It's time for this month's Prospect Performance Review, a look at how the organization's top prospects fared in May...

1. Matt Moore - After his typical slow start, Moore seems to be getting on track in the majors. While his 4.83 ERA for the month isn't anything to write home about, his 41-14 K-BB in 31.2 innings was a vast improvement over his 17-14 mark in 25 April innings. He continues to struggle with he home run ball and pitch efficiency, neither of which is unusual for a 22-year-old.

2. Hak-Ju Lee - It was another rough month for Lee, hitting .217/.291/.264 so far this month, an OPS nearly .100 lower than a disappointing .248/.315/.327 in April. Still only 21, it's now a near-lock that Lee spends the entire season with Montgomery.

3. Chris Archer - Archer may have had the biggest improvement of any on this list. After walking more than he struck out in April, he posted a 41-13 K-BB in 28.2 innings in May, with one start still to come. Over his last three starts, he's struck out 30 in 16.2 innings.

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The draft may not be as fun for Rays fans to follow this year without 11 picks in the top 80, as they had last season, but it is just two weeks away. This means the mock drafts have started rolling in, and while they're hardly accurate for picks as late as the Rays (25th), they can give an idea as to which players the team might be looking at. Here's a quick look at some various mocks:

BaseballAmerica (Jim Callis):
25. RAYS: After having a record 12 selections in the first two rounds in 2011, Tampa Bay will have to make its picks count now with no extra choices and a relatively small $3.8 million bonus pool for the top 10 rounds. The Rays develop high school pitchers as well as anyone, and Ty Hensley could give them another potential frontline starter.
Projected Pick: TY HENSLEY.

ESPN (Keith Law):
Tampa Bay Rays - Carson Kelly, 3B, Westview H.S. (Portland, Ore.)
Kelly is a two-way prospect who has strong hands but a noisy lower half. He's the best player available for the Rays, a team with a history of drafting top talent from the Pacific Northwest, such as 2011 supplemental first-rounders Jeff Ames and Blake Snell.

Minor League Ball (John Sickels, from late April):
25) Tampa Bay Rays (John): There are all kinds of scenarios that make sense here. I'll look for a premium tool and pick the fastest man in the draft, prep outfielder D.J. Davis, who has made enough progress with the rest of his game this year to push into first round consideration. D.J. Davis, OF, Mississippi HS. (previous: Trahan)

Again, take these with a grain of salt. Keith Law's May 2011 mock draft had the Rays taking Joe Ross, Levi Michael, and Brandon Nimmo. Jim Callis' had Jose Fernandez, Kolten Wong, and Blake Swihart. And John Sickels projected Robert Stephenson, Jorge Lopez, and Levi Michael. You might note that none of those players are in the Rays system.

Durham Bulls 6, Charlotte Knights 0:

• Cole Figueroa: 2-3, HR
• Henry Wrigley: 2-3, 2B
• Leslie Anderson: 1-3, HR, BB
• Mayobanex Acosta: 2-3, HR
• Matt Torra: 6 ip, 3 h, 0 r, 1 bb, 3 so
• John Gaub: 3 ip, 0 h, 0 r, 1 bb, 5 so

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Once you get past the first five or so rounds of the MLB Draft, you're pretty much just throwing darts. I mean, even moreso than you are IN the the first five rounds. Maybe you grab an athletic junior college outfielder, or a high school lefty from New Mexico, or a strike-thrower from Kent State. And if you're lucky, you get Desmond Jennings, Matt Moore, and Andy Sonnanstine. But you usually aren't that lucky, and you're really just drafting organizational depth and lottery tickets.

The lottery tickets are generally high schoolers with strong college commitments, drafted on the off-chance they change their mind (or in the case of Phillies' 2008 38th rounder Jarred Cosart, $550,000 changes their mind). Every team has a list a mile long of players taken late, that they had little chance of signing, that turned into stars. The Dodgers drafted David Price in the 19th round in 2004. The Indians offered Tim Lincecum $700,000 to sign as a 42nd rounder in 2005 (he wanted $1 million), and the Cubs drafted him in the 48th round back in 2003.

