Dec 22
Alex Torres, Alexander Colome, Desmond Jennings, Jake McGee, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Nick Barnese, Reid Brignac, Tim Beckham, Top Prospects, Wade Davis Cork Gaines
Baseball America has released their annual list of the Rays Top 10 prospects. The number in parentheses is that player’s 2009 ranking…
1. Desmond Jennings, of (5)
2. Jeremy Hellickson, rhp (8)
3. Wade Davis, rhp (3)
4. Matt Moore, lhp (6)
5. Reid Brignac, ss (4)
6. Tim Beckham, ss (2)
7. Alexander Colome, lhp (NR)
8. Jake McGee, lhp (9)
9. Alex Torres, lhp (NR)
10. Nick Barnese, rhp (7)
A few notes on the list…
- The top 4 are no surprise. We would not be surprised if both Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson are both in the top 10 of BA’s top 100 prospects list.
- We are a little surprised that Tim Beckham fell all the way to 6, and behind Reid Brignac. The rise of Brignac’s star has slowed considerably, and Beckham held his own in his first full pro season while facing older competition in the South Atlantic League. Of course, Beckham’s status is hurt if he is not a long-term shortstop. And his 43 errors in 117 games does bring that question into play.
- Alexander Colome was voted the top prospect this season in the New York Penn League.
- Jake McGee will be 100% this season for the first time since early 2008. While the Rays are still holding out hope that he will develop into a big league starter, for the first time they are openly talking about a move to the bullpen and possible future closer.
- Alex Torres came to the Rays in the Scott Kazmir deal. He was not ranked in the Angels system a year ago.
- Nick Barnese’s status is hurt by an injury-shortened 2009 season that limited him to 15 starts. As a result, look for the Rays to limit his workload in 2010 to about 120 innings.
Sep 09
Ft. Myers 8, Charlotte 7 (Ft. Myers leads 1-0). Jeremy Hall allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in 4.1 innings…Emeel Salem and Henry Wrigley had 4 hits apiece and Shawn Williams drove in 2.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
- Triangle Offense previews Durham’s first-round playoff matchup. [Triangle Offense]
- Rays Prospects looks back on the seasons for Nick Barnese and Matt Moore. [Rays Prospects]
- Hudson Valley set a single-season attendance record. [Renegades Rumblings]
Aug 12
Gwinnett 5, Durham 4. Calvin Medlock got the spot start, working 3 innings and allowing 1 run…Winston Abreu gave up 3 runs on 2 home runs in 1.1 innings in his second appearance since being resigned by the Rays…Desmond Jennings was 1-4 with an RBI and Reid Brignac went 1-3…Matt Joyce did not play…John Jaso hit his 5th home run.
Montgomery. (no games scheduled)
Charlotte 6, St. Lucie 4. Ryan Morse gave up 1 unearned run in 3 innings…Chad Bradford pitched 1 perfect inning, striking out 2…Fernando Perez went 1-3 with a walk and his first stolen base.
Bowling Green 5, Greenville 2. Nick Barnese allowed just 1 unearned run in 6.1 innings. He struck out 8 and walked 3, giving up 2 hits…Tim Beckham was 1-4 with a strikeout and Jake Jefferies was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Tri-City 11, Hudson Valley 7.
Princeton 10, Danville 2 (gm 1).
Danville 13, Princeton 0 (gm 2). Princeton was the victim of a 7-inning no-hitter in the nightcap.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
Jun 06
Durham 4, Toledo 1. James Houser improved to 3-1 after holding Toledo to 1 run in 6.2 innings…Justin Ruggiano was 2-4 with an RBI and 2 Ks.
Birmingham 6, Montgomery 0. Ryan Morse gave up 6 runs in 3 innings…Chris Mason pitched 3 shutout innings of relief in his first appearance back in Montgomery…Montgomery managed only 3 hits.
Daytona 6, Charlotte 1. Darin Downs pitched 6 shutout innings, striking out 8 and walking 2…Cody Cipriano was 2-4 with a double and is now hitting .331.
Bowling Green 5, Asheville 4. Nick Barnese, part of the Rays next wave of pitching prospects, made his 2009 debut, striking out 7 and walking none in 5 innings. He allowed 1 run in 5 innings…Tim Beckham was 1-3 with a double and a walk. He also committed his 16 error.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
- Tommy Rafferty was promoted to Charlotte to make room for Nick Barnese. [Biscuit Crumbs]
Apr 04
Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser has the rosters for all four of the upper-level minor league affiliates (links below). We have updated the Cork-Board (organizational depth chart) in the sidebar accordingly.
