3. There are a lot of new faces.
As noted in this story, 14 of the club’s Top 30 prospects weren’t in the organization a year ago.
Five were 2025 Draft picks, and two headlined Tampa Bay’s most recent international signing class. But the other seven were acquired in trades, and many are likely bound for either Single-A Charleston or High-A Bowling Green alongside Draft picks, like first-rounder Daniel Pierce (No. 5).
“It's a good core group of players that are new to the organization, have not had their first professional at-bat yet but opened some eyes in the bridge league last year,” Ibach said. “We would expect big things from them coming into the year at [Single-A] Charleston.”
4. Could it be … catchers?!
The Rays overhauled their catching tandem last year, bringing in Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes via trade. The job is still theirs heading into this season, but there is help on the horizon that could -- potentially, maybe, finally -- solve the Rays’ long-running search for a homegrown catcher.
Dom Keegan (No. 20) is on the 40-man roster after spending last season in Triple-A and, therefore, close to reaching the Majors. But the Rays also have two higher-ceiling catchers to keep an eye on in the low Minors, and they are understandably excited about both Nathan Flewelling (No. 11) and Caden Bodine (No. 13).
Everyone in the organization raves about Flewelling, the 19-year-old Canadian who posted a .393 on-base percentage last season. And they were happy to land Bodine, a polished switch-hitter with a contact-oriented offensive approach, in the Shane Baz deal. Both still have a long way to go, but maybe help is on the way.
5. They have pitching, but impact is overdue.
Speaking of seeking a boost from within, it’s been a while since the Rays’ system produced an impactful starting pitcher. Baz (who did most of his developing with the Rays after being drafted by the Pirates) and Taj Bradley (homegrown) had their moments, but you could argue the most recent player who truly fits that description is Shane McClanahan, who debuted in the 2020 postseason.
Will someone on this list change that? They should have plenty of chances.
Brody Hopkins (No. 3) is the biggest name with the biggest stuff, and he’s turning heads in big league camp alongside TJ Nichols (No. 7) and Ty Johnson (No. 18). But there are plenty of other arms to watch, from hard throwers like Anderson Brito (No. 6) to elite control guys like Santiago Suarez (No. 9).
