Winter League Stats Update (through 10/31)

Here are the current statistics for the Winter Leagues:

BATTERS           LG   AVG  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI   OBP   SLG   OPS
Leslie Anderson  AFL  .326  43 14  3  0  1   8  .362  .465  .827
Tyler Bortnick   COL  .222   9  2  0  0  0   1  .462  .222  .684
Angel Chavez     LMP  .273  55 15  5  0  1  12  .388  .418  .806
Chris De La Cruz DWL  .000   5  0  0  0  0   0  .000  .000  .000
Elliot Johnson   LMP  .237  59 14  3  1  2   4  .308  .424  .731
Jose Lobaton     VWL  .667   6  4  1  0  1   3  .750 1.333 2.083
Dioner Navarro   LWP  .000   0  0  0  0  0   0  .000  .000  .000
Justin Ruggiano  LMP  .278  18  5  0  0  0   0  .350  .278  .628
Jose Ruiz        AFL  .320  50 16  0  0  0   4  .346  .320  .666
Stephen Vogt     COL  .429  14  6  0  0  3   6  .467 1.071 1.538
Henry Wrigley    AFL  .208  53 11  3  0  1   9  .222  .321  .543 

PITCHERS             LG  W  L   ERA  G GS SV   IP  H ER SO BB  WHIP   BAA
Brian Baker         VWL  0  0  0.00  0  0  0  0.0  0  0  0  0  0.00  .000
Joe Bateman         VWL  0  0  0.00  0  0  0  0.0  0  0  0  0  0.00  .000
Alex Cobb           AFL  0  1  4.85  4  4  0 13.0 15  7 14  4  1.46  .283
Alex Colome         DWL  0  0  0.00  1  0  0  1.0  0  0  1  1  1.00  .000
Sergio Espinosa     AFL  0  0  3.18  5  0  0  5.2  7  2  6  2  1.59  .318
Marquis Fleming     COL  1  0  6.75  2  0  1  1.1  1  1  1  1  1.50  .200
Jeremy Hall         AFL  0  0 13.50  1  0  0  1.1  3  2  0  2  3.75  .429
Carlos Hernandez    VWL  1  0  0.00  3  0  0  4.1  3  0  3  1  0.92  .188
Deivis Mavarez      VWL  0  0  0.00  0  0  0  0.0  0  0  0  0  0.00  .000
Rayner Oliveros     VWL  0  1 13.50  1  0  0  0.2  2  1  0  1  4.50 1.000
Ramon Ortiz         DWL  0  0  0.00  0  0  0  0.0  0  0  0  0  0.00  .000
Aneury Rodriguez    DWL  1  0  0.00  2  2  0 11.1  4  0 13  2  0.53  .108
Neil Schenk         AFL  1  0  1.00  5  0  0  9.0  8  1  1  2  1.11  .242
Dale Thayer         VWL  0  0  1.80  7  0  0  5.0  7  1  3  2  1.80  .333

Saturday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 1 for 4 with 2 RBI’s and a run scored.
Jose Ruiz was 4 for 5 with 3 RBI’s and a run scored.





Venezuelan Winter League
Jose Lobaton was 4 for 4 with a double, home run, 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.
Dale Thayer pitched 2/3 of an inning allowing no runs on 2 hits.






Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.





Dominican Winter League
Chris De La Cruz was 1 for 4.






Liga Paralela Rays
Alejandro Segovia was 4 for 4 with a double, 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.
Franklin Paz was 3 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.
Ismel Antunez was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.
Felix Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a double, 2 RBI’s and a walk.
Luis Yendis pitched 5 shut-out innings with 3 strikeouts for the win.

Friday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 1 for 5 with 3 strikeouts.
Alex Cobb fell to 0-1 on the season, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits with 3 strikeouts and a walk.
Jose Ruiz was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Henry Wrigley was 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored.




Venezuelan Winter League
Dale Thayer pitched 1/3 of an inning, striking out the only hitter he faced.






Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 1 for 3 with a walk.





Dominican Winter League
Aneury Rodriguez improved to 1-0 by throwing 6 1/3 shut-out innings allowing just 1 hit while striking out 6 and walking 2.




Colombian Winter League (from 10/27)
Tyler Bortnick was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.
Stephen Vogt was 3 for 5 with 3 home runs.

Personal Top 30 Lists - My Working List

2011 Top 30 Prospects

As I said in the comments to yesterday's post, today I'll post my working list as I cut down towards the Top 30. The list is still quite large; all I've trimmed off is players who obviously had no shot. Some parts have been worked on more than others, so just because a guy still is on this list doesn't necessarily mean I like him more than everyone who has been cut, I just might not have gotten to him yet. Also, these are in no particular order.

Position Players (41):

Cesar Perez, Travis Flores, Jake DePew, Jake Jefferies, Deshun Dixon, Juniel Querecuto, Jeff Malm, Kyeong Kang, Chris Murrill, Josh Sale, Drew Vettleson, Justin O'Conner, Luke Bailey, Brian Bryles, Matt Sweeney, Hector Guevara, Matt Fields, Nevin Ashley, Todd Glaesmann, Tim Beckham, Mark Thomas, Cesar Guillen, Ryan Wiegand, Isaias Velasquez, Ty Morrison, Cody Rogers, Desmond Jennings, Derek Dietrich, Brett Nommensen, Stephen Vogt, Ryan Brett, Henry Wrigley, Cody Cipriano, Jose Ruiz, Alex Diaz, Reid Fronk, Robby Price, Elliot Johnson, Kevin Kiermaier, Phil Wunderlich, Tyler Bortnick.

