SB Nation - Justin Ruggiano

The Rookies Who Aren't

TheJay — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:16 -0000

A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

The first part of the definition of a rookie in Major League Baseball is straightforward. Once a player reaches 131 at bats or 50 1/3 innings pitched, he's no longer a rookie. The second part is a little trickier. After all, service time numbers are hard to find. They generally come out once each year, in team media guides. Add in the fact that you have to subtract time in the major leagues after September 1st and on the disabled list and it's even harder to figure out who is truly a rookie.

It has already been mentioned this offseason that Mat Gamel eclipsed 45 days of service time before September. Gamel was recalled from Nashville on May 14th and optioned back on July 20th, giving him 67 days on the active roster during the "period of 25-player limit." So, even though he sits at 130 career at bats, the same number Scott Rolen had going into his Rookie of the Year season, Gamel cannot win the Rookie of the Year award (though that might not stop him from getting votes).

Gamel isn't the only such little-used non-rookie in the Brewers organization. Raise your hand if you realized Hernan Iribarren has 48 days of major league service time, all before September 1. Iribarren spent 20 days on the major league roster in April and June 2008, picking up 14 at bats. He spent 28 days in the majors in 2009, batting a mere 13 times. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict he wasn't going to win the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award anyway.

New Brewer George Kottaras also enters 2010 off the list of rookie players. He spent all of 2009 in the majors with the Red Sox, playing in 45 games with 93 at bats. Though he spent the month of August on the disabled list, he gave up his 2010 rookie status in mid-May.

Gamel, Iribarren, and Kottaras are not the only little-used rookies. Follow the jump for a list of all such position players to appear in the majors in 2008 or 2009. Please note it is lengthy and full of guys who have no chance at winning an award anyway. I will post a list of pitchers in the next few days.

Non-Rookies with 130 or fewer career AB:

Mat Gamel, 130 career AB
Joaquin Arias, 129 AB
Argenis Reyes, 127 AB
Jose Morales, 122 AB
Ivan Ochoa*, 120 AB
Michel Hernandez, 118 AB
Curtis Thigpen*, 118 AB
Ramiro Pena, 115 AB
Josh Whitesell, 115 AB
Luke Carlin, 112 AB
Chris Gimenez, 111 AB
Tyler Greene, 108 AB
Sam Fuld, 103 AB
Reid Brignac, 100 AB
Francisco Cervelli, 99 AB
George Kottaras, 98 AB
Freddy Guzman, 95 AB
Robinson Cancel, 94 AB
Guillermo Rodriguez, 92 AB
Steve Holm, 91 AB
Justin Ruggiano*, 90 AB
Nathan Haynes*, 89 AB
Diory Hernandez, 85 AB
Don Kelly, 83 AB
Dane Sardinha, 80 AB
Luis Maza*, 79 AB
Paul Hoover, 78 AB
Edwin Maysonet, 76 AB
Dusty Ryan, 70 AB
Clint Sammons, 68 AB
Tug Hulett, 67 AB
Drew Sutton, 66 AB
J.R. House*, 60 AB
John Mayberry, 57 AB
Gregorio Petit, 54 AB
Brian Myrow*, 51 AB
Chris Stewart*, 48 AB
Justin Christian*, 40 AB
Travis Denker*, 37 AB
Gustavo Molina*, 34 AB
Hernan Iribarren, 27 AB
Ryan Budde, 23 AB

* - last appeared in the majors in 2008

I warned you. If I missed anyone or included someone who should not be on the list, let me know in the comments.

Justin Ruggiano Takes A Trip To The Swing Mechanic Jaime Cevallos

Tommy Rancel — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:48:27 -0000

View full size photo »

Jaime Cevallos is a well known man around these parts. As co-star of the Zobrist code, he is widely credited for being part of the process that turned Ben Zobrist into Zorilla. Well if Cevallos is as good as advertised, we should be hearing a lot more from the "swing mechanic." In addition to working with Arizona Fall League breakout, Nevin Ashley, Cevallos has added Rays outfielder Justin Ruggiano to his growing roster of clients.

Ruggiano, 27, is pretty much at the same point in his career that Zobrist was when he and Cevallos connected. Never really a prospect, Ruggiano has accumulated nearly 100 unimpressive plate appearances with the Rays since 2007. He is mostly remembered for his fantastic game saving catch in late 2008 than anything at the plate.

