By Bill Ballew
December 21, 2009


Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2009.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Desmond Jennings, of 2. Jeremy Hellickson, rhp 3. Wade Davis, rhp 4. Matt Moore, lhp 5. Reid Brignac, ss 6. Tim Beckham, ss 7. Alexander Colome, rhp 8. Jake McGee, lhp 9. Alex Torres, lhp 10. Nick Barnese, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Desmond Jennings Best Power Hitter Matt Sweeney Best Strike-Zone Discipline Desmond Jennings Fastest Baserunner Fernando Perez Best Athlete Desmond Jennings Best Fastball Jeremy Hellickson Best Curveball Matt Moore Best Slider Alex Torres Best Changeup Jeremy Hellickson Best Control Jeremy Hellickson Best Defensive Catcher Nevin Ashley Best Defensive Infielder Reid Brignac Best Infield Arm Tim Beckham Best Defensive Outfielder Desmond Jennings Best Outfield Arm Todd Glaesmann

PROJECTED 2012 LINEUP

Catcher Kelly Shoppach First Base Carlos Pena Second Base Reid Brignac Third Base Evan Longoria Shortstop Jason Bartlett Left Field Carl Crawford Center Field Desmond Jennings Right Field B.J. Upton Designated Hitter Ben Zobrist No. 1 Starter David Price No. 2 Starter James Shields No. 3 Starter Matt Garza No. 4 Starter Jeremy Hellickson No. 5 Starter Jeff Niemann Closer Wade Davis

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Josh Hamilton, of Rangers 2001 Josh Hamilton, of Rangers 2002 Josh Hamilton, of Rangers 2003 Rocco Baldelli, of Red Sox 2004 B.J. Upton, ss Rays 2005 Delmon Young, of Twins 2006 Delmon Young, of Twins 2007 Delmon Young, of Twins 2008 Evan Longoria, 3b Rays 2009 David Price, lhp Rays

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Rocco Baldelli, of Red Sox 2001 Dewon Brazelton, rhp Camden (Atlantic) 2002 B.J. Upton, ss Rays 2003 Delmon Young, of Twins 2004 Jeff Neimann, rhp Rays 2005 Wade Townsend, rhp Rays 2006 Evan Longoria, 3b Rays 2007 David Price, lhp Rays 2008 Tim Beckham, ss Rays 2009 *LeVon Washington, of Chipola (Fla.) JC *Did Not Sign

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Matt White, 1996 $10,200,000 Rolando Arrojo, 1997 $7,000,000 Tim Beckham, 2008 $6,150,000 David Price, 2007 $5,600,000 B.J. Upton, 2002 $4,600,000

RAYS LINKS

Rays' Team Page Rays Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's Rays Top 10 Prospects 2009 Draft: Rays (Basic Database) 2009 Draft: Rays  (Advanced Database) 2009 Draft Report Cards: Tampa Bay Rays  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook

At first glance, 2009 looks like a disappointment for the defending American League champion Rays.

Not only did they fail to repeat, but they also finished a distant third in the AL East. A strict budget kept them from making a major move at the trading deadline. Two weeks later, their refusal to go much over MLB's bonus recommendations kept them from signing their top two draft picks, LeVon Washington and Kenny Diekroeger. At the end of August, they dealt Scott Kazmir, the best pitcher in franchise history, to the Angels in a money-saving move.

In the grand scheme of things, however, Tampa Bay believes it remains on course for long-term success. The Rays' 84 wins represented their second-highest total ever. While they lost out on Washington and Diekroeger, they paid over-slot bonuses to lock up four gifted high school draftees. Trading Kazmir—whose deteriorating command and inability to reach the 200-inning plateau convinced the front office that Wade Davis was a better fit for the rotation—yielded three promising youngsters, headlined by infielder Sean Rodriguez.

By exercising financial restraint last year, Tampa Bay should be able to keep its nucleus together in 2010. After Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, B.J. Upton and others receive significant raises via arbitration, the major league payroll will rise to the low $60 million range, the highest in club history. Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena are on the verge of free agency, and general manager Andrew Friedman hopes to sign both to long-term deals.

Other than adding a couple of relievers, the Rays are mostly set for the upcoming season. Without making a major move, they should have a more potent offense and better pitching than they did a year ago. They have a young, talented rotation with James Shields, Garza, Jeff Niemann, David Price and Davis, with Jeremy Hellickson waiting in the wings.

While the system remains deep in pitching, Tampa Bay isn't as strong in position prospects, especially power hitters. Center fielder Desmond Jennings and shortstop Reid Brignac are on the verge of helping the Rays, but there's a steep dropping in big league-ready players behind them. Shortstop Tim Beckham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft, isn't on the fast track after a mildly disappointing first full pro season.

With that need in mind, Tampa Bay took high school bats with its first five selections in the 2009 draft and signed outfielder Todd Glaesmann, catcher Luke Bailey and first baseman Jeff Malm. The Rays will have extra choices to work with in 2010, getting compensation picks for not signing Washington and Diekroeger and for losing Gregg Zaun as a free agent. They'll add another choice if Brian Shouse signs elsewhere.

Tampa Bay also hopes to start reaping benefits from their newfound dedication to player development in Latin America. The Rays have relatively new complexes and summer leagues teams in both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, bringing their total of minor league affiliates to nine, tops in baseball.

To boost the quality of its development efforts, Tampa Bay brought back all of its minor league coaches from 2009 and added three more minor league coordinators for 2010. Bill Evers joins Jim Hoff as field coordinator, Matt Quatraro will team with Steve Livesey as hitting coordinator, and Dewey Robinson will work with Dick Bosman as pitching coordinator.

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