Rays' Prospect Theo Gillen Has Deservingly Seen Fast Rise in Prospect Rankings

Tampa Bay Rays' Theo Gillen has quickly become one of the best prospects in baseball.

Jul 14, 2024; Ft. Worth, TX, USA; Theo Gillen is drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 18th pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Rays have been playing some excellent baseball of late and are showing no signs of slowing down. Furthermore, while they sport one of the best records in the majors, they also have one of the best farm systems to pair with it. 

Even though expectations for the Rays might have been low coming into the year, the team is now shaping up to be the team to beat in the American League. 

Tampa Bay has had the best record in the AL for most of the season now, and they were aggressive at the trade deadline trying to improve. Adding players like Freddy Peralta and Liam Hicks are only going to further solidify them as a contender and it was important that they were able to do so. 

Furthermore, while they made some impactful moves, the team was able to hold on to a lot of their top prospects. Considering the Rays are a group that isn't going to spend a ton, having controllable talent is important. Furthermore, some of that young talent in the farm system is really starting to develop. 

MLB Pipeline recently updated their rankings to reflect some of the players drafted being added to the Top 100. For the Rays, their star prospect Theo Gillen has seen a massive rise since the preseason rankings. 

Gillen Has Become an Elite Prospect

Theo Gillen (@RaysPlayerDev No. 1) crushes his ninth Double-A homer of the season 💥

(🎥@BiscuitBaseball) pic.twitter.com/p5avQtPoZE

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 14, 2026

At the beginning of the season, Gillen was regarded as a Top 100 prospect, coming in ranked 76th in MLB Pipeline’s ranking. However, a surge all the way up to 12th now is really encouraging to see, and the talented young outfielder has been playing extremely well. 

Between both A+ and Double-A, the numbers really jump off the page. He has slashed .321/.426/.576 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI. Having an OPS over 1.000 is extremely impressive, and Gillen has quickly been able to firmly establish himself as one of the best young players in baseball. 

As the young outfielder continues to develop in Double-A, it will be interesting to see what the plan going forward for him will be. While a call-up to the majors this year feels very unlikely, his quick rise in the farm system should have him as a very viable option to contribute next season in the majors. 

There is a ton to like about his game, and the numbers this year in the minors speak for themselves. Gillen is certainly deserving of being considered a top 15 prospect in baseball as the rankings indicate.