Pitchers (43):

Ian Kendall, Jason McEachern, Josh Satow, David Newmann, Frank De Los Santos, Merrill Kelly, Alex Koronis, Wilking Rodriguez, Kyle Lobstein, Eliazer Suero, Eduar Quinonez, Alex Colome, Aneury Rodriguez, Alex Torres, Kirby Yates, Albert Suarez, Matt Moore, Jacob Partridge, Jake McGee, Nick Barnese, Darin Downs, Steve Hiscock, Scott Shuman, Marcus Jensen, Nate Garcia, Joseph Cruz, Neil Schenk, Wilmer Almonte, Jeremy Hellickson, Shane Dyer, Alex Cobb, Zach Rosscup, Jimmy Patterson, Marquis Fleming, Pedro Silvestre, CJ Riefenhauser, Braulio Lara, Enny Romero, Brandon Henderson, Zach Quate, Matt Spann, Jake Thompson, Austin Hubbard.

So I'm down to 84 on my way to 30. Lots of work ahead.

Personal Top 30 Lists - Some Thoughts

Kevin put out the call for all of us to start sending him our Top 30 Prospects lists last week and I've begun work on mine the past couple of days. I thought I'd share some thoughts on a slow Friday afternoon.

I start out with everyone who is eligible (less than 130 AB's or 50 IP in MLB) and start weeding players out. Some guys are harder to cross off than others, for me personal favorites like Omar Bencomo, Josh Satow and Julio Cedeno, but eventually they go. Here are a few things I've noticed:

- As Kevin tweeted the other day, it's difficult to rank guys from the 2009 draft class who played poorly this year against guys from the 2010 class who have yet to play.

- I use several small rankings to help me sort out the overall rankings, for example by affiliate, by age, or by draft class. Here are a few things that stood out...

- From the 2008 draft class, which is beginning to look awful (I'll review it next spring in depth), who should be higher, Tim Beckham (1st overall) or Ty Morrison (4th round)? Morrison is 6 months younger and played 1 level lower than Beckham, and both played premium defensive positions, but not necessarily very well (Beckham .949 fld% at SS vs. Morrison .960 in CF). Morrison jumped from Princeton in 2009 to BG, while Beckham moved up from BG to Charlotte. Considering that and looking at their numbers at the plate, how do I not rank Morrison higher?:

Player  Level  AB 2B 3B HR SB CS BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS GDP HBP
Beckham    A+ 465 23  5  5 22 14 62 119 .256 .346 .359 .705  14   4
Morrison    A 452 21 13  6 58 10 43 133 .250 .324 .394 .718   6   7

- From the non-top 10 rounds of the 2010 class, lets look at Robby Price (13th round, DOB 4/20/88, 2B for HV) vs. Phil Wunderlich (12th round, DOB 11/4/88, 1B for HV) vs. Kevin Kiermaier (31st round, DOB 4/22/90, RF/CF for Princeton):

Player  Level  AB 2B 3B HR SB CS BB SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS GDP HBP
Price      A- 194 17  1  2 13  1 36 25 .294 .437 .423 .860   1  15
Wunderlich A- 209 19  0  4  0  1  9 40 .330 .372 .478 .850   1   6
Kiermaier  R+ 218  8  7  2 17  5 24 54 .303 .380 .431 .811   4   3

- From the top of the 2010 draft, Ryan Brett (3rd round, DOB 10/9/91, 2B for GCL Rays) vs. Derek Dietrich (2nd round, DOB 7/18/89, SS for HV):

Player  Level  AB 2B 3B HR SB CS BB SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS GDP HBP
Brett       R  89  5  2  0 12  3  8 17 .303 .364 .404 .768   1   1
Dietrich   A- 179 12  2  3  2  2 11 42 .279 .340 .419 .759   2   6

- I included HBP just for Price... 15 in 194 AB's??? Duck kiddo.

- Hellickson didn't pitch enough innings for the Rays to be excluded, and I think he's clearly #1.

- I thought Jennings would be my clear #2, but now I'm considering Moore. Probably will end up back at Jennings.

- Who should be #4? I'm thinking Alex Cobb. McGee is an obvious choice, but if the move to the pen is permanent, and with Cobb at AAA and still a starter, I'm leaning more towards Cobb.

- I'll be higher than most on Tyler Bortnick and Joseph Cruz, as usual.

- Don't forget Nick Barnese, another very good year as he heads to AA.

- Lots of 2010 NDFA RP's put up incredible numbers... but none will make the top 30.

- How to rank the 1st rounders from 2010 - Sale 1/17, O'Conner 1/31, and Vettleson 1/supp? The more I read about Vettleson the more I like him.

- Not sure what to make of Henry Wrigley or Jose Ruiz. Or Leslie Anderson for that matter, who won't be on my list since he'll be 29 on opening day.

- Interested to see how Alex Diaz (17th round 2009) does in Princeton next year. Was .304/.390/.393 for the GCL Rays last season.