A member of the Rays 40 man roster, Ruggiano, spent the entire 2009 season in the minors hitting .253/.330/.412. The .741 OPS is his lowest at any level (min .130 PA) since joining the Rays in 2006.With the urging of Zobrist, Ruggiano is hoping Cevallos can use his Mkanx system and get the most of out his stroke. "The difference between Jaime and other hitting coaches is that Jaime truly is a swing mechanic," said Ruggiano. "He has the ability to pick apart your swing and get you into the best possible hitting positions."

More on Ruggiano and The Swing Mechanic...

A unique aspect of this partnership, rooted in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in which both reside, is the accountability being taken by Cevallos. Although Cevallos wouldn't get into the specifics of the deal, he did say, "There are bonuses involved based on his performance. It holds me accountable, which is the way I like it."

The pair started working out earlier this month and looking at the roster construction, Ruggiano is facing an uphill battle. Beside incumbent starters Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton, the Rays outfield options include: Matt Joyce, Gabe Kapler, Fernando Perez and possibility, but less likely Desmond Jennings (at least early on). Zobrist could also be thrown in the mix if you like.

Many remain skeptical of Cevallos's success, but the only way to see if his teachings are the real deal or not is to increase the sample size. With Zobrist, Ashley, Ruggiano and Cincinnati Reds infielder, Drew Sutton, that size is slowly increasing. Time will tell if success will follow. Good luck to Justin and Jaime.

Weekend Highlights from around the Farm (in no particular order)

FreeZorilla — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:28:14 -0000

Weekend Highlights from the Farm

Nick Barnese- In his 3^rd real start in Bowling Green, the right hander was dominant allowing just 1 infield hit over 7 innings while walking none. He had six strikeouts while leading Bowling Green to a 2-0 victory. Josh Satow continued to impress pitching 2 hitless innings of scoreless relief with 3 strikeouts, though he did walk 2. The 23 year old southpaw now has a FIP of 1.33 with a K:BB ratio of 7.6.

Jake Jeffries of Bowling Green went 5-12 over the weekend with a 2B. He continues to be a tough strikeout with only 21 through 246 plate appearances. His slash lines are currently sitting at .258/.328/.347. The 21 year old left-handed batting catcher has actually has more success vs. southpaws OPSing .811 than vs. righties (OPS .636).

South Atlantic All-star representative Chris Andujar pitched 4 scoreless innings in a no-decision weekend start for Bowling Green striking out 2 while walking one. The 21 year old right-hander improved his ERA to 2.55 with an 8-2 record. Andujar's ERA is a little misleading as his FIP sits at 4.00 due to a 1.68 K/BB ratio.

21 year old left-hander Frank De Los Santos had one of his stronger outings for the Hot Rods going 6 innings while striking out 5 and walking none. He did allow 3 runs though only one was earned in a game marred by 5 defensive errors (4 by the brothers Beckham). De Los Santos currently has a FIP of 4.00.

Montgomery 24 year old right-hander Heath Rollins pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball, finishing with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. His FIP is sitting at 3.36, allowing just 3 HR in 79.1 IP.

Montgomery reliever Paul Phillips continues to pitch very well since being called up from Charlotte. The 25 year old right-hander was in the Blue Jays organization from 2006 to 2008 mostly in A+ ball. He was promoted from Charlotte after posting a 3.50 FIP in 18 relief outings. In 6 games for Montgomery he has pitched 9 shutout innings of relief surrendering 2 hits and 2 BBs while striking out 6. In Montgomery his FIP is currently 2.53.

26 year old right-hander Brian Baker continues to have a very good year for the Biscuits pitching 5 innings of shutout baseball striking out 5 while walking 1. He has started 5 games in total appearances compiling a record of 3-1 with a 3.33 ERA. He is striking out 8.5 hitters per 9 innings with a K:BB ratio of 3.07. His FIP currently resides at 2.83.

Wade Davis continued his recent string of good performances in AAA going 7 innings while striking out 9 and walking 2. Davis did allow a home run. In his last 25 innings he has struck out 33 hitters while only walking 5. His FIP is now down to 3.60.

Chad Bradford continued to pitch well during his rehab stint throwing 2 more scoreless innings for Durham. Combined between 3 levels, he has pitched 8 innings on one run ball while striking out 5 and walking 1.

Justin Ruggiano went 4-12 with 2 walks over the weekend including a grand slam (9 HR). Ruggiano's slash lines are .247/.342/.414 on the year with a high K% of 33.1%.

After a slow start since being promoted from Montgomery, 1B Rhyne Hughes has been on a tear. He ended the weekend 6-13 with 2 doubles and a triple. Hughes slash line at AAA is now .306/.333/.531. His K% has declined from 35.4% with the Biscuits to 24.5% with Durham. Hughes was leading the Southern League in home runs at the time of his promotion.

