange for Kevin Jepsen on July 31, 2015. He would get one start in AAA-Rochester that season before getting shipped to Tampa Bay.

In 2016, he would begin the season in AA-Mongtomery and continue to do what he does. Hu made 24 starts for the Biscuits and registered a 2.59 ERA in 142.2 innings. He would make one start in Triple-A in 2016 as well. He was selected to the 2016 All-Star Futures game. He was added to the Rays 40-man roster that offseason.

In 2017, he continued to find success, this time in AAA-Durham. He would make his major league debut with the big club on April 24 against the Baltimore Orioles. In 10 major league innings with the Rays, he gave up only three earned runs. At the Triple-A level, he pitched 61.2 innings with the Bulls he had a 3.06 ERA.

What Happened?

In 2018, he would have his worst professional season to that point. He posted a 4.66 ERA in 102.1 innings at AAA-Durham. He would receive 13.0 more major league innings with the Rays in ’18. Following the season the Rays traded him to the Indians. He was released by the Indians on July 30 of last season. He had a brief run with the Cubs and is currently signed to a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres.

It’s hard to believe how quickly things fell apart for Hu. The Rays must have spotted something in that 2018 season because he hasn’t stuck anywhere since then.

6. Jake Faria

Jake Faria was a 10th round draft pick in the 2011 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. Faria was not a highly-touted prospect but he worked hard to prove he belonged in the Major Leagues. He has nine minor league seasons under his belt. Over the course of those nine seasons he posted a 3.26 ERA in 154 games, 697.2 innings pitched, 736 strikeouts, and a 1.16 WHIP.

It took Faria six years before he made his major league debut. He went 6.1 innings against the White Sox and allowed only one earned run and three hits while earning the win. Faria stuck with the Rays and pitched 86.2 innings in his first season. At age 23 in 2017, he went 5-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 14 starts and 16 appearances. He struck out nearly one batter per inning in his rookie season.

To this date, that was his best season. In 2018, he pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 17 games. His strikeout rate plummeted Whatever the issue was, the Rays didn’t like it. His struggles followed him to the minors in 2018 where he posted a 4.60 ERA. He spent most of last season in Triple-A before being traded at the deadline in exchange for Jesus Aguilar.

Bouncing Back

Aguilar was having a terrible season at the time of the trade and would be released by the Rays after the season.  Faria would put together a solid season between Tampa and Milwaukee’s Triple-A teams. He finished with a combined 3.88 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched. His strikeouts bounced back in a big way as he posted 82 strikeouts or 11.0 Ks/9 IP.

5. Josh Lowe

Nate Lowe set the minor leagues on fire with 27 homers and 102 RBI in 2018. Nate isn’t the only one in the Lowe family with a bright future in Tampa Bay. His younger brother, Josh was picked in the first round by the Rays in 2016.

Like his brother, Josh is 6’4″ and weighs 205 pounds. Nate Lowe recently lost 20 pounds this past offseason to bring himself down to around just ten pounds heavier than his brother. The Georgia native hits from the left-hand side like his older brother.

After being drafted 13th overall in 2016, he finished the season at the fifth spot on MLB’s list. Lowe brought speed and solid hitting to the Rays’ system but added the power aspect last season.

Josh Lowe cranked up the power last season in AA-Montgomery with a .442 slugging percentage, 18 homers, 23 doubles, four triples, 30 stolen bases, 70 runs, and 62 RBI.

He had a great showing in the Arizona Fall League, slashing .327/.379/.558 with two homers and four steals.

After the season, Lowe had a procedure done to clean out his shoulder and will be out until late May.

This is disappointing news to the Rays considering the strides the former 13th overall pick made in the 2019 season.

Rays Reach New Lowe

MLB.com currently has Josh Lowe ranked as the Rays’ number nine prospect with a major league ETA of 2021. The day could come in the next couple of years that the Rays have two Lowe brothers bashing homers from the left-hand side.

4. Jake Bauers

Jake Bauers was drafted in the seventh round of the 2013 draft by the San Diego Padres. In 2014, he hit .296 with eight homers and 64 RBI in just 112 games. Following the season, the Padres cashed in on Bauers potential. They traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal that put Wil Myers in a Padres uniform.

He began his journey through the Rays’ system with the High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs.He was promoted to AA-Montgomery that season. In total, he appeared in 128 games and slashed .272/.342/.418 with 11 homers and 74 RBI.

His numbers were similar in his age-20 season in 2016 at AA-Montgomery. He slashed .274/.370/.420. He was showing a propensity to get on base and developing power. He had hit 32 doubles the previous year and added 28 more in 2016.

He opened the 2017 season in AAA-Durham where he blasted 31 doubles, 13 homers, 63 RBI, and stole 20 bases. He once again posted a solid on-base percentage with a .368.