A few notes on the minor league rosters…
- The Cork-Board only reflects the rosters at this point. The starting pitcher rotations are accurate, but the lineups will be updated once the season begins.
- The remaining players will remain in extended spring training. Most of these players will be assigned to one of the short-season teams in June. A few of the players are rehabbing injuries and will be assigned to one of the upper-level teams when they are ready.
- A few of the bigger names that have yet to be assigned to a minor league affiliate include James Houser, who is on the 40-man roster, Nick Barnese, who is part of the next big wave of talented pitchers, Wade Townsend, who is out for the year, Albert Suarez (see Barnese), Glenn Gibson, who was the player the Rays received for Elijah Dukes, DJ Jones, a toolsy draftee that some are high on, and the Bandit, Burt Reynolds.
- Tim Beckham is once again united with his brother at low-A Bowling Green.
Feb 14
David Price, Desmond Jennings, Jake McGee, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Meta-laziness, Nick Barnese, Prospects, Reid Brignac, Tim Beckham, Wade Davis Cork Gaines
In the science community, a meta-analysis is what we do when we don’t want to do any work ourselves and instead want to take the work of a bunch of other people, tease the data a little, draw some conclusions that nobody had noticed before, and then pawn it off as our own.
Presenting the 2009 Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospects Meta-Analysis.
Baseball Prospectus has released their list of Top 100 prospects. We are still waiting for their list of Top 11 prospects for the Rays, but five of those players are in the top 100, so we can get a head start.
Notes on how the rankings were constructed are found at the bottom of this post. Notes on the final rankings can be found after the table…
A few notes on the final rankings… Read the rest of this entry »
Feb 02
David Price, Desmond Jennings, Jake McGee, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Meta-laziness, Nick Barnese, Prospects, Reid Brignac, Tim Beckham, Wade Davis Cork Gaines
In the science community, a meta-analysis is what we do when we don’t want to do any work ourselves and instead want to take the work of a bunch of other people, tease the data a little, draw some conclusions that nobody had noticed before, and then pawn it off as our own.
Presenting the 2009 Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospects Meta-Analysis.
Baseball Prospectus has released their list of Top 100 prospects. We are still waiting for their list of Top 11 prospects for the Rays, but five of those players are in the top 100, so we can get a head start.
Notes on how the rankings were constructed are found at the bottom of this post. Notes on the final rankings can be found after the table…
A few notes on the final rankings…
Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 08
Andy Sonnanstine, Bobby Abreu, Brian Giles, David Price, Edwin Jackson, Jason Bartlett, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeremy Hermida, Nick Barnese, Rocco Baldelli, Tim Beckham, Wade Davis Cork Gaines
[Update: 3:40pm] Now it looks like the Cubs and Padres have figured out how to move Peavy without a third team. Of course, the Rays could still try to work with the Padres on a deal for Giles, but this seems less likely now.
[9:56am]In case you missed it late last night, there is a rumor going around the winter meetings that the Rays may be getting involved in the Jake Peavy talks as a third team, with their eyes set on Brian Giles. There was talk last August that the Rays tried to land Giles but were blocked when the Red Sox put in a claim on the outfielder.
There is no mention of what the Padres would want from the Rays, but the holdup in a potential Cubs deal (for Peavy) is the lack of Cubs prospects that are close to the majors. The Padres were also looking for a major league shortstop from the Braves.
So we have to believe the Padres will be asking for something like Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays would probably rather a package include Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. Would Edwin Jackson get the deal done?
It seems unlikely that the Rays would be willing to part with a top pitcher for Giles (136 OPS+ in ’08) if the Rays could potentially land a free agent like Bobby Abreu (120 OPS+, 3 years younger) for the same price and without having to give up any prospects. The Padres could make it more enticing by eating some of the $9 million salary [Ed. note: As per the comments, Giles' salary goes to $11 million in '09 if he is traded]. Giles is in the last year of his deal.
Of course, all this means nothing if Giles is unwilling to be traded. Giles has full veto power as a 10-and-5 player (10 year veteran, 5 years with current team) and vetoed two deals (Red Sox and A’s) late last season.