Durham stalwart Jon Weber went 3-8 over the weekend with a walk, a double, and a HR. The 31 year old outfielder has been very consistent over the past three season at Durham with OPS ranging from .757 to .781. His current slash line is .265/.346/.429.

The Florida State League held its annual all star game. The Stone Crabs had four representatives. Darrin Downs pitched a scoreless 2^nd inning, while Matt Gorgen worked a scoreless ninth. Cody Cipriano struck out 3 times going 1-5 while Ian Sexton reached safely in all 3 plate appearances with 2 hits and a walk. He picked up an RBI in the process.

Minor League Informer 6/22

R.J. Anderson — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:18:32 -0000

Hudson Valley 3, Aberdeen 8

Brett Nommensen (CF) 2-5, 1 HR, 1 SO

Elias Otero (2B) 0-5, 2 SO

Burt Reynolds (3B) 1-4, 1 SO

Kyle Lobstein (SP) 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 11 GB, 5 FB

Bowling Green 2, Asheville 0

Anthony Scelfo (CF): 2-4, 1 HR

Tim Beckham (SS), 0-4, SO

Nick Barnese (SP) 7 IP, 1 H, 6 SO, 0 BB, 10 GB, 6 FB

Durham 3, Pawtucket 5

Reid Brignac (SS) 1-4, BB, SO

Matt Joyce (RF) 0-5, SO

Justin Ruggiano (CF) 1-5, SO

David Price Update

R.J. Anderson — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:25:28 -0000

Durham

In Price's third start of the year he went five innings, allowing two hits, a homerun, walking one, and striking out five. Not too shabby for someone on a strict pitch count. Price's tRA in Durham is a rotation high 5.47. Thus far he's allowed 33.3% line drives, per StatCorner, and 41.7% grounders while generating 10.1% swinging strikes. Frankly I don't entirely trust that line drive rate.

Wade Davis has a 12% swinging strike rate at Durham to go with his 2.42 tRA. Mitch Talbot has been nearly as good, and Chad Orvella, Dale Thayer, Winston Abreu, Randy Choate, and Dewon Day all have tRAs sub-3.00. That's pretty impressive considering only one of those players is actually on the 40-man roster.

It's nice to see Reid Brignac, John Jaso, and Chris Nowak hitting well, although I wish Matt Joyce and Justin Ruggiano would join them, and relatively soon.

Montgomery

Aneury Rodriguez had his best start of the season; going five innings, allowing a homer, walk, and striking out three while getting 9 groundball outs and 6 via the air. Ryan Reid made an appearance, allowing a hit, walk, and striking one out during an inning of relief. Desmond Jennings played the role of DH, going 0-4, and Rhyne Hughes went 0-3 with tres strikeouts.

The talk of Jeremy Hellickson hitting a wall in Double-A seems premature. His tRA thus far is 1.90, slightly better than Heath Rollins 2.14. Outside of those two and Eduardo Morlan, the Biscuits pitching staff has been an absolute mess; only five pitchers have tRAs below league average thus far.

Offensively things aren't much better. With the exception of Desmond Jennings and Rhyne Hughes, nobody else on the Biscuits roster has a wOBA above league average. That's a remarkably poor team.

Adam Kennedy Sent To Durham

Tommy Rancel — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:21:10 -0000

Well the first chip has fallen. The Rays have reportedly assigned veteran infielder Adam Kennedy to Triple-A Durham. Kennedy has expressed in the past that he was willing to accept a minor league assignment so there should be no problems there. Kennedy will provide the Rays with major ready insurance should an injury to a middle infielder occur at the big league level.

“It would have been more of a surprise for it to be anything other than Durham,” he said. “I can’t argue with the at-bats that Joe [Maddon] gave me and the time on the field. It was a real productive spring, everything I could hope for given the circumstances.”--Rays Report

A few weeks ago it seemed as Kennedy had a real shot of making the roster with Ben Zobrist taking over the temporary centerfield job. However, the emergence of Matt Joyce in centerfield changed that. With Kennedy out of the running, it seems that Joyce is in line for the final roster spot. However, the Rays have maintained Justin Ruggiano, who was sent to Durham last week, is a possibility.

Marc Lancaster also reports Jon Weber, Ray Sadler, Ray Olmedo, Michel Hernandez and Chris Richard expect to be sent to Durham.

David Price, Reid Brignac, Justin Ruggiano, Elliot Johnson, and John Jaso Optioned to Durham

R.J. Anderson — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:06:04 -0000

A few days ago Tommy suggested that Adam Kennedy had a good shot at making the opening day 25-man roster. With today's moves -- announced via press release -- that seems even more likely.

