![\"Charleston](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RIVERDOGS-C-LOGO.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\nThanks to a strong pipeline of prospects, the Tampa Bay Rays have remained a perennial power in the Majors despite a low player payroll. Even though some notable players hit walls this past year, other notables hit new heights during the 2025 Minor League season.<\/p>\n
Charleston Riverdogs<\/p>\n
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The big name in Charleston this season was Theo Gillen<\/a>, the Rays\u2019 outfield prospect who was a first-round pick by Tampa in 2024. Gillen only played 73 games but made a loud impact in the Carolina League<\/a> this season.<\/p>\n Gillen slashed .267\/.433\/.387 with five home runs and 18 extra-base hits. He made a fair bit of hard contact with the Riverdogs. However, perhaps his larger impact came by way of his ability to get on base. The 20-year-old walked 64 times over 73 games, posted a Whiff% of 26% \u2014 above the 50th percentile \u2014 and also stole a team-high 36 bases.<\/p>\n Aside from Gillen, the Riverdogs hosted some other notable hitting prospects.<\/p>\n Catcher Nathan Flewelling<\/a>, a third-round pick in 2024, walked 89 times over 102 games for Charleston. Brendan Summerhill<\/a>, a late joiner after he was drafted in July by the Rays, picked up 12 hits in 10 games and posted a sub-20% Whiff%. Brailer Guerrero<\/a> posted a .744 OPS as a 19-year-old.<\/p>\n Moving to the pitching staff, the Riverdogs\u2019 pitching staff included three very regular starters: Jose Urbina<\/a>, Jacob Kmatz<\/a>, and Ryan Andrade<\/a>. All threw at least 90 innings in Low-A.<\/p>\n Urbina (25.5% Whiff%) struck out 96 over 92 innings in a season where he pitched all of it as a 19-year-old. Kmatz, a fifth-round pick in 2024, posted a 5.56 ERA and a 23.7% Whiff%, the latter of which ranked in the bottom-30.<\/p>\n Reliever Noah Beal<\/a> struck out 34 over 27.2 IP and posted one of the highest Whiff% in the circuit, above 40%.<\/p>\n Bowling Green Hot Rods<\/p>\n Bowling Green just missed out on the South Atlantic League final thanks to a strong overall roster filled with prospects both in the lineup and on the pitching staff.<\/p>\n The Hot Rods\u2019 lineup included a lot of toolsy players, including speedster Aidan Smith<\/a>, former Kentucky standout Emilien Pitre<\/a>, plus power hitter Mac Horvath<\/a> and 2023 first-round pick Adrian Santana<\/a>.<\/p>\n Smith, despite an elevated Whiff% above 32% and 143 strikeouts over 102 games, hit 14 home runs and stole 41 bases. Horvath, meanwhile, finished with a team-high 16 home runs and also stole 41 bases.<\/p>\n Outfielder Noah Myers<\/a> walked 68 times over 85 games, which helped him lead the Midwest League in walks (18.7% BB%).<\/p>\n Bowling Green had four players (Myers, Horvath, Pitre, Smith) in the top-20 among BB%. Pitre, aside from the walks, had a Midwest League-high 120 hits and one of the lowest Whiff% (24%) in the circuit.<\/p>\n And for Santana, he didn\u2019t hit for much power (17 XBH over 85 GP). However, he did enough to hold his own and stole a team-best 47 bases.<\/p>\n Former Texas A&M slugger Hunter Haas<\/a>, a fourth-round pick by the Rays in 2023, hit .162\/.269\/.247 with four home runs and 14 extra-base hits over 83 games. His 36.5% Whiff% was among the worst 15 in the South Atlantic League.<\/p>\n As for the pitching staff, the Hot Rods\u2019 \u201cbig three\u201d in the rotation were former Duke pitcher Marcus Johnson<\/a>, T.J. Nichols<\/a>, and Gary Gill Hill<\/a>, the latter of whom has been considered a high-upside arm.<\/p>\n Gill Hill, as noted in our South Atlantic League<\/a> recap, didn\u2019t miss a ton of bats. However, he walked only 30 over 136.2 IP and was a groundball machine for the Hot Rods.<\/p>\n Johnson averaged a strikeout per inning (138 K over 138 IP). But on the other hand, Johnson gave up 28 home runs, most in the circuit.<\/p>\n Nichols (20 HR over 96.2 IP) was also vulnerable to the home run ball. What worked in Nichols\u2019 favor was a Whiff% over 31%.<\/p>\n Montgomery Biscuits<\/p>\n Part of the reason why the Rays have been able to trade numerous pitchers off their MLB roster without skipping a beat is because of who the team has been able to acquire to replace them.