- Enny Romero and Braulio Lara are getting a lot of attention lately for their performances in Princeton, but don't forget about another short-season starter - Wilmer Almonte from HV. He had a 2.77 ERA over 78 innings with 73 SO's vs. 15 BB's.

- Speaking of HV, lots to like from their pitching staff: Austin Hubbard (14th round 2010), Jake Thompson was the most impressive (2nd round 2010), Jimmy Patterson (18th round 2010), Adam Liberatore (21st round 2010) and Nate Garcia (16th round 2010).

- If I could have a season ticket to any affiliate for 2011 I would easily pick the Princeton Rays. Between the high picks from the '09 and '10 drafts moving up from the GCL, plus new players from the '11 draft, should be an incredible team to watch. Montgomery would probably be #2, with all of the pitching.

Enough for now, feel free to add your thoughts. I'll probably do a Part II later in the week with additional comparisons I'm sorting out.

Thursday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Neil Schenk pitched 2 scoreless innings and allowed 1 hit, 1 strikeout and 1 walk while earning the hold.
Henry Wrigley was 1 for 5 with a run scored.




Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 0 for 2 with 2 walks.
Elliot Johnson was 0 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

2010 MiLBY Awards (Best Reliever Results and Best Team/Game Nominations)

Minor League Baseball continues the voting process for their 2010 award winners. Fans are able to cast a vote for their choice for Best Starter, Best Hitter, Best Reliever, Best Game and Best Team. Voting for the final award began on Monday. Visit the 2010 MiLBY Awards page to cast a vote.

The results for the third poll, Best Reliever, were released on Monday. Winston Abreu finished second in the AAA field, Matt Gorgen tied for fourth in the AA field, Zach Quate was fourth in the A+ field and Scott Shuman was fifth in the A field.

The fourth and final poll is for the 2010 Best Team and 2010 Best Game and is open until November 1. The Durham Bulls are the only team to be nominated and were nominated for best AAA Team.

The Bulls finished with the best record in AAA at 88-55, clinching playoff berth after winning their fourth consecutive division titles. They also led the league in pitching (ERA) and second in the league in hitting (average).

Click here to go to the MiLB website to cast your vote.

Jim Holland Wins Appalachian League Award

Jim Holland, the Princeton Rays general manager was awarded the 2010 Appalachian League Promotional Award of Excellence. Jim received the award on Wednesday at the Appalachian League Fall Meeting. The annual award is given to the team executive who best promotes their team.

The 2010 season featured many great giveaways, including mini-bats, patriotic logo hats, Rays player figurines, 2008 Rays replica championship ring and many more items in addition to themed nights and free admission nights. In addition to creating a rewarding promotional schedule, Jim also handled public relations duties alongside his duties as general manager.

This was the third time he has won the award, having won the award in 2002 and 2005 also.

Wednesday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Jose Ruiz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.






Venezuelan Winter League
Jose Lobaton was 0 for 2 with an RBI and 2 walks.
Dale Thayer pitched 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout and a walk.






Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 1 for 2 with a home run, 2 walks and 2 runs scored.
Elliot Johnson was 3 for 5 with a triple, RBI and a run scored.





Dominican Winter League
Chris De La Cruz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.






Liga Paralela Rays
Ismel Antunez was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored.
Alejandro Segovia was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI’s and a run scored.

Tuesday Winter League Notes

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 1 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Henry Wrigley was 2 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI's.





Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Elliot Johnson was 2 for 5 with a double, home run and 2 runs scored.




Liga Paralela Rays
Alejandro Torres was 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Erick Epifano was 2 for 5.
Hector Aguilera pitched 5 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts.



Updated to correct line scores for the Arizona Fall League.

Minor Moves: Releases Include 2009 6th Round Pick

Devin Fuller

Matt Eddy has the latest batch of releases, some of which Jim posted last week, but the biggest news is 2009 6th rounder Devin Fuller. The complete list:

RHP Kyle Ayers
RHP Wade Broyles
RHP Garret Carruth
RHP Devin Fuller
RHP Yorman Mayora
RHP Miguel Sierra
RHP Pete Woodworth
C Zane Williams
1B Ryan McCrann
2B Brian Harris
2B Elias Otero
3B Geno Glynn
OF Burt Reynolds

Fuller's career stats:

Year   Age          Team W L  ERA  G GS    IP  WHIP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2009    20 Hudson Valley 4 2 2.92 13  8  49.1 1.419  8.0  0.0  4.7  5.7  1.19
2010    21 Hudson Valley 2 3 5.34 15 10  57.1 1.378 10.0  0.9  2.4  5.3  2.27
2 Seasons                6 5 4.22 28 18 106.2 1.397  9.1  0.5  3.5  5.5  1.59

2010 Predictions Review: Wildcard Predictions

Back in March, we polled the Rays blogosphere for predictions about the 2010 season in the minors. Now that it's October and the minor-league season is in the rear-view mirror, it's time to take a look back and laugh at stupid things we all said. The panelists were: Cork Gaines from RaysIndex, Tommy Rancel then of DRaysBay, now at The Process Report, FreeZorilla from DRaysBay, Jason Collette from DockOfTheRays and The Process Report, Ricky/RZ from DRaysBay, and Jake Larsen, Doug Milhoan, and Kevin Gengler from RaysProspects.