Rays Rumored Third Team In Peavy Deal; Possibly Targeting Giles Again [Rays Index]
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Jayson Stark says the Jeremy Hermida is exactly the type of player the Rays are looking for and wonders if a deal can be had for Jason Bartlett and either Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson…Considering what else is out there, this seems like too steep a price. [ESPN]
- Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News says Rocco Baldelli’s best option is to stick with the Rays…This is something we have long said. With the Rays, Rocco has a team that has been loyal when most would not and with the Rays, Rocco has a team that is very familiar with his condition and how best to utilize his talents at this point of his career. This is why the Rays will slow-play this hand, waiting out the market and Rocco. [The Sporting News]
- Dayn Perry says the Rays have “fewer needs to address [this offseason] than any other team in baseball.” We are not sure what attendance has to do with the Rays offseason plans but Perry brings it up out of leftfield at the end of the piece noting that teams usually show an attendance spike the year after a successful playoff run. [Fox Sports]
- Marc Lancaster reports that the Andrew Friedman is getting calls from players that would not normally be interested in signing with the Rays, noting that these players want to play with the Rays and are willing to accomodate the Rays (ie. switching positions) to make it happen. [Tampa Tribune]
- Marc Lancaster says the Rays greatest asset right now is their pitching depth and if a trade is made at the winter meetings it will probably involve a starting pitcher. [Tampa Tribune]
- Mets Fever says the Mets will have a hard time landing Edwin Jackson, noting the Metropolitans don’t have outfield depth. [Mets Fever]
- Rays Digest takes a look at pitching prospect Nick Barnese, who was #22 on our most recent Trade Value Index. RD compares Barnese’s makeup to Matt Garza and analyzes his pitch repertoire. If you are not into reading the usual rhetoric about the depth of pitching in the organization and just want to read about Barnese, skip to the 9th paragraph. [Rays Digest]
- MLB.com has their list of the top 50 prospects. The list is topped by David Price and includes four Rays farmhands in total. Tim Beckham (22), Wade Davis (31) and Jeremy Hellickson (39) are also on the list. [MLB]
- Rays Prospects is profiling the top hitting prospects in the organization. #13 is… [Rays Prospects]
- David Chalk continues to crank out his list of the top Devil Rays of all time. #18 is… [Bugs and Cranks]
- Bud Selig and Major League Baseball make too much money and are too concerned about the image of the sport to ever put a team in Las Vegas. Still, it is a bit disheartening to hear the mayor of Las Vegas salivating over the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
- Montgomery Biscuits GM Greg Rauch is at the winter meetings in Vegas to find a radio broadcaster. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Nov 13
Doug Krikorian of the Long Beach Press-Telegram sat down with Evan Longoria in Long Beach the day after winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. Of the topics covered:
- His preference for Monarch Clothes: “They have great stuff.”
- Facial hair: “don’t have any blades at the residence…”
- Dating: “he doesn’t have a girlfriend at the present time.”
- The World Series: “Picked a nice time to go into a slump…”
- Phillies fans: “the Philly fans get more personal with you than those from other cities…It’s unbelievable the things they say to you. They must go to Facebook and find out about who you’ve dated…“
- Buying a home in SoCal: “he likes to entertain large groups of friends…”
- Rock Band and Guitar Hero: “I can do that at home for hours…”
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- BJ Upton had successful surgery on the labrum in his shoulder and expected to be 100% by the time Spring Training rolls around. Joe Smith also reports that it is still not known if Troy Percival will require surgery on his back and/or knee. [The Heater]
- Joe Maddon had to interrupt his honeymoon in Italy to hold a conference call with the media about winning the AL Manager of the Year award…Poor Jaye. [MLB]
- Jon Heyman of SI.com has nominated Joe Maddon for Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year”. [SI.com]
- Baseball America has released their Rays’ “Top 10 Prospects” list. No surprises in the top 5. A little surprised to see two 19 year olds without any experience above short-season (Matt Moore, Nick Barnese), ranked ahead of Jeremy Hellickson. [Baseball America]
- Rise of the Rays has their list of Top 10 prospects (scroll past the Baseball America list). [Rise of the Rays]
- Fangraphs review a few of the Rays top minor leaguers from this past season and take a look at who is on the rise, who has fallen and who could breakout in 2009. [Fangraphs]
- Joe Smith has a response from the Cleveland writer that gave the lone first place vote to somebody other than Joe Maddon. [The Heater]
- David Chalk at Bugs and Cranks is none-too-happy that Joe Maddon was not a unanimous choice for AL Manager of the Year. [Bugs and Cranks]
- Even a Red Sox site was amazed that Joe Maddon was not a unanimous choice. [Sully Baseball]
- The Orioles will have “Baltimore” on their road unis in 2009. That leaves the Rays as one of only five ballclubs that will not have their locality (Tampa Bay) represented on their home or road jerseys. [Big League Stew]
- The Hardball Times takes a look at why pitchers like Chad Bradford are effective as sidearm pitchers. [The Hardball Times]
