There was a point in time for Rays fans long before the Wander Francos and other super prospects we now know in the system, where Brent Honeywell Jr. was the crown jewel of the Rays’ system. He and Willy Adames were the type of prospects that represented hope and promise for the Rays future and kept many fans excited through those dreary mid-2010s.
…And when I say Honeywell was a super prospect, I mean he was ranked as high around 12th on the top 100 rankings at his peak in the minors. The type of raw talent and polish he showed as a future frontline starter was out of this world. His unique arsenal of pitches were all at least above average mixed with his unicorn type screwball, making him extremely talked about in the world of scouting. The future couldn’t look any brighter for him after pitching fantastically in the 2017 MLB Futures Game and winning the game’s MVP honors. He followed that up by absolutely dominating in the Triple-A playoffs and leading Durham to victory in the Governor’s Cup.
Then the floor fell from underneath his feet. In one of the unluckiest chain of injuries ever seen with prospects, Honeywell was sidelined with a myriad of elbow injuries and never pitched a professional game for three years. It was heartbreaking. You had this team finally unlocking their potential and winning ballgames, en route to playoff appearances with this core of young, homegrown guys yet without him. Adames became the starting shortstop, leading voice, and a face for the ball club. Brandon Lowe was given an extension after just 43 games. He was named an All-Star and eventually earned MVP votes in just two brief seasons. So many other names from the system were all contributing at a high level, except for Honeywell. It got to a point where he was all but an afterthought amongst all the exciting pitching prospects rising in the system, leaving him in the dust.
The Rays faithful and front office certainly never forgot him though. After working hard to build himself back from the injuries, Honeywell finally got his chance. The tale of the star prospect who could never reach his potential because of unfortunate luck was tired. But, the tale of that prospect who overcame so much adversity to make it to the big league level is the one we should now all focus on. On April 11, 2021, Honeywell made his debut, and though it wasn’t much it was beautiful. Two perfect innings against a juggernaut Yankee lineup was already enough to make you watch in awe but I think for most Rays fans, just seeing him pitch in the Trop and realizing this was really happening was the most exciting thing.
In that outing, Honeywell threw just 21 pitches (14 strikes, 67% strike rate), although he was impressive. He didn’t allow a baserunner and struck out a pair of batters. He also showed excellent command of his arsenal which included his mid-80s screwball/changeup and an easy mid-90s fastball. The right-hander looked cool, calm, and collected — almost like a seasoned veteran — and he even perfected that big-league strikeout strut. Honeywell was optioned back to the Alternate Training Site in Port Charlotte following the game, however, that shouldn’t diminish all the blood, sweat, and tears that led up to his major league after three-and-a-half long years of rest and rehabilitation.
Honeywell is officially now a part of this current Rays team’s future. I think he put it best in one of his quotes when he said, “I’m not injury-prone, I’m a pitcher.” As simple as that sounds, it’s true. It’s time to stop looking back at the past so much because the future is finally here.