Today we'll look at wildcard predictions, where panelists could predict whatever they wanted.. You can view the original post with our explanations here or check out the CliffsNotes version below...

Cork predicted that Jake McGee would fill the David Price role in September. He was sort of right; McGee did come up and pitch out of the bullpen late in the season. However, he didn't make the post-season roster. Cork also thought there was a chance Jeremy Hellickson wouldn't make his big-league debut until 2011, but injuries to Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis created the opening for him.

Tommy also predicted Jake McGee would transition to the bullpen, and pretty much nailed it. He began the year as a starter, moved to the bullpen, and was a September call-up.

FreeZo predicted Durham would run wild over the International League, which they did until losing much of their core in Dan Johnson, Jeremy Hellickson, and Desmond Jennings to the big leagues. He also predicted improvements offensively and defensively for Tim Beckham, which I suppose it up for debate. Beckham walked more but the rest of his batting line wasn't great, and reviews of his defense remain lukewarm at best.

Ricky went 2 for 3 in predicting Sean Rodriguez, Alex Torres, and Matt Sweeney would each have great years. Rodriguez proved to be a valuable utility player for the Rays, Torres built on his 2009 success and was very good with Montgomery, but Sweeney had a down season with the bat and was hampered by injuries.

Jason predicted Matt Moore would either lead the 2011 prospect list or drop off it, which would be true if Jeremy Hellickson had passed the threshold for prospect eligibility. Instead, I would have to guess that Moore will place either #2 or 3 on most lists, depending on where the list-maker puts Desmond Jennings.

Jake predicted Matt Sweeney would become Carlos Pena's heir apparent. Oops. To Jake's credit, he did correctly predict the signing of J.J. Ruiz.

Doug thought D.J. Jones would work his way back onto the prospect radar. Instead, Jones opted to retire from professional baseball just before the start of the season.

Kevin thought that Matt Bush would enter the conversation for set-up role/closer for late 2011 and while a sore arm limited his time in 2010, I still think it will happen. Much of the Rays bullpen is departing this off-season, and they'll be looking for cheap arms. Bush struck out 20 and walked 3 in 13.2 innings between the GCL and FSL, and while that's hardly a meaningful sample size, it's still nice. Hopefully healthy, my expectation is he starts 2011 in Charlotte's bullpen and finishes it either with Durham or with Tampa Bay.

Thanks again to all the panelists who took part in our survey!

Saturday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 0 for 2 with an RBI.
Alex Cobb pitched 3 shut-out innings with a hit, 4 strikeouts and a walk.
Jose Ruiz was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Henry Wrigley was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.




Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s.
Elliot Johnson was 1 for 4 with a run scored.




Liga Paralela Rays
Ismel Antunez was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
Alejandro Torres was 2 for 5 an RBI and 2 runs scored.
Luis Yendis pitched 4 innings without allowing an earned run.
Carlos Orasma pitched 2 1/3 no-hit innings for the win.

Friday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 3 for 4 with a double, RBI and a run scored.
Jose Ruiz was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Neil Schenk earned the win by pitching 2 shut-out innings and allowing just one hit.
Henry Wrigley was 1 for 4 with a two run homer.



Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Elliot Johnson was 2 for 5 with a double, RBI and run scored.




Liga Paralela Rays
Franklin Paz was 2 for 3 with double and 2 runs scored.
Jhonatan Quinonez was 2 for 2 with a double, RBI and 3 runs scored.
Felix Gonzalez was 3 for 4 with 2 triple, home run, 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.
Luis Vilches pitched 4 no hit innings with 5 strikeouts and only allowing 1 hit.



Additional Notes: The Dominican, Puerto Rico and Colombian Leagues also began play on Friday. The following players are representing the organization in these leagues:

Dominican Winter League

• Chris De La Cruz (Aguilas Cibaenas)
• Omar Luna (Aguilas Cibaenas)
• Ramon Ortiz (Tigres del Licey)

Colombian Winter League

• Tyler Bortnick
• Marquis Fleming
• Stephen Vogt

These are current with the rosters that were posted last night. The Rays had only one player shown on the Puerto Rico League roster and that was Elias Otero who was released last week. Also the website for the Colombian League is no longer available, these are the player I know were going but not sure of their assignments or if anyone else made the trip to South America. Hopefully that site will get up and running again soon.

As always, if there is anyone I missed or if you have any news/notes from any of the winter leagues, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

2010 Predictions Review: Most Over-Hyped

Back in March, we polled the Rays blogosphere for predictions about the 2010 season in the minors. Now that it's October and the minor-league season is in the rear-view mirror, it's time to take a look back and laugh at stupid things we all said. The panelists were: Cork Gaines from RaysIndex, Tommy Rancel then of DRaysBay, now at The Process Report, FreeZorilla from DRaysBay, Jason Collette from DockOfTheRays and The Process Report, Ricky/RZ from DRaysBay, and Jake Larsen, Doug Milhoan, and Kevin Gengler from RaysProspects.

Today we'll look at who we thought was the most over-hyped prospect. You can view the original post with our explanations here or check out the CliffsNotes version below...