The point is, the what-if game isn't often useful to play with the MLB Draft. But still... what if the Indians ponied up that extra $300k? Rays fans might find themselves asking the same type of question come June, when a few former picks by the team have their name called early. Let's look back at the 2009 draft, where most of the high schoolers taken are now draft eligible once again:

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A quick look at yesterday's minor league box scores including a blowout win for the Stone Crabs and a strong start by Alex Cobb...

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As the calendar flips to May, it's a good time check in with the system's top prospects. It's been a rough start for some affiliates (Durham just snapped a 13-game losing streak and sits at 7-18, Montgomery and Charlotte are below .500) but let's zero in on the pre-season top 10 as rated by BaseballAmerica:

1. Matt Moore (Tampa Bay Rays) - Slow starts are nothing unusual for Moore and while he isn't getting shelled, those expecting repeats of ALDS game 1 every five nights are disappointed. He seemed to find his fastball command over the last start, and it's worth noting that he's pitched against the Red Sox, Tigers, and Angels so far, and it wouldn't be a huge upset if those wound up as the AL's top three offenses. Upcoming starts against Seattle and Oakland can't hurt.
Stock: Holding steady

2. Hak-Ju Lee (Montgomery Biscuits) - He shrugged off a bout of the chicken pox to come out gangbusters with Charlotte last year. It's been a different story in 2012, off to a .248/.315/.327. The good news is that he's had multiple hits in five of his last six games and is hitting .333/.364/.476. Lefties are eating him up to the tune of a .143 BAA (4-28), but he's getting the bat on the ball against them with only six strikeouts.
Stock: Down ever so slightly - Not drawing conclusions after a month, or even two months taking into account his finish with Montgomery last season, but there are some issues. Then again, maybe he keeps ripping off multi-hit games and just happened to have a cold streak to open the year.

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The four minor league teams went 0-4 last night and were outscored 39-11 in the process. Gory details after the jump...

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You'll be hearing a lot about Tyler Goeddel, and rightfully so. He leads the Rays' system in OPS three weeks in despite being 19 years old and in the Midwest League (a notoriously tough league to hit in, particularly in April). And we're all excited by Felipe Rivero, who tops the system leaderboards in innings pitches (21.2) and earned runs allowed (that would be zero). But let's put dreams of next year's top 10 list aside for this week and take a look at some hot starts from the depth of the system, the guys who weren't dotting this offseason's lists.

1B Cameron Seitzer - The son of Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, Cameron seems like a chip off the block. Dad walked more than he struck out in a 12-year big league career, and Cameron has that box checked with Bowling Green so far (eleven walks, nine strikeouts). Seitzer has an identical .904 to his debut with Princeton last season, though he's relying much more on OBP than SLG this year. An 11th-round pick out of Oklahoma last year, Seitzer is hitting .297/.420/.485 in 77 games as a pro.

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I think eleven games is enough to make definitive statements about how the year for prospects will go, don't you? No? Well, here's a look at two hot and cold starts from the depths of the minors anyway.

All stats through Sunday 4/15

Running Hot:
3B Tyler Goeddel, Bowling Green - Pop quiz: After Taylor Guerrieri's $1.6M bonus, who got the most money from the Rays in last June's draft? No, it's not Mikie Mahtook, and it's not the third 1st-rounder, Jake Hager. It was California high schooler Tyler Goeddel who pocketed a $1.5M bonus. That's a good way to stand out. Hitting .406/.457/.688 is even better. He's had multiple hits in four of the Hot Rods' eight games so far, including a 4-6 performance with two home runs on Sunday. It goes without saying that 35 PAs is a miniscule sample size, but Goeddel's season started out positively by simply being assigned to full-season ball with no pro experience, the only high school draftee to do so under the current Rays regime (also consider that 2010 first rounders Josh Sale and Justin O'Conner remain in extended spring training). Here's a pre-draft scouting report on Goeddel from BaseballAmerica:

