Faria was a 10th round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2011 draft. After some struggles in 2012, Faria rebounded strongly and established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the Rays system. In the years that followed, Faria gained more attention, landing as high as eighth on the Rays prospect rankings by Baseball America.
Faria produced one of the loudest pitcher seasons in the minors in 2015, going 17-4, 1.92 with a 1.04 WHIP and strikeout rate of 9.6 batters per nine innings, all of which ranked among the best in full-season ball.