Cork: Matt Sweeney
Tommy: Matt Moore
FreeZo: Alex Torres
Ricky: Desmond Jennings
Jason: Matt Moore
Jake: Aneury Rodriguez
Doug: Tim Beckham
Kevin: Alex Torres/Matt Sweeney

Matt Sweeney would certainly qualify as a correct pick here, as he's gone from 2010 top prospect lists to 2011 prospect rebound lists. He hit well with Charlotte, but injuries and performance rendered him ineffective with Montgomery. While he did play at 3rd base, his future might still be across the diamond at 1st, and there are plenty of questions about his bat.

Matt Moore seems like a foolish pick now, but there were definitely very valid concerns about him before the season. For the first month and a half, it seemed things had caught up to him some, before he seemingly flipped the switch and ran roughshod over the Florida State League, racking up the most strikeouts in the minors since 2002. The only things left for Moore to prove are 1) that he can show the control he did in the second half for an entire season and 2) that he can get higher-level hitters out. That's about it.

Alex Torres was a guy I had real concerns about entering the season, but he did enough to start to make me a believer. His K/9 and BB/9 numbers both improved from 2009, and he hasn't realy shown any signs of injury despite his small frame. With a chance for three plus pitches, he just needs to finish ironing out his command.

Desmond Jennings is an interesting pick to review. On the one hand, he showed a lot of the tools that made him a top-10 prospect, but on the other hand, I think it's fair to say that he didn't quite live up to the expectations for the 2010 season. The spring training wrist injury may have dampened his numbers a little bit, particularly in the power department. You won't find many people down on Jennings, but expectations for his eventual ceiling may have been lowered a bit.

Aneury Rodriguez was close to the same pitcher he had been in the past, but spots of trouble throughout the year led to demotions to the bullpen and, briefly, Montgomery. Rodriguez has stalled a bit as a prospect since coming to the Rays for Jason Hammel, and a move to the bullpen may be permanent with the wave of talent behind him.

Tim Beckham is somewhat of a tired subject, but it's impossible to say he's lived up to expectations, especially compared to what other top picks from the 2008 draft are doing (*cough*BusterPosey*cough*). He made progress in some areas, particularly his isolated discipline improving from roughly .050 to .090, but a .256/.346/.359 line leaves a lot to be desired. After hitting 4 home runs in the month of May, Beckham didn't hit another the rest of the season. If his power is what it is, or improves marginally, he probably needs to be a .300 hitter rather than a .256 hitter to be on the top prospect radar.

Check back Monday for our last installment, we'll recap our wildcard make-a-prediction-about-anything predictions!

Thursday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Sergio Espinosa gave up 1 run off 1 hit with a strikeout and a walk in 1 inning pitched.
Jose Ruiz was 2 for 4.
Henry Wrigley was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.




Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI.
Elliot Johnson was 0 for 4 with a run scored.





Liga Paralela Rays
Franklin Paz was 3 for 5.
Jose Paez was 2 for 5 with double and 2 RBI’s.
Cesar Perez was 2 for 5 with a triple and a run scored.

2010 Predictions Review: Lower-Level Breakout

Back in March, we polled the Rays blogosphere for predictions about the 2010 season in the minors. Now that it's October and the minor-league season is in the rear-view mirror, it's time to take a look back and laugh at stupid things we all said. The panelists were: Cork Gaines from RaysIndex, Tommy Rancel then of DRaysBay, now at The Process Report, FreeZorilla from DRaysBay, Jason Collette from DockOfTheRays and The Process Report, Ricky/RZ from DRaysBay, and Jake Larsen, Doug Milhoan, and Kevin Gengler from RaysProspects.

Today we'll look at who we selected to have a breakout season at a lower level of the system. You can view the original post with our explanations here or check out the CliffsNotes version below...

Cork: Kyle Lobstein
Tommy: Matt Sweeney
FreeZo: Jason McEachern
Ricky: Alex Colome
Jason: Jason McEachern
Jake: Hector Guevara
Doug: Tyler Bortnick
Kevin: Ty Morrison

(Yikes.)

Kyle Lobstein finished strong down the stretch for the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2009, but couldn't translate that into success in 2010. His K/9 fell from 9.1 to 7.8 while his BB/9 rose from 2.8 to 3.3. While his ERA was nearly identical, his second-half numbers were better: A 77-27 K-BB in 80.2 IP vs. 51-27 K-BB in 67.1 IP. He's a flyball-heavy pitcher, and his 14 HRs allowed in 148 innings is actually a little low for the number of flyballs allowed. If there is a silver lining it's that he was healthy the whole year, and his 148 innings pitched ranked 4th in the league. His stuff hasn't come all the way back to what it was when he was a top HS arm, but he's very athletic which could help him get it back. Verdict: No breakout.

Matt Sweeney was covered in the upper-level breakout post as well, so I won't re-hash my comments. To Tommy's credit, he did say that health was the key for Sweeney, and injuries certainly played a part in his rough 2010 season. Verdict: No breakout.

Jason McEachern was a favorite of mine going into the 2010 season, though it was FreeZo and Jason Collette who tabbed him here. As one of the younger players in the Midwest League, he never got on track and struggled to a 5.68 ERA. His K/BB rate, 5.17 in 2009, fell to 1.58. He got hit hard, allowing 10.7 hits per 9 innings as well as 20 long balls. Lefties particularly gave him problems, hitting .328 off him. He'll be back with Bowling Green in 2011. Verdict: No breakout.

