DRB Prospect Review: #11 Colton Ledbetter
It was a solid campaign for the potential five-tool outfielder
Over the offseason, the Draybay community takes part in an exercise in which we compile a list of 30 prospects in the Rays system based on popular vote.
Now that the 2024 season has concluded, we can look back at these rankings and see how each individual player performed.
Reminder, this is a review of the prospects ranked heading into the 2024 season. This is not an updated ranking. Draysbay will begin the voting for the 2025 community top prospects later this offseason.
We have already covered the following:
- #30. Erick Lara.
- #29. Kenny Piper
- #28. Tanner Murray
- #27. Jacob Lopez
- #26. Marcus Johnson
- #25. Cole Wilcox
- #24. Dru Baker
- #23. Trevor Martin
- #22. Joe Rock
- #21. Ian Seymour
- #20. Tre’ Morgan
- #19. Brailer Guerrero
- #18. Jose Urbina
- #17. Mason Auer
- #16. Adrian Santana
- #15. Chandler Simpson
- #14. Osleivis Basabe
- #13. Mason Montgomery
- #12. Austin Shenton
We resume the reviews at #11.
11. Colton Ledbetter
Before the Season
22 | BT: L/R | 6’ 1” | 205
Rk-A | .274/.377/.438 (.815 OPS, 117 wRC+ in A) 86 PA, 2 HR, 3 SB
Considered a top prospect in the 2023 draft, Ledbetter fell to round two unexpectedly and the Rays scooped him up at 55th overall. A five-tool prospect with the instincts and range for center field, Ledbetter made contact in the style of Yandy Diaz in his first foray as a pro, meaning he has yet to find much loft in his power stroke now that he’s traded in his metal bat for a wooden one, despite consistent hard contact and full plate coverage with his swing. Even if that never changes, it’s a high floor profile with a safer major league projection than most prospects in the system.
How it Went
Soon to be 23-year old Colton Ledbetter improved in almost all facets of his game in 2024. Although he remained in High-A for the entire season, Ledbetter was able to showcase a solid contact ability, tap into his raw power, and steal plenty of bases. His strikeouts could be a bit worrisome, but overall it was a solid campaign for Ledbetter. Among 90 players with at least 400 PA in High-A, Ledbetter ranked 2nd in SLG% and 7th in wRC+.
Final 2024 Statline
A+: .273/.339/.484 | 16 HR | 34 SB | 28.3 K% | 8.1 BB% | 130 wRC+ | 446 PA