Previous Winner
Victor Valdez, SS
17 | R/R | 6’1” | 186
A pretty swing with a low whiff rate earned Valdez a big payday this winter — $3.5 million — 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’s 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.
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’s list. For this bonus round, we will have a different approach for honorable mentions.
How to vote
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’d like.
If there’s a player you’d 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.
Candidates
Fabricio Blanco, SS
17 | S/R | 5’11” | 161
A bat-first middle infielder, the Venezuelan is an elite prospect within the context of the international signing process, with some believing he’s 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.
Alex Cook, RHP
25 | 6’2” | 220
AA | 2.30 ERA, 2.29 FIP, 15.2 IP (13 G), 30.5% K, 5.1% BB
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 — 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.
Maykel Coret, OF
18 | R/R | 6’4” | 187
DSL | .273/.294/.370 (115 wRC+) 188 PA, 2 HR, 15 SB, 12.8% BB, 22.3% K
Tampa Bay’s 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.
Cooper Flemming, SS
19 | L/R | 6’3” | 190
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’s 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).
Cooper Kinney, 2B/3B
23 | L/R | 6’1” | 200
AA | .242/.299/.386 (103 wRC+) 501 PA, 13 HR, 0 SB, 7.2% BB, 25.0% K
After a bounce back year in 2024 (137+ in High-A), Kinney underwhelmed with a 103 wRC+ at Double-A. Kinney’s 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.
Victor Mesa Jr., OF
24 | L/L | 5’11” | 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
This Cuban power bat already made his major league debut with Miami last year after bouncing back from a spring hamstring injury, and was dealt to the Rays in February. He profiles as a fourth outfielder but has an option remaining, so the organization may send him down for regular playing time and one last chance for something more in development. If not, he’s a center field capable on defense, which goes a long way for a platoon bat. In the running for the nicest guy in baseball.
Dean Moss, OF
19 | L/R | 6’0” | 180
Signed well above slot out of the 2025 draft at No. 67 overall, Moss’s family moved from California to the Tampa Bay Area to enroll Moss at IMG, and it earned him a new-home-town selection. A jack of all trades, Moss’s hit tool shades his best thanks to plus bat speed. His swing is clean, with and the projection for his power over time is major league average. He will have competition internally to stick at center, but may get the first nod in the rookie league.
Émilien Pitre, 2B
23 | L/R | 5’11” | 185
A+ | .268/.356/.393 (122 wRC+) 524 PA, 9 HR, 14 SB, 11.6% BB, 20.4% K
The Rays 58th overall pick in 2024, Pitre has risen on draft boards through a strong performance in the Cape Cod league in 2023, but the power was a real question mark on his profile. Now given a chance to develop as a professional, he wouldn’t be the first to add muscle. His run and hit tools are plus, with a well coiled swing and solid contact in and out of zone. He’s too old to return to High-A and it be viewed as positive. His power stroke will be the key to his success in 2026.
Joe Rock, LHP
25 | 6’6” | 220
AAA | 5.21 ERA, 5.13 FIP, 96.2 IP (32 G, 15 GS), 21.1% K, 9.3% BB
MLB | 2 ER, 7 H (1 HR), 7.2 IP (3 G), 11 K, 2 BB
Rock got the call for the first time last season, riding the Durham shuttle in June and again in September after being acquired from the Rockies for former first rounder Greg Jones in an org roster shuffle ahead of the 2024 season. Rock’s calling card is a borderline double-plus slider that’s complimented by league average stuff from his sinker and change, although he’ll pop a high four-seam to keep ‘em honest. His arm action starts with a high back elbow and ends in a lower release point, and the look elevates his profile through deception. He’s most likely in a relief role.
Jonathan Russell, RHP
21 | 6’1” | 180
CPX | 3 H (2 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 3.0 IP
A | 2.17 ERA, 2.15 FIP, 37.1 IP (25 G, 0 GS), 30.5% K, 7.3% BB
The Rays signed Russell (no relation to yours truly) out of Cuba in May 2023 at 18, slotting him directly into the DSL team where he made the All-Star roster. The Rays brought him stateside in 2024 and it didn’t go great! He started in the FCL again in 2025 though and in two weeks he was at Charleston, getting 15 appearances as their closer and pitching to a 2.17 ERA, striking out 46 batters in 151 faced (30%) with only 11 walks. Where he should have been thinking about Bowling Green next, the Rays decided to give him some chances in the Arizona Fall League, where he closed out two games in six appearances. It’s majority fastball with some slider, mechanics are solid, if anything I’d like to see him try to get his release
