Brent Honeywell was probably ready to pitch in the major leagues sometime last year, but the Rays are notorious for taking is slow with their prospects, especially pitching prospects. Honeywell spend most of 2017 in AAA Durham where he put up terrific numbers: 12-8, 3.64, 123.2 IP, 11.06 K/9, 2.77 BB/9, 2.84 FIP, 2.77 xFIP. Honeywell was drafted in round 2 of the 2014 draft out of JC ball and has marched up the Rays farm system. He has an average pitcher's build at 6'2", 180 lbs. While he does not have eye-popping velocity, he succeeds with excellent command of a somewhat unconventional 3-pitch mix, FB, screwball and changeup with a curveball that has potential. Yes, you read that right. He main secondary pitch is a screwball which he learned from his father who is Mike Marshall's cousin. Yeah, THAT Mike Marshall!
The screwball and changeup both move away from LH batters and in to RH batters, so the concern with Honeywell is whether he will have a strong reverse split and whether he needs more time to develop a pitch that moves away from RH batters. If I remember correctly, Mike Marshall didn't let that bother him and just threw the screwball at the back foot of RH batters. That's an interesting sub-story with Honeywell.
The Rays will likely make him start 2018 back in AAA until they have an extra year of control on his contract, but he will almost certainly be up by mid-season and should be rostered in most fantasy baseball formats.
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