Apr 3, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

Rays Pitching Prospect Has Become Highly Regarded Following Excellent Year

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays have the offseason coming up right around the corner and the team will be focused on improving and bouncing back from a 2025 campaign that saw the team finish under .500. The Rays have been a very consistent franchise despite having a low payroll. A significant reason for that has been their ability to identify and develop talent.

This winter, the team will have numerous veterans whom they might elect to move. Players like Pete Fairbanks, Yandy Diaz, and Brandon Lowe are a couple of the more obvious choices. Due to their contracts ending soon, the formula for Tampa Bay has been to trade these types of players before losing them for nothing.

Doing this has allowed the Rays to continue to have a top farm system in the game year after year. Recently, some of their young talent has really been able to break out with third baseman Junior Caminero having a monster season in 2025.

Junior earned it
⁰The Hank Aaron Award recognizes the top offensive performers in each league. Cast your vote for Cami now through Oct. 12 at https://t.co/qEPZHcw5GT! pic.twitter.com/CpLyaYtz2k
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 6, 2025

The talented slugger was one of the best power hitters in baseball last year and the future is extremely bright for the 22-year-old. Now, the team will be hoping that some of their other young prospects take a similar leap, and fortunately it appears like one pitcher in particular has.

Brody Hopkins Take a Leap Forward

The talented pitcher who was a big part of the Randy Arozarena deal was able to have a fantastic year in Double-A for Tampa Bay and is now regarded as their top pitching prospect and third best prospect overall. For a farm system as good as Tampa Bay’s is, this is some high praise.

In a full season of work in Double-A, Hopkins totaled a 2.72 ERA in 25 starts and struck out 141 batters in 116 innings pitched. The numbers for the right-hander were fantastic, and he is going to have a chance to earn a name that will be considered for a call-up in 2026 if he pitches well once again in the minors.

While the starting rotation on paper looks suitable for the Rays, Hopkins has some high-end upside that could make a big difference for the team. He isn’t a finished product yet, as the team would likely want to see his walk rate improve, but the talent is undoubtedly there. After a strong campaign in 2025, Hopkins is not only one of the best prospects for Tampa Bay, but one of the best prospects in all of baseball now.