2025 Draysbay Community Prospect Review: Ian Seymour

Before the start of each season, the Draysbay community engages in a popular vote to rank the top prospects within the Tampa Bay Rays organization. This year, the community ranked the top 25 prospects, with several others receiving votes but narrowly missing the cut.

With the 2025 season now concluded, we can reflect on the performance of each prospect and assess whether their stock has risen, remained stable, or declined over the past few months.

Important Note: This review does not re-rank the Rays' top prospects but rather examines the prospects in the order they were ranked at the beginning of the season. Additionally, I will not feature players no longer associated with the Rays organization.

17: Ian Seymour

Pre-Season Assessment:

Danny's initial evaluation of Seymour before the season began:

"The Rays' other Virginia Tech graduate with a cheerful demeanor (I'm referring to Erik) possesses a distinctive pitching style, featuring a high-over-the-top motion that demands unusual hip movement and a powerful head jerk. While it's not a technique I'd recommend to my kids, Seymour's consistent success speaks volumes. After a successful recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2023, he emerged as one of the top ten pitchers in minor league baseball, accumulating 162 strikeouts across Double- and Triple-A, fully restoring his pre-surgery velocity and 92 mph fastball. His changeup is a standout, tunneling exceptionally well with his fastball, but he excels when utilizing multiple TTO pitches, offering a variety of breaking balls."

2025 Season Performance:

• Return to Triple-A Durham: Seymour resumed his stellar form in 2025, earning a promotion to the major leagues in June. He made his big league debut, pitching two scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox.
• Brief Minor League Stint: Seymour's stay in the minors was brief, as he rejoined the Rays in mid-July and remained on the active roster for the remainder of the season, despite being optioned and recalled the following day.
• Transition to Starter Role: Over the final weeks of the regular season, Seymour transitioned from a relief pitcher to a starting pitcher, contributing significantly to the Rays' success.

Monthly Statistics:

• April:
  • AAA: 2.01 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 29.9 K%, 6.3 BB%, .226 AVG, 31.1 IP, 5/6 GS/G
• May:
  • AAA: 4.56 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 37.4 K%, 6.5 BB%, .263 AVG, 23.2 IP, 5/5 GS/G
• June:
  • AAA: 1.78 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 21.2 K%, 5.1 BB%, .202 AVG, 25.1 IP, 4/4 GS/G
  • MLB: 0.00 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 22.2 K%, 22.2 BB%, .000 AVG, 2 IP, 0/1 G/GS
• July:
  • AAA: 1.59 ERA, 1.73 FIP, 21.7 K%, 0.0 BB%, .304 AVG, 5.2 IP, 1/1 GS/G
  • MLB: 2.08 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 20.0 K%, 2.9 BB%, .242 AVG, 8.2 IP, 0/6 GS/G
• August:
  • MLB: 3.57 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 36.3 K%, 7.7 BB%, .190 AVG, 22.2 IP, 2/7 GS/G
• September:
  • MLB: 4.56 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 20.6 K%, 8.4 BB%, .250 AVG, 23.2 IP, 3/5 GS/G

2025 Season Summary:
AAA: 2.62 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 29.2 K%, 5.6 BB%, .236 AVG, 14.9 WHIFF%, 86 IP, 15/16 GS/G
MLB: 3.63 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 26.4 K%, 7.9 BB%, .218 AVG, 12.1 WHIFF%, 57 IP, 5/19 GS/G

The 27-year-old Seymour, a former second-round draft pick, is poised to compete for a spot in the starting rotation in 2026. However, the current rotation's limited space makes it uncertain whether the Rays will retain Seymour as a starter or revert him to a relief role.

Stock Assessment:
- Improving: Seymour's performance in 2025, particularly his transition to a starting pitcher role, suggests a positive trajectory.
- Stable: His consistent performance across different levels of competition indicates stability.
- Falling: The limited space in the current rotation could potentially impact Seymour's future prospects.