Rays Add to League-Leading Top Prospect Numbers With Three Players in Top 100
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At a monetary disadvantage compared to most teams in the MLB, the Tampa Bay Rays have to get creative when finding talent for their roster.
They have never been big players in free agency, which puts a lot of pressure on their scouting and development departments to unearth talented players. The Rays will spend in international free agency, but bringing in established MLB talent is tough.
Luckily, it has been an area in which the franchise has succeeded for years. A great job has been done identifying young talent and bringing the most out of them, especially on the mound with pitchers.
This year, that is no different. Tampa Bay has three players selected to the first edition of the top 100 prospects in 2026. Shortstop Carson Williams, outfielder Theo Gillen and right-handed pitcher Brody Hopkins are all ranked, coming in at Nos. 63, 76 and 85.
Rays continue to develop top prospects
Since MLB Pipeline has started sharing Top 50 and 100 prospects, there isn’t a team that has had more players featured than the Rays. With these three, they have now had 95 players featured on the preseason lists.
The next closest team is the Los Angeles Dodgers with 89, who are led by former Tampa Bay general manager Andrew Friedman. He is proving that the Rays' way of doing business is not only a winning formula, but even more dangerous when money is available to spend in the offseason.
Next on that list are the Pittsburgh Pirates with 78, the Minnesota Twins with 74 and the San Diego Padres with 73.
As for the Tampa Bay players featured, Williams and Gillen were both ranked in the top 100 throughout 2025; Hopkins is making his debut in the MLB Pipeline Top 100 for the first time in his career, and rightfully so, after a great performance last season.
Rays farm system is deep with talent
Williams, a talented shortstop with excellent defensive ability and power potential, has a chance to be the Opening Day starter in 2026. He will be competing with Taylor Walls, who was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award in 2025.
Gillen is still a few years away from helping at the Major League level. His estimated time of arrival in the Big Leagues is 2028 after being a first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Hopkins has a real shot at reaching The Show this upcoming season. Incredibly athletic, he has a strong repertoire already, anchored by a four-seam fastball that can touch triple digits, to go along with two breaking balls and a cutter.
Beyond those three, there are plenty of other talented players in the farm system, such as Tre' Morgan and Xavier Isaac.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.