<\/p>\n When the Rays traded Isaac Paredes<\/a> to Chicago in 2024, the Rays got back an impactful reliever (Hunter Bigge<\/a>) plus Ty Johnson<\/a>. Johnson, a 15th-round pick by the Cubs in 2023, had a big year with Montgomery. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out 149 over 110 innings, while opposing batters hit just .174 off him in Double-A.<\/p>\n Additionally, Johnson had a 35.7% Whiff%, second-highest among pitchers who had at least 500 induced swings in the Southern League<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brody Hopkins<\/a>, acquired<\/a> alongside Aidan Smith in the Randy Arozarena<\/a> trade, struck out 141, fourth-most in the circuit. Walks were somewhat of a problem, as he conceded 60 over 116 innings. But much like Johnson, neither gave up more than seven home runs. Hopkins allowed seven over 116 innings.<\/p>\n Jackson Baumeister<\/a> (26.7% Whiff%), meanwhile, struck out 51 over 62.1 IP with the Biscuits. Baumeister was acquired in July 2024 via the Zach Eflin<\/a> trade.<\/p>\n And getting back to Nichols, he finished off the year with 37 strikeouts over 37 innings and a sub-1.00 ERA with the Biscuits.<\/p>\n As for the offense, the Biscuits had the player with the highest on-base percentage (.405 OBP), as well as three players in the bottom 10 of that category (Will Simpson<\/a>, Brayden Taylor<\/a>, Cooper Kinney<\/a>). Both Taylor and Kinney were former first-round picks of the organization.<\/p>\n Taylor had an absurdly strange season. He didn\u2019t whiff much and had the lowest GB% (28%) in the Southern League. However, he slashed .173\/.289\/.286 with just eight home runs on the year. <\/p>\n Kinney had a 30.5% Whiff% and 13 home runs over 117 games.<\/p>\n Jadher Areinamo<\/a>, acquired this past July for Danny Jansen<\/a> and added to the 40-man roster in November, hit four home runs and 12 extra-base hits once he arrived in the organization. Areinamo was one of the most consistent bat-to-ball (18.5% Whiff%) hitters in the Southern League.<\/p>\n Durham Bulls<\/p>\n What will become of Carson Williams<\/a> at the Major League level?<\/p>\n We\u2019ll find out for certain soon, as Williams debuted in the Majors<\/a> in September and has a lane to regular action in 2026. But despite his prowess in the middle defensively and power, it also comes with drawbacks.<\/p>\n As noted in our International League<\/a> recap, Williams had one of the worst Whiff% in the circuit and also expanded outside of the zone often. It resulted in 154 strikeouts over 111 games and furthered questions surrounding his hit tool.<\/p>\n The Durham Bulls saw several hitters further their careers this past year, aside from Williams. <\/p>\n Longtime Minor League Bob Seymour<\/a> hit 30 home runs and made his MLB debut late. Tanner Murray<\/a> and Tristan Peters<\/a>, both of whom are now White Sox, each hit at least 15 home runs. Former LSU standout Tre\u2019 Morgan<\/a>, who posted a .398 on-base percentage, could be the next incarnation of Yandy Diaz<\/a>.<\/p>\n As for the pitching staff, both Joe Boyle<\/a> and Ian Seymour<\/a> were among the best pitchers in the International League. And, both also received time in the Rays\u2019 rotation.<\/p>\n Early Top 5 Prospect List<\/p>\n Carson Williams<\/p>\n Anderson Brito<\/a><\/p>\n Theo Gillen<\/p>\n Daniel Pierce<\/p>\n Brody Hopkins<\/p>\n Williams, despite his flaws, has among the best pure tools in the organization. It would be criminal not to have him at #1, although it\u2019s closer than one would think.<\/p>\n And in a deep group of prospects, Anderson Brito could be the best pitcher in that organization. Tampa Bay acquired<\/a> him in the three-way deal that sent Brandon Lowe<\/a>, Mason Montgomery<\/a>, and Jake Mangum<\/a> to the Pirates.<\/p>\n Check out more of our\u00a0MLB<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Minor League<\/a>\u00a0coverage.<\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading\u2026<\/p>\n![\"BG](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/BG-HOT-RODS-LOGO-2.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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