Tyler has a gangly and projectable 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame. He's also a well above-average runner, athletic enough to play third base, though his speed may be best utilized in center field. Goeddel has above-average arm strength and shows intriguing tools at the plate. He takes aggressive swings with bat speed, and his bat head stays in the hitting zone for a long time. Scouts have to project on Goeddel's power, but it's not hard to envision him hitting for at least average power as he adds muscle to his frame.

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I don't think there's much analysis to be done after just a weekend's worth of minor-league games, but early box score round-ups are up every day at DRaysBay, and John and myself will be providing prospect coverage throughout the season. You can also check out the minor league preview podcast at RaysProspects. But for today, I'm focusing on this afternoon's starter, Matt Moore. You can find Brad's season preview piece on Moore here.

I would introduce you to Moore's work, but he introduced himself pretty loudly last October, holding the Texas Rangers scoreless for seven innings in game 1 of the ALDS. Even to those familiar with Moore's dominant minor-league numbers, it was impressive. Following an off-season of articles declaring him the favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year, he makes his first start today. But Moore's terrific minor-league numbers mask one area where he's struggled: he's been a slow starter in terms of early-season performances.

He made his full-season debut in Bowling Green in 2009. The results in his first nine starts, spanning April and May:

IP: 35.1
Hits: 25 (6.37 H/9)
Earned Runs: 17 (4.33 ERA)
Walks: 33 (8.41 BB/9)
Strikeouts: 51 (12.99 K/9)

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It must be predictions week. As Steve posted about yesterday, we're rolling out the RaysProspects prediction series. Over at Rays Digest, John Gregg posted his predictions for pitching prospects in 2012. So continuing with that theme, here are 10 predictions for the 2012 minor league season:

1. Tying in with my prediction of Enny Romero being this year's breakout prospect, I see him leading the system in strikeouts as Matt Moore graduates. Admittedly, it's not much of a stretch as Romero trailed only Moore in strikeouts per 9 innings among starters last season (though Alex Torres had more total strikeouts). Torres should also see time in St. Pete, leaving Chris Archer and Alexander Colome as his main competition. Considering their similar profiles of plus-stuff, below-average control, it could come down to who's able to throw the most strikes and work deepest into games.

2. Oscar Hernandez will play with the Princeton Rays when the short-season leagues start in June. He'll flash potential but hit some rough patches, finishing with a slash line of around .290/.340/.460 -- more than solid for catcher in his age-18 season. Those expecting him to carry his domination from Venezuela over will be disappointed, but he'll work himself into the Rays top 20 prospects.

3. Best performer from the loaded 2011 draft class -- high school division -- will come from Tyler Goeddel with Princeton. He's a lean 6-4/180 so his home run power won't be near its peak yet, but his plus arm and athleticism will impress and he'll rank among the top three prospects in the Appalachian League.

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Prospect ranking season has pretty much ended, a sad time for those who eat those lists up (then we realize that actual games are starting and everything's cool again). The Rays lists have been discussed, dissected, injected, inspected, detected, infected, neglected and selected all off-season, but just because most lists stop at 10 (or 20 or 30) doesn't mean there aren't any farmhands worth talking about. Here are three that didn't make the BaseballAmerica top 30 list this off-season but could be squarely in the mix next year. The two biggest omissions, Josh Sale and Oscar Hernandez, don't exactly qualify as sleepers because of their respective 1st-round pedigree and massive VSL numbers, and it just happened that the first three players that popped into my mind were all of the same ilk, right-handed power pitchers.

