Victor Valdez, SS
17 | R\/R | 6\u20191\u201d | 186<\/p>\n
A pretty swing with a low whiff rate earned Valdez a big payday this winter \u2014 $3.5 million \u2014 with as good of a power projection as you can reasonably ask for from a a teenage bat, having been given a 25+ home run projection by Baseball America, who also praise his plus foot speed, bat speed, and control of the zone. Reports say he has ever improving lateral movements on defense, with smooth actions and a strong arm. If it all clicks, it\u2019s a middle-of-the-order bat on the left side of the infield. At signing, the Rays gave him a comp to Francisco Lindor. It will be interesting to see if his first professional season can solidify the five tool profile.<\/p>\n
RankPlayerPositionVotesTotalPercentageLast Season1Carson WilliamsSS142556%12Brody HopkinsRHP192576%83Jacob MeltonOF142850%N\/A4Theo GillenOF142654%135Ty JohnsonRHP122548%156Daniel PierceSS132357%N\/A7Jadher AreinamoINF152854%N\/A8TJ NicholsRHP132846%N\/R9Michael ForretRHP83324%N\/A10Santiago SuarezRHP113037%1611Anderson BritoRHP72825%N\/A12Xavier Isaac1B92832%313Caden BodineC102540%N\/A14Brendan SummerhillOF112741%N\/A15Slater de BrunOF102540%N\/A16Nathan FlewellingC82631%N\/R17Trevor HarrisonRHP92635%1018Jose UrbinaRHP132650%2519Tre\u2019 Morgan1B\/LF152560%420Jackson BaumeisterRHP122744%1221Aidan SmithOF172959%622Homer Bush Jr.OF102540%2123Dom KeeganC102836%924Gary Gill HillRHP82532%1125Brailer GuerreroOF82433%1426Brayden Taylor2B\/3B62524%227Adrian SantanaSS62623%N\/R28Austin OvernOF72133%N\/A29Taitn Gray1B\/OF\/C82335%N\/A30Victor ValdezSS62227%N\/A<\/p>\n
The voters abandoned ship on Mesa Jr. for the final round, and Valdez came out of nowhere to grab the final official slot on this year\u2019s list. For this bonus round, we will have a different approach for honorable mentions.<\/p>\n
In this round, I will include all the candidates here below. If you believe any of these candidates are worthy of an honorable mention rec the comment with their name. This approach will allow you to vote for as many of the candidates if you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s a player you\u2019d like to be included as an honorable mention not listed, put them in Others so folks can consider them for a vote as well. On Monday, we will tally the recs and look for a clear dividing line in the vote for a reasonable cut off.<\/p>\n
Fabricio Blanco, SS
17 | S\/R | 5\u201911\u201d | 161<\/p>\n
A bat-first middle infielder, the Venezuelan is an elite prospect within the context of the international signing process, with some believing he\u2019s the best Rays signee this off-season, despite gathering only a $1 million bonus. He can barrel up from both sides of the plate, but may settle into a right handed swing in the long term, with quick hands. He has the ability and instincts to stick at short, with a high-IQ approach and gritty demeanor.<\/p>\n
Alex Cook, RHP
25 | 6\u20192\u201d | 220
AA | 2.30 ERA, 2.29 FIP, 15.2 IP (13 G), 30.5% K, 5.1% BB<\/p>\n
The Rays added Cook to the 40-man roster this off-season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, despite only throwing 20 innings (if you include four appearances in the complex league) after a slow start to the season. Cook attempted to convert to starting in 2024 and succumbed to a should injury, but bounced back in the bullpen in 2025 throwing 99 mph \u2014 and he has shown up to camp continuing to pitch with confidence. He has plus control and command, with stuff that leans into his low release point, including a cut-ride fastball and two-plane slider, and an MLB average cutter to prevent platoon slit problems. He should slot into high leverage for Durham and ride the shuttle in 2026.<\/p>\n
Maykel Coret, OF
18 | R\/R | 6\u20194\u201d | 187
DSL | .273\/.294\/.370 (115 wRC+) 188 PA, 2 HR, 15 SB, 12.8% BB, 22.3% K<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay\u2019s top signee from the 2025 international class, Coret reported tall and young with a lot of projection. His future depends mostly on his hit tool, with prospect evaluators divided on a player that has a long way to go, but the exit velocity (111 mph) and foot speed are plus for his age. Promisingly, after he had a hot start to his professional career, Coret saw his strikeouts elevate in July, but he got them back under control in the final month. A move to the complex league in 2026 would be aggressive.<\/p>\n
Cooper Flemming, SS
19 | L\/R | 6\u20193\u201d | 190<\/p>\n
One of the best high school bats in the 2025 draft, Flemming surprisingly fell into the Rays laps in the second round. He has a too-quiet swing that lacks the load necessary to hit for power, but he\u2019s historically compensated for that with a high contact rate that would have rated him as first round material if his defense projected to stick. The Rays were able to convince him to forgo an education at Vanderbilt by going above slot ($2.3m, Comp-A money).<\/p>\n
Cooper Kinney, 2B\/3B
23 | L\/R | 6\u20191\u201d | 200
AA | .242\/.299\/.386 (103 wRC+) 501 PA, 13 HR, 0 SB, 7.2% BB, 25.0% K<\/p>\n
After a bounce back year in 2024 (137+ in High-A), Kinney underwhelmed with a 103 wRC+ at Double-A. Kinney\u2019s calling card is a pretty swing and masterful control of the strikezone, but with a higher than average injury risk. He would have been on track for a potential appearance at the MLB level, but with his performance last season he might even be ticketed back to Montgomery. Were the problems related to a nagging shoulder injury? After a 200 wRC+ April, his performance at the plate steadily declined, and Kinney hit no homeruns between July 13 and the end of September. The org played him 60 games at second base in 2026, 28 at third, and the rest at first or DH.<\/p>\n
Victor Mesa Jr., OF
24 | L\/L | 5\u201911\u201d | 195
AAA (MIA) | .301\/.368\/.510 (136 wRC+) 171 PA, 7 HR, 4 SB, 9.9% BB, 16.4% K
MLB (MIA) | 6 H (1 HR), 5 BB, 5 K (81 wRC+) 38 PA<\/p>\n