Garrett Whitley

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #9 prospect in 2018
  The 13th overall pick in 2015, Whitley impressed the Rays with his tools, headlined by raw power and speed. Tampa Bay made him the highest high school pick out of New York state since the Indians took Manny Ramirez in 1991. The organization expected his inexperience against top competition to affect his early progress, but they loved the way he rebounded from an 11-for-60 slow start at low Class A Bowling Green in 2017. After hitting .183 with one home run in April, Whitley batted .262 with an .827 OPS the rest of the way. Whitley possesses plus bat speed that led to 35 extra-base hits in his first taste of a full-season league. He feasts on fastballs and makes hard contact against premium velocity. Curveballs provide more of a challenge, with Whitley prone to getting fooled and chasing pitches outside the strike zone and creating a high swing-and-miss rate. He struck out 29 percent of the time in 2017, but scouts believe game experience will reduce that total. He's a plus-plus runner who was thrown out just four times in 25 steal attempts, even though he's still learning to read pitchers. He's a consistent defender in center field who covers the gaps well and has above-average arm strength. Whitley is still a work in progress as he continues to improve his pitch recognition and pitch selection. His next challenge will come at high Class A Charlotte in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League to start 2018.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #10 prospect in 2017
  Whitley wasn't a huge name on the amateur showcase circuit, but he broke out late in the summer as a rising senior, then showed clubs enough in 2015 to put himself in first-round consideration, where the Rays popped him 13th overall. Tampa Bay in 2016 held Whitley back in extended spring training after a hamstring injury, and he reported to short-season Hudson Valley when healthy. Whitley's exposure to high-level competition was extremely limited before he turned pro. He has elite bat speed, with scouts grading it as plus or plus-plus, so he is able to generate plus raw power, though he still is learning how to use it in games. Whitley tinkered with his mechanics at points in 2016, beginning the season with a wide-open stance as he focused on recognizing pitches and tracking the ball deeper into the hitting zone. He is prone to swinging and missing and will sometimes expand his strike zone, though he seemed to have made progress as he got into the routine of playing daily. In his final 30 games, Whitley hit .314/.394/.479. He is a plus runner who runs very well underway, and he showed improved arm strength this summer, with his arm and range in center field grading as above-average. Whitley appears poised for an assignment to low Class A Bowling Green in 2017. He shapes up as a classic boom-or-bust toolsy outfielder.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #5 prospect in 2016
  Whitley was not a big name on the high school showcase circuit until late in the summer leading up to his senior year in 2015. He picked up steam with an impressive workout at the tryouts for the Northeast Area Code team, and he showed explosive tools at the Area Code Games and East Coast Pro showcase. The Rays developed an affinity for the tooled-up Whitley and signed him for just shy of $3 million as the 13th overall pick in 2015. Whitley is an exceptional athlete, armed with plus bat speed and plus speed. His righthanded bat comes with easy over-thefence power, and he has made steady adjustments to his swing in the past year. The utility of his power will dictate his ceiling. His exposure to high-level competition remains limited, and it could take him some time to learn how to use his explosive bat speed. Despite hitting just .174 in 42 games, Whitley advanced to short-season Hudson Valley and recorded an excellent walk-to-strikeout ratio of 21-to-37. He also can impact the game with his legs, for he's a plus runner whose speed plays well in center field. While a jump to low Class A Bowling Green in 2016 is possible, Whitley appears more likely to open in extended spring training before a return to the New York-Penn League.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #7 prospect in 2015 draft
  Following his junior year at Niskayuna (N.Y.) High, Whitley was a fast-twitch athlete, with a raw swing and tools that he wasn't quite able to use yet. Whitley's tools earned him a spot on the Northeast's Area Code and East Coast Pro teams, where he took advantage of instruction from pro scouts and blossomed into a first-round talent. Whitley held his own at both events, loosening up his wrists and showing off even more bat speed, while showing surprisingly advanced pitch recognition skills for a player from upstate New York. With wide shoulders and powerful hands, Whitley is now able to impact the ball with authority, and he's beginning to tap into the natural power in his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame. The Wake Forest commit mixes his impressive pitch recognition and timing with elite bat speed, giving him all the materials to develop into a plus hitter with above-average potential. What separates Whitley is his plus speed; despite his physically mature frame, Whitley records plus run times to first base and takes gazelle-like strides in center field. The only tool of Whitley's that doesn't project as plus is his throwing arm. Some evaluators grade it as average while others have seen a fringe-average arm. Whitley has an impressive sixth tool in his makeup, which he's evidenced with the ability to receive coaching and implement changes.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Midwest League #18 prospect in 2017