Jesse Hahn - While the focus was on how Sale, Drew Vettleson, Justin O'Conner, and other top 2010 draftees did in their first full season in the organization, nobody seems to be talking about how the sixth-round pitcher who received a $525,000 bonus didn't strike out a single batter last season. Okay, so it was because Hahn was recovering from Tommy John surgery, but still. While visions of Will Kline (2007 second-rounder who got $513,00, pitched 29 innings and had nearly as many arm surgeries) might be fresh in Rays fans' minds -- or, y'know, not -- forget about Hahn at your own risk. Inconsistent in his first two seasons at Virginia Tech, he opened eyes by hitting 99 mph in the Cape Cod League in 2009 and followed it up with a junior season that had him in the mix for the first round before his elbow started barking.

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We've taken a look at the probable lineups for Durham, Montgomery, and Charlotte, and today we wrap up the series with a look at the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Thanks to the added emphasis on drafting hitters the past few years, the Hot Rods are slated to feature a line-up with the most name-brand guys. They have the most question marks at this point because the gap between sending a prospect to Bowling Green or extended spring training is much more significant than Charlotte or Bowling Green.

Catcher - Matt Rice, Justin O'Conner (?)

Wildcard #1, right off the bat. What to do with Justin O'Conner? Drafted in the first round in 2010, he signed quickly for $1.025 million. That means he's gotten in 96 game and nearly 400 plate appearances. The pedigree, bonus, and experience point toward a full-season assignment, but there are massive problems with his swing. In 197 PAs with Princeton last year, O'Conner struck out 78 times. He has good power when he happens to make contact, and has the tools to stick behind the plate, but whether he gets a ticket to Kentucky depends on his hit tool. For the Rays, it's a question of whether facing in-game pitching would help him more than two more months in Port Charlotte. Best guess: he winds up in extended spring, eventually going to Hudson Valley, but who knows? Matt Rice, a 2011 8th-rounder and Academic All-American with Western Kentucky, will be a hometown hero (WKU is located in Bowling Green and the Hilltoppers have played in the Hot Rods stadium). With the Renegades last season, Rice hit .286/.376/.370.

First Base - Jeff Malm

While fellow 2009 bonus babies Todd Glaesmann and Luke Bailey played (poorly) with the Hot Rods last season, Malm was kept in extended spring training before heading to Hudson Valley. He started very strong, including a .314/.435/.608 line in July, but faded badly with .668 and .528 OPSes in August and September. While his season line remained a solid .257/.382/.462, he's been relatively unimpressive in his career outside of that crazy July. He hit just .220/.296/.310 in 2010 for Princeton, so his hot month should be viewed with some skepticism. Facing full-season piching for the first time this year will be a telling test.

Second Base - Ryan Brett

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Spring Traning means finally getting to see James Shields, David Price, and Matt Moore pitch again after a long winter. It's our first look at acquisitions like Fernando Rodney, Burke Badenhop, and Josh Lueke. Prospects like Chris Archer, Wilking Rodriguez, and Albert Suarez will also pitch in. But with everyone on tight pich counts in March, the 40-man roster isn't enough to cover the needed innings. Enter the non-roster invitees. In years past, the Rays have made good use of the NRIs, bringing in Carlos Pena, Joaquin Benoit, Al Reyes, and Juan Cruz into camp under that classification.

This year, the odds don't look so good. The Rays have seven pitchers as NRIs. Marquis Fleming, Ryan Reid, Ricky Orta, and Matt Torra were with the organization last year (though Torra was released and then brought back) while Jhonny Nunez, Bryan Augenstein, and Romulo Sanchez are new faces. While none have a real path to a big-league spot, here's some info on the ones you might be unfamiliar with.

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In case you missed them, you can check out my pieces on Durham and Montgomery.