He opened 2018 in Triple-A again, slashing .279/.357/.426 and was called up to the big clu. Bauers hit 11 homers in 323 at-bats with the Rays. He drove in 48 runs, walked 54 times, and stole six bags. He finished his first run in the Majors with a .201/316/.384 slash line.

Yandy Trade

The Rays were able to trade Bauers in the offseason for Yandy Diaz. Bauers struggled in Cleveland last season with a .226/.312/.371 slash and found himself in Triple-A.

Meanwhile, Yandy Diaz served as a key piece in the Rays 96-win season and subsequent playoff run, as he hit two homers in the AL Wild Card game.

3. Brent Honeywell

Brent Honeywell was taken in the second round of the 2014 draft. His first pre-season ranking already had him fourth on the list of Rays’ prospects.

After being selected by the Rays in the 2014 draft, he pitched in only nine games but whetted the appetite of Rays’ fans as the 19-year-old rocked a 1.07 ERA with over 10 Ks per nine.

He made 24 starts in 2015 between Charlotte and Bowling Green, totaling a 3.18 ERA.

At age 21, he was promoted to Double-A Montgomery where he made 10 starts that resulted in a 2.28 ERA, 1.096 WHIP.

Honeywell was projected by Baseball Prospectus to be a number three or four starter. His estimated arrival was set for 2018.

This, of course, has been delayed by injuries.

Honeywell would have likely found his way to the Rays in 2018 had he stayed healthy. He was ranked as the 11th best prospect heading into the 2018 season by Baseball Prospectus.

He finished 2017 with 123 innings at Triple A-Durham where he went 12-8 with a 3.64 ERA. Honeywell struck out 11.3 batters per nine and walked only 2.3 hitters every nine innings.

Playing Catch Again

He was recently spotted playing catch at Tropicana Field and is working his way back to throwing off of the mound by the end of February.

We hope to see Honeywell finally make his Rays’ Major League debut this season, but he’s got to take it easy on an arm that has kept him out of action for each of the past two seasons.

Should he live up to the expectation set forth in his pre-injury rankings, he would be the number three or four starter on an absolutely stacked rotation. The Rays still have high hopes for the young righty.

2. Jose De Leon

Jose De Leon went from a 24th round pick in 2013 by the Los Angeles Dodgers to finishing the 2016 season as the Rays’ number two ranked prospect. De Leon proved himself quickly in the Dodgers’ system as he spent the entire 2016 season in AAA going 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts.

He made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2017 and pitched in 17.0 innings giving up 12 earned runs and striking out 15 batters.

Prior to the 2017 season, the Dodgers traded De Leon to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Logan Forsythe. De Leon began the season as the Rays’ third-best prospect and was ranked number 28 in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. He started the season with discomfort in his elbow but powered through after a DL stint.

He made his major league debut with the Rays on May 29. He allowed three runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Not long after that, he was placed on the DL with a strained lat. The elbow flared up in August of that year and hit the DL for the third time.

In March of 2018, he was diagnosed with a torn UCL and required Tommy John surgery. His path to the big leagues just hit a roadblock. His 2018 was over before it started. One of the game’s top prospects was on the shelf.

De Leon was able to make it back in May of 2019 and pitch in 56.0 minor league innings. On August 14 he returned to the major league roster and pitched in four innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out seven.

Opportunity in Cincinnati

Prior to the 2020 season, De Leon was traded to the Reds in a space-making move ahead of the 40-man roster deadlines. The Reds received a healthy blue-chipper for cash and a player to be named later.

Jose De Leon is entering his age-27 season and looks to live up to the hype and talent for the Reds.

1. Willy Adames

Willy Adames was signed as an International Free Agent in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic. Entering 2015 he was rated as the Rays’ top prospect by Baseball Prospectus.

Still a teenager in 2014, the Rays traded their star pitcher, David Price for the rights to the talented, young shortstop.

Baseball Prospectus rated his ceiling as a first-division player and a probable role as an “average major-leaguer.”

Adames was coming off a 2014 season in which he slashed .271/.353/.429, as an eighteen-year-old.

Baseball Prospectus had this to say regarding his defense:

“not the most natural player at shortstop could potentially slide to third or second.”

Of course, Adames took a huge step in 2019 and led all American League shortstops in defensive runs saved. In addition to his defense, he blasted 20 homers for the 96-win Rays.

Baseball Prospectus proposed that he may end up moving to third because the bat was projected to be stronger than the glove, but he’s proven to be lethal with both.

Adames is approaching his age-24 season with the Rays in 2020 and has solidified his spot on the team with his outstanding defensive prowess and his knack for big knocks in crucial spots.

Move Over Wander

Adames has been so good that top prospect, SS-Wander Franco, has been discussed as a candidate to take over at third so as not to disrupt the magic Adames has brought at short.

here was a lot of hype after the David Price trade, considering Adames was the ONLY prospect swapped for the superstar Ace. He continued to rocket his way through the minors and has been a key piece for the big league club for the past two seasons, and hopefully for many to come.

Are you surprised at the names on this list?