  The raw power-speed material that made Whitley the 13th overall pick in 2015 was more apparent in 2017, despite an 11-for-60 start to the season. Whitley's plus bat speed showed up as more in-game power and he showed aptitude in pitch recognition. His plus speed continued to play well on the bases. However, he is still too prone to expanding the zone, resulting in a 28.6 percent strikeout percentage, although that came with a .182 isolated power, which was by far his best. Whitley had limited exposure to high-caliber competition before he turned pro, so his skill set remains far from its ceiling. Scouts noted that his inexperience was especially noticeable against spin, as Whitley had trouble recognizing curveballs and would flinch at times. That said, he showed an ability to crush fastballs. In the field is where Whitley shines most consistently, showing an above-average arm and defense in center field. Those survival tools should buy time for his bat to develop.
• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #18 prospect in 2016
  The No. 13 overall pick in 2015, Whitley is still learning how to best utilize his raw tools and started out of the gate slowly this year, due in part to lingering hamstring issues. He went 30-for-135 (.222) in the first two months of his season before finally finding an offensive rhythm in August, during which he batted .324/.400/.500 in 102 at-bats. Whitley has plus bat speed and shows plus raw power in batting practice, but that power hasn't yet translated into games. He opened up his batting stance this season, which has made it more difficult for him to get to pitches on the outside corner. "He's got a very, very open stance--almost Tony Bautista-like," a scout said. "Anything on the outer half he couldn't reach." Though he showed plus run times in high school, Whitley is more of an average runner now. But he has enough speed and the instincts to handle center field, and his fringy arm strength has shown improvement. Far from a finished product, Whitley has plenty of upside as a center field prospect with power, but he'll need to find a more workable approach at the plate.
• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #7 prospect in 2015
  After the Rays drafted Whitley with the 13th overall pick and signed him for just shy of $3 million, he struggled in his pro debut. He also went from facing New York high school competition to playing in the Florida summer heat in the big ballparks of the GCL with one-third of his games against a top-notch Red Sox pitching staff. Whitley has strong, quick hands and generates premium bat speed. He didn't perform this summer, and some scouts thought he looked overmatched and got caught up over-swinging, though he took his walks, didn't swing and miss excessively and showed some power in games. He has broad shoulders and above-average power, hitting a few deep home runs during the season. His pitch recognition is advanced for his age, though he will need more at-bats to get used to the speed of the pro game. A good athlete with above-average speed and a fringy arm, Whitley should stick in center field. He's diligent about his defensive work, power shagging every day in the outfield before games.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Whitley wasn't a huge name on the amateur showcase circuit, but he broke out late in the summer as a rising senior, then showed clubs enough in 2015 to put himself in first-round consideration, where the Rays popped him 13th overall. Tampa Bay in 2016 held Whitley back in extended spring training after a hamstring injury, and he reported to short-season Hudson Valley when healthy. Scouting Report: Whitley's exposure to high-level competition was extremely limited before he turned pro. He has elite bat speed, with scouts grading it as plus or plus-plus, so he is able to generate plus raw power, though he still is learning how to use it in games. Whitley tinkered with his mechanics at points in 2016, beginning the season with a wide-open stance as he focused on recognizing pitches and tracking the ball deeper into the hitting zone. He is prone to swinging and missing and will sometimes expand his strike zone, though he seemed to have made progress as he got into the routine of playing daily. In his final 30 games, Whitley hit .314/.394/.479. He is a plus runner who runs very well underway, and he showed improved arm strength this summer, with his arm and range in center field grading as above-average.
  
  The Future: Whitley appears poised for an assignment to low Class A Bowling Green in 2017. He shapes up as a classic boom-or-bust toolsy outfielder.