Catcher - Luke Bailey, Mayobanex Acosta

While Bailey struggled with injuries -- he played in just 74 games -- and performance -- he hit just .223/.294/.385 -- the Rays were aggressive in promoting him from the GCL to the Midwest Legaue from 2010 to 2011, and I think they'll continue that this year. There were some silver linings in Bailey's performance with the Hot Rods: The power was good, as he had 17 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs out of 55 hits. And he had weirdly extreme reverse splits as a right-handed hitter: Against lefties, he hit .125/.171/.181, but he hit .263/.342/.469 against righties. If he can repeat that vs. RHP line, or even improve upon it, while bringing with vs. LHP up from "hideously awful" to "below average," then he'll start to more closely resemble his pedigree, as he was thought of as the top high school catcher in the 2009 draft class before Tommy John surgery. Defensively, Bailey was strong, throwing out 40% of attempted basestealers. Mayo Acosta will probably ride the shuttle between Charlotte and Montgomery.

First Base - Phil Wunderlich

He doesn't have a typical 1B body at 6-0/225, but he's able to pack good power into that frame. Last year with the Hot Rods, he tied for the team lead in doubles with 34 and was second with 17 home runs. The Florida State League historically suppresses power, but his should still be able to show through. Overall as a prospect, however, his power doesn't quite measure up to where the top 1B prospects are, and his pure hit tool is a little short. After a .330 batting average in his debut with Princeton, he managed only .263 as below-average plate discipline/patience (just 34 walks in 132 games) held him back.

Second Base - Hector Guevara

Let Guevara serve as a bit of an enthusiasm-dampener for Oscar Hernandez. Guevara was the last heralded player to come through the Rays' VSL complex, hitting .330/.374/.534 in 2009 as a 17-year-old (though to put Hernandez's nutso season into context, Oscar's OPS was more than .300 points higher than Guevara's). But he's followed it up with two mainly disappointing seasons stateside, hitting .251/.308/.363 with Princeton and .248/.291/.372 last year. Expected to hit for good power, he's hit just five home runs since his eight in Venezuela, although injuries limited him to 69 games in 2011.

Shortstop - Derek Dietrich

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Continuing with our look at how the lineups might look for the Rays affiliates. If you missed Durham's, you can find it here. This week: Montgomery Biscuits.

Catcher - Mark Thomas, Craig Albernaz, David Wendt

Thomas was the regular catcher last season with Charlotte, where he hit .237/.299/.393. His name came up on a few Rule 5 preview pieces, but that had more to do with the shallow pool of talent in this year's draft than Thomas being a big prospect. He has decent defensive skills -- he's thrown out 41% of basestealers in his career and could've probably stuck in the majors as a defense-first backup, had he been selected -- but his bat hasn't taken the necessary steps forward since an .867 OPS in his 2007 debut with Princeton. He knocked a career-high 13 home runs with the Stone Crabs in 2011, but he doesn't hit or get on base enough to provide any real value with the stick. He's still young, entering his age 24 season, so he still has a shot to make the bigs as a back-up someday; failing that, he has a future as the next Nevin Ashley. Albernaz and Wendt are both org players, ready to be deployed wherever the Rays have a need for a catcher.

First Base - Henry Wrigley

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Just as we did with the pitchers, it's time to take a glance at how the full-season affiliate lineups might stack up, beginning with the Durham Bulls.

Catcher - Robinson Chirinos, Nevin Ashley

Catcher remains the position the Rays are most likely to upgrade before the season starts, but as of now the Jose duo of Molina and Lobaton seem to have spots on the major-league roster locked up. That leaves Chirinos, who hit .259/.343/.376 with the Bulls last season, and Nevin Ashley, who hit .263/.358/.384 between Montgomery and Durham. Ashley was DFA'd to make room for Luke Scott but cleared waivers and was outrighted to triple-A. If the Rays go with Molina and Lobaton, that leaves just Chirinos as the only true catcher on the 40-man roster. Stephen Vogt is listed as a catcher but has played fewer than a quarter of his career games behind the plate.

First Base - Juan Miranda, Leslie Anderson, Russ Canzler (?)

