By Bill Ballew
November 5, 2012


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.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Chris Archer, rhp 2. Taylor Guerrieri, rhp 3. Hak-Ju Lee, ss 4. Alex Colome, rhp 5. Richie Shaffer, 3b 6. Enny Romero, lhp 7. Blake Snell, lhp 8. Tim Beckham, ss/2b 9. Derek Dietrich, ss/2b 10. Drew Vettleson, of

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Richie Shaffer Best Power Hitter Todd Glaesmann Best Strike Zone Discipline Richie Shaffer Fastest Baserunner Andrew Toles Best Athlete Andrew Toles Best Fastball Jesse Hahn Best Curveball Taylor Guerrieri Best Slider Chris Archer Best Changeup Parker Markel Best Control Taylor Guerrieri Best Defensive Catcher Mark Thomas Best Defensive Infielder Brandon Martin Best Infield Arm Tim Beckham Best Defensive OF Ty Morrison Best Outfield Arm Drew Vettleson

PROJECTED 2016 LINEUP

Catcher Mark Thomas First Base Richie Shaffer Second Base Tim Beckham Third Base Evan Longoria Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee Left Field Mikie Mahtook Center Field Desmond Jennings Right Field Ben Zobrist Designated Hitter Matt Joyce No. 1 Starter David Price No. 2 Starter Matt Moore No. 3 Starter James Shields No. 4 Starter Chris Archer No. 5 Starter Jeremy Hellickson Closer Taylor Guerrieri

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2012 Org 2003 Rocco Baldelli, of Out of baseball 2004 B.J. Upton, ss Rays 2005 Delmon Young, of Tigers 2006 Delmon Young, of Tigers 2007 Delmon Young, of Tigers 2008 Evan Longoria, 3b Rays 2009 David Price, lhp Rays 2010 Desmond Jennings, of Rays 2011 Jeremy Hellickson, rhp Rays 2012 Matt Moore, lhp Rays

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2011 Org 2003 Delmon Young, OF Tigers 2004 Jeff Niemann, RHP Rays 2005 Wade Townsend, RHP Out of baseball 2006 Evan Longoria, 3B Rays 2007 David Price, LHP Rays 2008 Tim Beckham, SS Rays 2009 LeVon Washington, 2B Indians 2010 Josh Sale, OF Rays 2011 Taylor Guerrieri, RHP Rays 2012 Richie Shaffer, 3B Rays

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 2012 Draft: Rays (Basic Database) 2012 Draft Report Cards: Tampa Bay Rays Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2013 Prospect Handbook

The Rays fell three games short of making their fourth playoff appearance in five years in 2012, but they continued to serve as the template for small-revenue team success.

Tampa Bay won 90 games despite baseball's sixth-lowest Opening Day payroll ($64.2 million) and a string of injuries. Perennial MVP candidate Evan Longoria and incumbent closer Kyle Farnsworth each missed half the season, and Jeff Niemann made just eight starts. The Rays had as many as 10 players on the disabled list at one time.

The offense wasn't a juggernaut to begin with and sputtered to an 11th-place finish in the American League in scoring (4.30 runs per game) with Longoria sidelined for so long. But the Rays are used to doing more with less, and they compensated with pitching and defense.

Tampa Bay led the American League in ERA (3.19) and opponent average (.229) and set an AL record for strikeouts (1,383). David Price topped the league with 20 wins and a 2.56 ERA, while Fernando Rodney took over as closer and converted 48 of 50 save opportunities while establishing a major league relief record with a 0.60 ERA.

Though the Rays continued to rank near the bottom of the major leagues in payroll, their Opening Day figure did represent a 56 percent increase from 2011. The club's efforts still have not been reciprocated by the fan base, however. Tampa Bay ranked last in the majors in attendance at 1.6 million—an average of 19,255 per game—which commissioner Bud Selig called inexcusable.

Tropicana Field is outdated, but no progress is being made toward a new stadium, and political sparring between the cities of St. Petersburg (site of the current stadium) and Tampa hasn't helped matters. As a result, the Rays are unlikely to keep boosting their payroll. Price is projected to set a record for second-year arbitration players with a salary approaching $10 million, and the departure of free agent B.J. Upton is all but assured.

Tampa Bay's financial limitations mean that it will have to continue growing its own talent, but it now faces a lull in farm system production. The Rays are the only club that hasn't graduated a single pick from the last five drafts to the majors.

After grabbing Price with the No. 1 overall pick and stealing Matt Moore in the eighth round of the 2007 draft, Tampa Bay chose infielder Tim Beckham over Buster Posey with the top overall selection in 2008. Beckham has hit just .264/.330/.379 in five minor league seasons and served a 50-game drug suspension in 2012. The Rays undermined their 2009 draft by failing to sign their top two choices, LeVon Washington and Kenny Diekroeger.

Tampa Bay's more recent drafts show some promise, especially a 2011 crop that included a record 12 picks in the first two rounds. But with most of their best prospects currently in the lower levels of the minors, the Rays are unlikely to get much help for their big league club in the next couple of seasons.

They hope that their increased emphasis on the international front eventually will pick up some of the slack. Tampa Bay mined Venezuela heavily in 2012, signing lefthander Jose Castillo and righthander Jose Mujica for seven-figure bonuses and adding catcher David Rodriguez.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects (How to subscribe)

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