Alex Colome, selected by Ricky, is the closest thing we have to a winner here. While he had a nice season, including 118 strikeouts in 114 innings with Bowling Green, it sort of seems like he could've been better given the reports on his stuff. He was dominant at times, though, including a brief time with Charlotte, and his walk rate improved from 2009. Verdict: Not a breakout, but a nice season.

Hector Guevara was one of the youngest players in the Appalachian League, and it showed early on. He hit .179 and .211 in his first two months with Princeton, but closed strong by hitting .295 in August. He showed plus contact skills, striking out only 31 times in 64 games, and also stole 9 bases. His discipline and power were somewhat absent, not uncommon for a player his age. Verdict: No breakout.

Tyler Bortnick rebounded from a slow start to put up a line with Bowling Green that was almost the same as his 2009 line with Hudson Valley. He hit .303 in BG (.300 in HV) and finished with an .859 OPS there (.856 in HV). He showed a good eye at the plate, drawing 68 walks against 77 strikeouts, and also stole 41 bases between Bowling Green and 12 games with Charlotte. Verdict: No breakout, but a very nice season.

Ty Morrison was another member of the slow-start club. In April, he hit .129/.156/.161. He rebounded in May and June before sinking again in July, but rebounded again in August. In May/June/August, he showed off his potential: he hit .296 with 30 extra-base hits (including 5 of his 6 home runs). His walk total progressed throughout the year: From just one in April, 5 in May, and 8 in June to 12 in July and 14 in August. He also stole 58 bases while being caught only 10 times. Verdict: No breakout, but showed some promise.

Check back tomorrow for a review of our "most overhyped" predictions!

Wednesday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 1 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI’s.
Jose Ruiz was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.





Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Elliot Johnson was 0 for 4 with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.




Liga Paralela Rays
Felix Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a triple and an RBI.
Joynert Gonzalez pitched 2 no-hit innings of relief.

Andrew Bellatti Pleads Guilty - Faces One Year In Jail

Andrew Bellatti was scheduled for trial on December 6th on several charges arising from a fatal car crash last January. If convicted of all charges he faced over seven years in prison. Last week, as part of a plea agreement, Bellatti plead guilty to a charge of gross vehicular manslaughter. He is now scheduled to be sentenced on November 10th. In exchange for pleading guilty, he now faces a year in jail instead of a prison term:

Deputy District Attorney Curtis Ross said that under the plea deal, Bellatti will probably receive probation and the possibility of one year in jail. Reid's widow does not want to ruin the young man's life, the prosecutor said. "She doesn't want him to be going to prison," Ross said. Bellatti, who had been free on bond, surrendered in the courtroom several hours after entering his plea.

As of today he remains in jail, so I assume he will stay there at least until the sentencing hearing.

2010 Predictions Review: Upper-Level Breakout

Back in March, we polled the Rays blogosphere for predictions about the 2010 season in the minors. Now that it's October and the minor-league season is in the rear-view mirror, it's time to take a look back and laugh at stupid things we all said. The panelists were: Cork Gaines from RaysIndex, Tommy Rancel then of DRaysBay, now at The Process Report, FreeZorilla from DRaysBay, Jason Collette from DockOfTheRays and The Process Report, Ricky/RZ from DRaysBay, and Jake Larsen, Doug Milhoan, and Kevin Gengler from RaysProspects.

Today we'll look at who we selected to have a breakout season at an upper level of the system. You can view the original post with our explanations here or check out the CliffsNotes version below...

Cork: Aneury Rodriguez
Tommy: Alex Torres
FreeZo: Jake McGee (also David Newmann and Aneury Rodriguez)
Ricky: Matt Gorgen
Jason: Matt Sweeney
Jake: Kyeong Kang
Doug: Alex Cobb
Kevin: Alex Cobb

Aneury Rodriguez was named twice, but failed to build on his success from the second half of 2009. In fact, looking at complete-season rate stats, he was very similar: His K/9 increased 0.3 to 7.3, while his BB/9 remained exactly the same at 3.7. While he remained an extreme flyball pitcher, his HR rate dipped, helping lead to a better ERA than 2009. He tended to struggle at times, and 2010 saw trips to the bullpen as well as down to Montgomery, though he did finish the season back in Durham's rotation, where he seems destined to start next season. Verdict: No breakout.

Alex Torres' ERA increase from '09 to '10 looks like it could be pinned on a higher hit rate. His K/9 improved from an already-impressive 9.0 up to 9.5. And while he still issued too many walks (70 in 142.2 IP, 4.4 per 9), he improved in that area as well (4.9 per 9 last season). His stuff continued to draw rave reviews from scouts, including having his changeup ranked best in the Southern League by managers. Verdict: Not a breakout, but a steady build.

FreeZo picks our first winner with Jake McGee. The lefty showed he was healthy again in Montgomery's rotation, then truly took off when promoted to Durham to work out of the bullpen. He finished the season with the big-league club, and depending on how the off-season shakes out, could be in the mix to close out games for the Rays in 2011. Verdict: Breakout.