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Still over a month until pitchers and catchers report, even longer for minor leaguers, but we can already take a stab at how the rosters might shape up for the full-season affiliates. (Thanks to BurGi at RP for his post on this subject)

Durham Bulls
1. Chris Archer
2. Alex Cobb
3. Alex Torres
4. Nick Barnese
5.

With the extension signed, it looks like Matt Moore's days of riding the bus are over, leaving the local kid Chris Archer (born in Raleigh) the keys to the Bulls' ace slot. Archer made two starts with the Bulls late in 2011, followed by one more in the playoffs. Between the three, he struck out 23 in 18.2 innings, although walks were not surprisingly an issue. Archer may be the highest-touted, but it wouldn't be a shock if he were outperformed by two faces familiar to Bulls fan in Alex Cobb and Alex Torres. Cobb posted a 1.87 ERA in 67.1 innings with Durham last year, earning a promotion to the majors. A rib injury combined with a clogged big-league rotation likely means a trip back to Durham, though he should be in the race for the #5 spot in spring training. Nick Barnese saw his rate stats collapse with Montgomery last season (just a 1.60 K/BB) and may be sent back. The final spot is up for grabs between Richard De Los Santos, Matt Torra, and Jim Paduch.

Montgomery Biscuits
1. Alex Colome
2. Jake Thompson
3. Joe Cruz
4. Kyle Lobstein
5. Shane Dyer/Frank De Los Santos

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As I did last year, I've gone through the AL East farm systems and come up with a list of the division's top 25 prospects.
1. Matt Moore, LHP, Rays - A pretty easy choice at #1 as he's the best pitching prospect in baseball. He showed he was major-league ready by shutting down the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, and with the ink dry on his contract extension, seems have to a clear path to an opening-day rotation slot.

2. Jesus Montero, C, Yankees - Like Moore, the Yankees "catcher" showed he could hack it in the big leagues late last season, blasting four home runs in 18 games. There aren't any worries about his bat, but he may never be able to handle everyday catching duties. Even if he's limited to rotating between C, 1B, and DH, he's a potential all-star.

3. Dylan Bundy, RHP, Orioles - The fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft, Bundy scraped 100 mph with his fastball in high school, and yet it may be his polish and pitchability that earn more praise. He lacks a typical power-pitcher build at 6-1/200, but he's athletic and already has a deep repertoire, which should help him move quickly.

4. Manny Machado, SS, Orioles - Injuries limited Machado to just 101 games in 2011, but he impressed enough to hit his way to the high-A Carolina League as an 18-year-old. He's not a flashy defender or plus runner, but he gets the job done and his bat is special for a shortstop.

5. Travis d'Arnaud, C, Blue Jays - Part of the return for Roy Halladay, d'Arnaud broke through in 2011 with a .311/.371/.542 line for double-A New Hampshire. He also rated as the circuit's top defensive catcher and should be ready to displace J.P Arencibia in 2013.

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The Rule 5 draft will be held at the Winter Meetings on December 8, and here are three Rays that may be taken:

RHP Marquis Fleming - The change-up artist struck out 105 in 82.2 innings in 2011, mainly for Montgomery, and boasts a 10.8 career K/9. He's also shown an ability to limit hits, with 193 allowed in 255 career innings, mitigated somewhat by 118 walks. His lack of a plus fastball -- it's straight and in the 88-92 range -- was likely a big factor in his being left off the 40-man roster, but his track record of missing bats, especially considering his strikeouts didn't drop off much with a promotion to double-A, could entice a team to take a chance on him as a 7th reliever. He's sort of a one-trick pony with his change-up, but at some point he'll get a chance to show if that's enough, and it could come as soon as 2012 if he's selected.

OF Kyeong Kang - Like Fleming, Kang had some success with Montgomery in 2011. After a lost season with Charlotte, Kang rebuild his prospect stock some by hitting .263/.384/.437 for the Biscuits. He lacks the range to play center and his hit and power tools might be a little short for a corner spot, but he may be worth a shot for a team that can afford to hide him as a fourth outfielder and hope he can become a decent platooner (he hit .270/.398/.470 against righties last year). Injuries may turn teams off to Kang, as he's yet to play in more than 100 games in a season.

