Tampa Bay Rays: Post-Draft Pitching Prospect Rankings

The Tampa Bay Rays selected 17-year-old phenom Nick Bitsko with the first pick on Wednesday night. Where does he fit into their stacked prospect list?

The Tampa Bay Rays separated their farm system from the pack on Wednesday. They came into the draft as the top organization in the league and walked out impressing everyone with their savvy.

Fans and analysts may have questioned the Boston Red Sox when they reached deep down the rankings to select Nick Yorke with the 17th selection, but they tend not to question the Rays. The only line of optimistic logic for the Red Sox taking Fangraphs’ 165th ranked player that early was “Chaim Bloom came from the Rays so, this will probably work.” 

So, the Rays did what other teams only wished they had the courage to do. They took next year’s number one draft pick this year. Nick Bitsko is a soon-to-be 18-year-old who is already 6-4, 225 pounds and can hit 98.5 mph on the radar gun. Scouts already rate his fastball and slider as above major-league average pitches. He’s 17-years-old folks!

Maybe I’m being too upbeat, but I think his upside is Cy Young. Not in an old-timey, rocking chair wind up, throw 700 innings and strike out 23 batters “Cy Young.” Like the best pitcher in the league compared to his peers in modern times.

That’s just a best-case scenario. Let’s see where he ranks within the Rays pitching-rich farm system right now.

We are going to take a look at the current rankings and at the end, we’ll tell you where Nick Bitsko slots into this fantastic herd of hurlers. 

According to MLB.com here are the top five pitchers in the system. All five of them are in the Rays top ten prospects right now.

1. Brendan McKay, LHP
2. Shane Baz, RHP
3. Brent Honeywell, RHP
4. Shane McClanahan, LHP
5. Joe Ryan, RHP

Tampa Bay Rays – Brendan McKay

Brendan McKay is Baseball America’s 14th best prospect in all of baseball right now. He was taken with the fourth overall pick in 2017. He’s a favorite to win the Rookie of the Year in 2020. McKay has a career minor league ERA of 1.78.

MLB.com grades players on a 20-80 scale with 50 being a major league average. McKay currently grades out as follows:

• Fastball: 60
• Cutter: 60
• Control: 60
• Curveball: 50
• Changeup: 50
• Overall: 60

Tampa Bay Rays – Shane Baz

Shane Baz was acquired as the third player in the Chris Archer trade. He is not just some throw-in prospect. This guy went just eight picks after Brendan McKay in the 2017 draft. Baz has electric stuff but a tendency to lose control of it. his fastball routinely touches triple digits on the radar detector. As is usually the case with super-talented pitchers who join the Rays, Baz has made adjustments to increase his control by lowering his walks per nine by one full batter per inning.

Last season Baz started 17 games with a 2.99 ERA and 87 Ks in 81.1 innings. He also walked 37 batters in that time. Baz has a ways to go with his secondary pitches and his control, in general. He could end up being a frontline starter or a powerhouse out of the bullpen.

Here is Brendan McKay currently grades out according to MLB.com:

• Fastball: 70
• Curveball: 45
• Control: 45
• Slider: 65
• Changeup: 50
• Overall: 55

Tampa Bay Rays – Brent Honeywell

Oh, Brent Honeywell. He went as the 72nd pick in the 2014 draft. In 2018, Honeywell was ready to go from one of the games top prospects to one of the best young pitchers in the major leagues. Instead, he had Tommy John surgery before the season. Then, last season he broke his elbow while rehabbing from TJ surgery.

Recently, it was announced that Honeywell had undergone another procedure on his elbow. He remains upbeat and ranked third on the Rays prospect list. MLB.com’s list hasn’t been updated since it was announced that he needed another surgery.

Honeywell hasn’t pitched since 2017 and likely won’t pitch again until 2021 at age 26. He still has all the talent in the world, but time is ticking on the 6-2 righty.

Unfortunately for Honeywell, the story nowadays is about his injuries and how he hasn’t pitched since 2017.

Let’s not forget that he’s got a five-pitch repertoire that includes a plus fastball, an above-average slider, a plus changeup, and even a plus screwball. He has more stuff than a hoarder with a pole barn.

Here’s how Honeywell grades out:

• Fastball: 60
• Slider: 55
• Changeup: 60
• Screwball: 60
• Curveball: 45
• Control: 55
• Overall: 55

Tampa Bay Rays – Shane McClanahan

McClanahan finished second in the country with 14.2 Ks per nine innings with South Florida, he was taken 31st overall in the 2018 draft by Tampa Bay.

McClanahan blasted through three levels of the minors last season. He is currently projected as a No. 3 starter in the big leagues, if not a big bullpen arm.

Here’s how he grades out:

• Fastball: 65
• Changeup: 50
• Slider: 55
• Control: 45
• Overall: 50