Matt Gorgen didn't post cartoonish numbers like he did in 2009 with Charlotte, but with Montgomery this season he posted a 1.65 ERA and saved 22 games. He struck out 47 and walked 21 in 49 innings; decent numbers but not blow-you-away numbers. Gorgen was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete the Chad Qualls trade, and while I think he has a big-league future, it seems it'd be as more of a middle reliever than late-inning guy. Verdict: No breakout.

Matt Sweeney's season got off to a good start with Charlotte, but things fell apart in Montgomery. After hitting 6 HRs in 34 games with the Crabs, he hit only 2 in 46 games for the Biscuits. Injuries limited his playing time and hampered him on the field, where he hit .196 with a .543 OPS in AA. Verdict: No breakout.

After appearing in the Futures Games a year ago, Kyeong Kang had a disappointing 2010 season. His power completely vanished, hitting for 24 fewer extra-base hits than he did in 2009, in 46 fewer ABs. After hitting 14 triples and 11 homeruns over the past two seasons, Kang had just one of each in 2010. Verdict: No breakout.

Doug finally started drinking the Alex Cobb Kool-Aid, going from 'from doubter to fanboy" as he said in his prediction. Blister problems continued to nag at him a bit, but that was about the only negative in 2010. He posted a career-high strikeout rate, punching out 128 in 119.2 innings with Montgomery, while only issuing 35 free passes. His GO/AO of 1.55 was right in line with his career numbers, and he kept in the ball in the park with only 6 homeruns allowed. Cobb also made two playoff starts for Durham, including one start with ten strikeouts and one walk in 6.2 innings. He's currently pitching in the Arizona Fall League, which should get him to around 145 total innings pitched. Verdict: Breakout.

Check back tomorrow for our lower-level breakout review!

Tuesday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Neil Schenk pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits.
Henry Wrigley was 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts.





Venezuelan Winter League
Dale Thayer pitched a no-hit inning with a walk.






Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 0 for 2 with 2 walks.
Elliot Johnson was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.




Liga Paralela Rays
Jhonatan Gomez was 2 for 3 with a walk.
Cesar Perez was 2 for 5 with a run scored.
Alejandro Torres was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a walk.

Minor Moves: October 19th Releases

The Princeton Rays announced on their Facebook page that the following players were released by the Rays organization today:

• P Kyle Ayers
• P Wade Broyles
• P Garret Carruth
• IF Geno Glynn
• IF Brian Harris
• IF Elias Otero
• OF Burt Reynolds
• C Zane Williams

Monday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 0 for 2 with a run scored.
Alex Cobb pitched 4 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits with 4 strikeouts and a walk.
Sergio Espinosa pitched a no hit inning with 2 strikeouts.
Jose Ruiz was 0 for 4.
Henry Wrigley was 0 for 4 with an RBI.


Liga Paralela Rays
Wilmer Dominguez was 4 for 5 with home run, 4 RBI’s and 3 runs scored.
Jose Paez was 3 for 5 with a double, home run and an RBI.
Franklin Paz was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Roan Salas was 1 for 2 with a double and 2 runs scored.

2010 MiLBY Awards (Best Hitter Results and Best Reliever Nominations)

Minor League Baseball continues the voting process for their 2010 award winners. Fans are able to cast a vote for their choice for Best Starter, Best Hitter, Best Reliever, Best Game and Best Team. The first two awards have been given out and the voting for the last award concludes in November. Visit the 2010 MiLBY Awards page to cast a vote.

The results for the second poll, Best Hitter, were released today. The Rays organization had only one player nominated, Dan Johnson. Johnson placed fourth in the AAA pool.

The third poll is for the 2010 Best Reliever and is open until Monday October 25. The Rays are represented by Winston Abreu (AAA), Matt Gorgen (AA), Zach Quate (A+) and Scott Shuman (A).

Abreu finished the season with a 23 saves, 2.28 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings.

Gorgen was the Southern League leader in saves with 22 on the year as well as a mid and post season all-star. He held a 1.65 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched. Gorgen was traded to the Diamondbacks following the season as the PTBNL from the Chad Qualls trade but has earned nomination here due to his performance for the Biscuits and the organization this season.

Quate followed a great debut season in 2009 with an even better sophomore season in 2010 with the Stone Crabs. He recorded 25 saves while striking out 90 hitter and holding a 1.49 ERA in 72 1/3 innings.

Shuman led all Midwest League relievers with 111 strikeouts. He had 14 saves and an ERA of 3.01 in 71.2 innings on the mound for the Hot Rods.

Click here to go to the MiLB website to cast your vote.

2010 Arpy Awards, Part One

Your nominations were taken and deliberated, and now it's time to announce our 2010 Arpy Award winners. For each category we'll name the finalists and a winner. First up...

Best Lead Actor, Pitching Division. This category was about who had the best year on the mound among players who will garner top prospect consideration. The first finalist is Jeremy Hellickson, who carved up the International League to the tune of a 2.45 ERA and a 123-35 SO-BB rate before moving to the majors, where he put up similar results. In 117.2 innings with the Durham Bulls, Hellickson allowed less than a hit per inning (103) and just five home runs.

Matt Moore was perhaps the most dominating pitcher in the minors, and for that he is finalist #2. He shrugged off a slow start with the Charlotte Stone Crabs to finish with 208 strikeouts, the most in a regular season in the minor leagues since 2002. Batters hit just .210 off him, and he got better as the season went on. In 14 second-half starts, Moore allowed a total of 13 earned runs, supported by a ridiculous 130-24 SO-BB.