RHP Joseph Cruz - The Rays protected Wilking Rodriguez, who like Cruz is a righty with a live arm who battled injuries in 2011. Cruz was a disaster out of the gate, allowing 44 runs and 75 hits in 47 innings for the Biscuits before being put on the shelf with a shoulder injury. He made it back by the end of the year with the GCL Rays and Charlotte for 27 innings, but still didn't quite resemble the guy who struck out 230 and walked 65 in 240 innings between 2009 and 2010. His injuries and performance will turn teams off, but someone may fall in love with the 6'4" 190 frame and a fastball that's touched 94-95 in the past.

Quick Hits:

C Mark Thomas - Sound defensive backstops are always in play for the rule 5 draft, but Thomas hasn't played above high-A and hasn't hit much anyway.

RHP Nick Barnese - His walk rate fell from 1.9 per 9 with Charlotte in 2010 to 4.4 for the Biscuits last year.

The AFL season came to a close with the Rays-laden Surprise Saguaros falling in the championship game after leading the league with 26 wins in the regular season. Here are the final stats for the Rays prospects that played, along with how my opinion has either changed or been confirmed by the small sample:

SS Tim Beckham: He got the most at-bats of the three position players, hitting .244/.364/.489 in 90 ABs. He drew 15 walks and struck out 25 times, and twelve of his 22 hits went for extra bases (six doubles, two triples, and four home runs). After finishing the season with Durham where he had a sub-.300 OBP, the walks were nice to see, though he'll have to show he can maintain them, something he didn't do from 2010 to 2011.

OF Mikie Mahtook: The first-rounder shook off some early rust to finish with a .338/.410/.544 line in 64 ABs. In his final ten (of 18) games, he hit .421/.488/.789. Mahtook also stole five bases, and was caught once. Tough to draw any conclusions, but you'd rather a guy hit well than not, and Mahtook took care of that. At this point I'd be surprised if he doesn't start 2012 in Charlotte.

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We talked about the top prospects, but in a system as deep as the Rays the conversation can continue to 20, 30, and beyond. Today we focus on the "beyond," the prospects who aren't like to show up on a lot of Top 30 lists but you (or I) feel warrants mentioning nonetheless. Here are two of mine, plus some other possibilities:

RHP Scott Shuman - It's been so long since last year's lists, who can remember who ranked Shuman as the 13th-best pitching prospect in the system? I certainly don't. What's that? It was me? Huh. In 2010, Shuman struck out just under 37% of hitters, which translated to a 13.9 K/9. He boosted that to an insane 15.0 in 2011 with Charlotte, but only because his BB% jumped from a borderline-acceptable 12.8% (4.9 BB/9) to a Neighborgallian 24.2% (10.3 BB/9). Yes, he walked more than a hitter per inning, 59 in 51.2 innings.

With a fastball and slider that rate at least as plus pitches from a pure stuff standpoint, it's pretty easy to like Shuman as a sleeper. In 147.2 career innings, he's allowed only 96 hits while striking out 229. The hope here is that he can get his walks down to at least the 2010 level, where he'd be the proverbial "effectively wild." (Shuman escaped 2011 with a 4.70 ERA despite all the walks, but he owes a lot of that to the relievers who stranded his runners when he couldn't finish innings). It's possible he does get consideration for the tail-end of some top 30 lists just because of his stuff, but as a 24-year-old reliever whose control fell apart, it's unlikely. But he's worth keeping an eye on and holding out hope that he can become Craig Kimbrel-lite: Kimbrel struck out 242 and walked 95 in 151 minor-league innings.

