Rays Future Star Continues Climbing Recently Updated Top 100 Prospect Rankings
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The Tampa Bay Rays have done a wonderful job throughout their existence of pinpointing young talent that fits the mold they are looking for and getting the most out of their development.
It is the only way for a franchise that operates with as small a budget as the Rays have to consistently find success. They churn out and develop young talent and then trade them away to restart the cycles.
One of the players whom Tampa Bay and their fan base are most excited about in the near future is Theo Gillen. A shortstop-turned-outfielder, he was selected in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft as the No. 1-ranked high school player in Texas.
The No. 18 overall pick, he signed for a full slot amount of $4,372,900. Injuries hampered him at points during his high school career, suffering a torn labrum as a sophomore and a knee injury as a junior.
Theo Gillen moves up Top 100 Prospect Rankings
That didn’t stop him from putting together a monster senior season, showcasing enough for the Rays to use their first-round pick on him. They look to have made the right decision, especially with Gillen rapidly moving up the top 100 prospect rankings.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report shared updated rankings, and Gillen is heading in the right direction. He was placed at No. 49, actually surpassing another one of the Rays' star youngsters, shortstop Carson Williams.
Williams is considered at many outlets to be the No. 1 prospect in the Tampa Bay organization, but that might be changing heading into 2026. Strikeouts are a major concern for him, and in his first taste of the Big Leagues, he went down on strikes 44 times in 106 plate appearances.
Gillen isn’t facing anywhere near the same level of competition yet, but such concerns don’t exist as much for him. He struck out only 75 times in 324 plate appearances with Single-A Charleston, with 64 walks drawn.
Another 19 year old having a special season in Single A? Theo Gillen
— Jake (@TBRaysCentral) June 29, 2025
He just had a 43 game on base streak broken yesterday, and has been on 3 times today including this opposite field double https://t.co/0fT22Icv7O pic.twitter.com/a0OzjQ6e3z
A .267/.433/.387 slash line was produced in his first full season as a professional. He hit five home runs, 12 doubles and one triple with 18 RBI, adding 36 stolen bases and being caught only three times.
As Gillen moves further and further away from his knee injury, his athleticism shines through more and more. His transition to center field could be a long one, but the Rays are counting on his makeup and skill set to be more than capable of handling it.
A highly regarded prospect, it is easy to see why he is shooting up rankings and surpassing Williams based on his immense upside.
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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.