When sports writers and analysts discuss the Rays and their chances of winning ballgames, there is a similar dialogue to all of them and what they say. It usually goes something about, “the pitching will carry them far”...”Snell’s going to have to show he can do it again”... and “We’re all waiting for Glasnow to have a breakout season.” Everybody just kind of repeats the same thing and because well it’s true. A team that posted the highest overall team pitching WAR in 2019 as well as giving up the least amount of homers deservedly has their pitching praised, but beyond the Snells, Glasnows, and Mortons of the Rays arms there are some diamonds in the rough waiting to be discovered. And it’s crazy to think about as well. The pitching is already so insanely strong that any further help could help make the top pitching staff in the game even better. If these two guys I’m about to introduce can become viable MLB starters, let’s just say the Rays rotation might set some historical records...
Brent Honeywell Jr.-- SP:
A couple years back, Honeywell's name being on a fringe major leaguer list might have been shocking to many scouts across the nation. Before a 2018 Tommy John surgery that stopped all of his torrid momentum, Honeywell was a star prospect pitcher on the rise having thrown to a 2.88 ERA across 416 innings of minor league ball. He was named a top 15 prospect in all of baseball in 2017 and the sky looked to be the limit for the power throwing righty. He was known for being a rare pitcher who threw a screwball, an almost extinct pitch in the game today, and also for his powerful fastball. He even received some public recognition, winning the Futures Game MVP in 2017 after striking out four across two innings of one hit baseball. That’s why it was infuriating to see the young man go down to the aforementioned injury and see all that positive progress come to a standstill. But after a full two year recovery from the injury and now being expected to come up full time to the Rays pitching staff, Honeywell has the chance to let himself be known again. Though the Rays should definitely take him slowly seeing that he is a young pitcher with past injury problems already in his career, the sky is once again the limit for Honeywell, with possible future ace being written all over him.
Anthony Banda--SP:
Though Banda doesn’t posses nearly the type of ceiling that Honeywell has, that’s not to say that he doesn’t have a future with the team. Starting pitchers are a hot commodity nowadays with so much bullpenning and the Rays will take as many long inning arms as possible. Throughout his minor league career Banda was always a fringe top 100 prospect with the Diamondbacks organization. In a pretty weak farm system Banda looked to be the top product the system had to offer. But that’s not to be a bad thing necessarily. Banda had always looked very solid in every year he played in the Diamondbacks farms system, combining a great sense of control when pitching along with his 3 main pitches that all grade at an average of around 50 on the tools rating. He always projected to be a very solid, #4 in the rotation type of a player and even in the current state he is, he still can be. It was after a shaky 2017 call-up as a starter with Arizona and an opening in the trade market that Arizona wanted to take advantage of, that Banda found himself traded to Tampa Bay in the Steven Souza deal. But with his new team Banda went down to Tommy John surgery and has been dealing with recovering and getting small call-ups along the way with the Rays. But now with the lefty almost fully recovered and ready to play, Banda looks to give the Rays what they traded for as a possible bulk man that could fit in with the Rays bullpenning strategies.
When baseball does start again, the Rays plan to win as many games possible will once again fall on the backs of the pitching being the main strong suit. And with a number of starters and relievers fully recovered or looking to rebound from injury, the staff should be even stronger. But if the two longtime minor leaguers, Honeywell and Banda do in fact become positive contributors for a rotation that is already a top 5 one in baseball, a couple more wins could be in the cards for Tampa in their hunt to steal the AL East.