SS Juniel Querecuto - When the Rays have success in the Latin America market, it's been with lesser-heralded players such as Alex Colome and Enny Romero. Their bigger-ticket players have mostly flopped so far in their careers, most notably Million-Dollar-Man Cesar Perez, who's hit .160 in two seasons so far. Querecuto, the son former minor-leaguer Juan, got a bonus of more than $500k in 2009. Playing with Hudson Valley, he posted an anemic-looking 241/.292/.303 line, but my reason for optimism is this: Before a terrible month of August, he did hit .274 with twelve walks in 38 games. He's small at 5-9/155 and doesn't hit for power nor project to, but he show an ability to put the bat on the ball as he struck out 45 times 70 games. Querecuto isn't in a position to suddenly burst on the scene, but with continued development of his body and tools, he could slowly start to climb up the team's prospect ranks.

Quick Hits:

2B Robby Price - OBP nerds rejoice! Price walked 86 times in 127 games for Bowling Green and has a .429 OBP in 184 games.

IF Taylor Motter - The next Tyler Bortnick? The two share an alma mater in Coastal Carolina, and Motter hit .314/.425/.479 in his debut.

LHP Matt Moore - You know, I'm not sure why more people aren't talking about this guy. Stats look good and I've heard his stuff is all right.

1B John Alexander - He'll be overlooked by all the first rounders from the 2011 draft, but he's big and athletic. Of course, as a 1B prospect he'll need to mash.

The Durham Bulls could have (*sigh*) Matt Moore and Tim Beckham. Montgomery will feature Hak-Ju Lee and Alex Colome. Charlotte could boast Enny Romero and Derek Dietrich and Bowling Green should have Drew Vettleson and Parker Markel. But the affiliate I'm looking forward to the most for 2012 is rookie-level Princeton. Thanks to the huge 2011 draft haul, their roster projects to be interesting prospects nearly top-to-bottom. Check out this (very, very, insanely early) projection, which of course could look nothing like this if the Rays are more aggressive with some picks:

C Oscar Hernandez - The Rays last big Venezuelan sensation, Hector Guevara, skipped the GCL and debuted in the States with Princeton. And Hernandez's VSL numbers dwarf Guevara's.

1B John Alexander - Big (6-5/200), athletic (was a talented volleyball player in high school) first baseman was the Rays' 8th round pick back in June and hit two home runs in 12 games with the GCL Rays.

2B Julian Morillo - He's underwhelmed to say the least with a .206 batting average in two years with the GCL Rays, but he did command a six-figure bonus as a 16-year-old.

SS Jake Hager/Brandon Martin - It's likely the Rays split the 32nd and 38th overall picks up so each can play every day, the only question is if Hager plays with Hudson Valley (and Martin in Princeton) or Princeton (and Martin in the GCL), with a small chance Hager makes it to Bowling Green.

3B Tyler Goeddel - His $1.5 million signing bonus trailed only Taylor Guerrieri's of the Rays' 2011 draftees. Cesar Perez, who got $1 million himself, has hit .418 in two GCL seasons and is ready to be challenged and could split time with Goeddel. Wait... that's a .418 OPS in two seasons. Nevermind.

LF Johnny Eierman - He has the speed to handle center but defers to James Harris and his arm isn't as good as Granden Goetzman's. But he might be the best hitter of the trio.

CF James Harris - There's a chance, because of his rawness, he repeats the GCL where he hit just .165 in his debut.

RF Granden Goetzman - Drew comparisons to Jayson Werth and Jay Buhner in the spring, but battled injuries and never got on track in the GCL.

The pitching staff won't be as deep as the hitting is, but it could be the landing point for Taylor Guerrieri. Some teams would probably have Guerrieri pitch in the Midwest League, but the Rays have a track record of being conservative and, beyond that, have shown a preference for Princeton over Hudson Valley. Supplemental 1st rounder Blake Snell, 10th rounder Jacob Faria, and Czech Republican Stepan Havlicek are other likely rotation members.

Which affiliates are you looking forward to most next year? If you have any questions on where a player is likely headed, feel free to ask in the comments.