Our final finalist comes from the Princeton Rays. Enny Romero led the Appalachian League in ERA with a 1.95 mark, and was third in strikeouts with 72 (in 69.1 innings). Romero also showed advanced control for a rookie-baller, issuing only 14 walks. He also made one start for Hudson Valley, where he allowed only one run in 5 innings of work.

And the Arpy goes to... Jeremy Hellickson! It was extremely close with Matt Moore, but Hellickson's season-long consistency won out in the end, and his major-league success didn't hurt.

Next category is Best Lead Actor, Hitting Division. Henry Wrigley and Stephen Vogt are our two finalists here in somewhat of a down year for the hitters. Both helped lead the offensive charge for the Charlotte Stone Crabs, though Wrigley was promoted to Montgomery halfway through the year. With the Crabs, Wrigley posted a .292/.343/.504 line with 12 home runs and 13 doubles. Vogt didn't get everyday playing time until the weather heated up, but his bat was hot all year long. In 106 games, Vogt hit a league-leading .345, backed up with a .399 OBP and .511 SLG. He was a doubles machine, hitting 31 of them.

And the Arpy goes to... Stephen Vogt. Wrigley couldn't completely keep up his pace with the Biscuits, but Vogt would get the nod just looking at FSL numbers. His .910 OPS led the league, and by a .055 margin.

The next category is Best Supporting Actor, Pitching Division. These are the guys who aren't going to be tossed around top prospect lists for whatever reasons, but whose numbers are too good to ignore. Frank De Los Santos actually could get some top 15 buzz, but he might be perfect for this category. Matt Moore and Nick Barnese headlined the Crabs rotation, but De Los Santos led the team in innings pitched and continued to induce a ton of groundballs, boasting a 2.28 GO/AO.

Zach Quate got the saves, Josh Satow got the promotion to Montgomery, and Marquis Fleming got the starring role in a commercial, so that leaves Neil Schenk to receive the Arpy nomination from the Charlotte bullpen. In 67.2 innings, Schenk struck out 86 and walked 25, doing his part to make the Crabs' pitching staff one of the best in the minors.

Joe Bateman led the Durham Bulls in both ERA (1.66) and appearances (54), proving to be perhaps Charlie Montoyo's most reliable bullpen option. He struck out 66 and walked 25 over 76 innings, and held opponents to a .206 batting average.

And the Arpy goes to... Joe Bateman! The Rays will be looking to piece together a bullpen for the 2011 season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rays give Bateman a look in the spring.

Our final category today is Best Supporting Actor, Hitting Division. While we like to recognize a few players in each category, this one completely belongs to one player.

And the Arpy goes to... Dan Johnson! Major-league heroics? Check. International League HR leader? Check, despite only playing 98 games there. Oh, and he hit over .300 with the Bulls.

Check back later this week for the second half of the awards!

Sunday's Winter League Update

Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 1 for 4 with a triple and 3 RBI’s.
Elliot Johnson had a solo home run, his first of the season.
Justin Ruggiano was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



Liga Paralela Rays (from 10/16)
Franklin Paz was 2 for 5 with an RBI.
Alejandro Torres was 1 for 2 with an RBI.
Felix Gonzalez drove home a run.
Freddy Alvarez pitched 2 no-hit innings for the win.

Saturday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Leslie Anderson was 2 for 4.
Jose Ruiz was 1 for 4.
Henry Wrigley was 0 for 3.




Venezuelan Winter League

Dale Thayer pitched a scoreless inning, allowing just 1 hit.





Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 0 for 3.
Elliot Johnson was 0 for 4.
Justin Ruggiano was 1 for 4.

Minor Moves: Oct 3 to Oct 9

Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports the following roster moves by the Rays organization:

• LHP Robinson Reyes was released.

[Added by Doug]: Here are his career stats in his four seasons in the Rays organization:

Year   Age     Team W  L   ERA  G GS   IP  WHIP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2007    18 DSL Rays 0  6  9.33 14 11 27.0 2.407  6.7  0.3 15.0  7.3  0.49
2008    19 DSL Rays 2  3  9.77 25  5 31.1 2.457  7.2  0.3 14.9  8.3  0.56
2009    20 DSL Rays 0  1  6.75 12 10 17.1 1.846  8.3  0.0  8.3  7.8  0.94
2010    21 GCL Rays 0  3 17.69  8  0  9.2 3.621 13.0  0.0 19.6  6.5  0.33
4 Seasons           2 13  9.91 59 26 85.1 2.449  7.9  0.2 14.1  7.7  0.54

The 6'5" lefty was originally signed out of the Dominican Republic by Junior Ramirez on May 11, 2006. DOB: November 15, 1988.

Friday Winter League Update

Arizona Fall League
Henry Wrigley was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s.






Mexican Pacific League
Angel Chavez was 1 for 4 with an RBI double and a stolen base.
Elliot Johnson was 1 for 3 with double and a run scored.
Justin Ruggiano was 1 for 5 with a run scored and also struck out twice.



Liga Paralela Rays
Jhonatan Quinonez was 2 for 3 with a double, 3 RBI’s and a stolen base.
Roan Salas was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Oscar Hernandez was 2 for 4 with an RBI.