ST. PETERSBURG -- Since the franchise’s “Rays” era began in 2008, Tampa Bay’s best teams have often been built on a foundation of excellent pitching.
Homegrown starting pitching, specifically.
Former Rays executive Andrew Friedman would often say that they could never “go to market” for starting pitching. They needed to develop it on their own.
Not every Rays ace has been drafted and developed by the club, but most worked their way through Tampa Bay’s Minor League system at some point. James Shields and David Price. Matt Moore and Alex Cobb. Chris Archer and Blake Snell. Shane McClanahan is another recent example.
With that in mind, one of the Rays’ most important tasks is identifying who might be their next impact arm. We’ll apply some hindsight to that exercise here, looking back at MLB.com’s top-ranked Tampa Bay pitching prospect each preseason.
It’s an interesting trip down memory lane, and it’s perhaps equally fascinating to see the names mentioned above that aren’t listed below.
2025: RHP Brody Hopkins (No. 8 on Rays’ Top 30)
Acquired from Seattle in the July 2024 trade for Randy Arozarena, Hopkins has a ton of talent and athleticism, and he finished the season as the Rays’ No. 3 prospect. Can he put it all together?
2024: LHP Mason Montgomery (No. 9)
This was a down period for front-line arms in Tampa Bay’s system, and it was Montgomery’s last hurrah as a starter. He moved to the bullpen, and his stuff ticked up in a huge way during a September 2024 stint with the Rays.
2023: RHP Taj Bradley (No. 1)
Bradley looked like he’d be the latest ace off the Rays’ conveyor belt, but he didn’t find the consistency to match his electric stuff with Tampa Bay. He was traded to Minnesota for reliever Griffin Jax before the 2025 Trade Deadline.
2022: RHP Shane Baz (No. 1)
Acquired as a 19-year-old prospect from the Pirates in the August 2018 Archer trade, Baz did most of his development in the Rays’ system. He debuted down the stretch in '21, but injuries stalled the early years of his career. Baz was traded to the Orioles for another haul of young prospects in December 2025.
2021: RHP Luis Patiño (No. 2)
There was a ton of hype around Patiño after he came over from the Padres in the Snell trade in December 2020, so much so that he was initially ranked ahead of Arozarena, McClanahan, Xavier Edwards, Baz and Bradley, among many others. Twenty-seven appearances and minus-0.6 WAR later, he was cut loose.
2020: LHP Brendan McKay (No. 2)
The fourth overall pick in the 2017 Draft and a two-way star at the University of Louisville, McKay was incredible in the Minors and debuted in ’19. But he hasn’t been back in the Majors since due to a series of unfortunate injuries.
2017-19: RHP Brent Honeywell Jr. (No. 2 in 2017, No. 1 in 2018, No. 2 in 2019)
Speaking of unfortunate injuries, there’s Honeywell. The righty spent five years as a preseason Top 100 Prospect and worked his way up to Triple-A Durham in 2017. Then came four right elbow surgeries and 1,300 days between competitive appearances. Honeywell debuted for the Rays in April 2021 after all that, and he wound up getting a World Series ring as a low-leverage reliever for the '24 Dodgers.
2016: LHP Blake Snell (No. 1)
Sometimes, a top pick turns into a top prospect who turns into a two-time Cy Young Award winner. Snell earned his prospect status, and he was by far the best thing to come out of a 2011 Draft in which the Rays had 11 of the first 89 picks.
2015: RHP Brent Honeywell Jr. (No. 7)
2014: RHP Jake Odorizzi (No. 1)
Wil Myers headlined the Rays’ return from the Royals in the December 2012 trade for Shields and Wade Davis. But Odorizzi pitched well in ’13, then had a solid four-year run with Tampa Bay.
2013: RHP Taylor Guerrieri (No. 2)
Remember that 2011 Draft class? Guerrieri was the Rays’ first pick. He spent six years in their system but didn’t make the Majors.
2012: LHP Matt Moore (No. 1)
An eighth-round pick in the 2007 Draft, Moore was a postseason revelation in '11 and an All-Star in ’13 before being traded to the Giants in ’16. Just go ahead and see who he was ranked above on MLB.com’s Top 100 list in 2012. We’ll wait here.
2011: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (No. 1)
“Helly” held his own during his debut in 2010, and he validated this ranking by winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award in ’11.
2010: RHP Wade Davis (No. 13 in MLB)
Time to get creative, because MLB.com hasn’t always ranked prospects by team! Davis was the No. 13 overall prospect ahead of his first full season in the Majors, when he finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He went on to make a much greater impact as an absolute monster out of the bullpen for the 2014-16 Royals and ’17 Cubs.
2008-09: LHP David Price (No. 11 in MLB in 2008, No. 1 in '09)
Price was drafted first overall in 2007, debuted for the Rays during their pennant run in ’08 and fully emerged as one of the league’s best in '10. Evan Longoria was the No. 2 overall prospect in '08, by the way. Sometimes they work out like you imagine.
2005: LHP Scott Kazmir (No. 4 in MLB)
Kazmir didn’t spend much time in the Minors with the Rays, making four starts for Double-A Montgomery after being acquired from the Mets for right-hander Victor Zambrano, then going straight to the Majors. He was a quality starter in 2005 and remained one through the ’08 run.
2004: N/A
The then-Devil Rays had two players ranked on the Top 50 list, MLB.com’s first-ever prospect rankings -- but neither was a pitcher. Tampa Bay was represented by B.J. Upton (No. 2) and Delmon Young (No. 11).