Everyone knows about Price and the work he needs to do on his change and efficiency. The added benefit of keeping Price's innings in check is simply the cherry on top. Don't expect Price to be down for too long either. Getting to work with James Shields, Jim Hickey, and then Xavier Hernandez on his change-up should do wonders for him.

Brignac was never a serious option to start in the majors barring injury and it would make absolutely no sense to place him on the bench when he needs the reps in Durham. It'll be interesting to see if the Rays continue to cross-train Brignac at second base, or if they let him play shortstop for the majority of the time.

Johnson would've been the more likely bench candidate, but Kennedy offers more in the way of defense. Jaso, again, had little chance at the roster.

Ruggiano is the surprise. Apparently, Ben Zobrist will be the reserve outfielder in combination with the non-Gabe of the day. It makes sense, the two differ very little in offensive or defensive talents, Zobrist has added flexibility, but frankly that's a bit overrated given his lack of defensive talents at the infield positions. As mentioned above, Adam Kennedy looks likely to make the roster.

Here are some links to DRaysBay's coverage on the David Price decision:

One Pitch, Two Pitch, Fast Pitch, Slow Pitch

More On Fastballs, Sliders and David Price

David Price: "My slider's gone away"

So, Jason Hammel Might Be The Rays Fifth Starter

Update: A few quotes from David Price and Andrew Friedman from Raysbaseball.com

Friedman on making the decision.

"We had a lot of conversations about ways to get creative. And went through it for the last two or three weeks at length and ultimately decided that -- all things considered -- that this was the right move for David and in turn the organization."

Friedman on how the organization's approach has changed.

"As we've demonstrated in the past, we're very dogmatic when it comes to our young pitchers and building them up," Friedman said. "And we were in a different position in '06 and '07, when we could shut guys down near the end of seasons and not have it present a problem.

"But we're in a different situation now. We have expectations and hopes of playing in October, and we feel like we'll be a better team with David as a part of that and also continuing to work on the developmental things we've laid out as well."

Friedman on what they want to see improved.

"Being able to get deep into games, which all comes back to being able to command his fastball at will," Friedman said. "The great thing about David is, whenever you lay a challenge in front of him, he exceeds your expectations and what you ask of him. And so that's something that we've laid out."

Price on the "sting" of the news

"It's just, I don't know, I haven't really thought about it a whole lot right now," Price said. "Probably a couple of days, I'll have some feelings about it, but right now it kind of stings a little bit."

Price showing amazing maturity and knows that it is the right decision

"I talked to my agent quite a bit, and he told me kind of what to expect," Price said. "So I came in and had fun. This is where I want to be, so have fun. It was a fun Spring Training, a great group of guys right here. Hopefully, I get to join them sooner or later."
"Yeah, it's a business," Price said. "They have to look out for their best interest. If I was the owner of the team, I would be doing the same thing."

Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day Centerfielder: Ben Zobrist?

Tommy Rancel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:39:56 -0000

Following up on something I wrote about yesterday, the Rays are looking at Ben Zobrist as the potential opening day centerfielder. He could also see the lion's share of innings in center until B.J. Upton returns from hand/shoulder injuries. Zobrist started yesterday in center field and has logged more innings (28) at that position than any other this spring. He has played every position except pitcher and catcher so far. Zobrist, a switch hitter, would allow the Rays' "Gabe of the Day" right field platoon to continue as planned; Gross starting versus right handers and Kapler starting against lefties. Kapler is another option to start in centerfield in Upton's absence.

Another reason Zobrist is being looked at as the temporary centerfielder is roster flexibility. I mentioned this earlier this weekend, but the Rays really have two options here. First, they could keep Justin Ruggiano on the roster and have him be the primary backup in the outfield. Second, they could use Zobrist as the centerfielder and keep Adam Kennedy as a utility infielder along with Willy Aybar. Kennedy has played second base, third base and some outfield this spring. He played 10 games in the outfield and three games at first base for the St. Louis Cardinals last season. We all know Joe Maddon loves a flexible roster so this could be the way he goes.

While Maddon seems comfortable with Zobrist in center field, we just don't know how good or bad of a defender he will be out there. Last year, Benzo logged 113.1 innings in the outfield with most of those coming in left field (79.1). Zobrist looked to be about average in left with a UZR of 0.7 in limited action. He did play five games in center field last year including three starts. He had a -0.7 UZR in 27 innings in center, however, that is a very small sample size. There is a chance Zobrist has made some defensive strides in the outfield this spring, so we'll have to trust the opinions of coaches and scouts for now.

The effect of the Fernando Perez injury is really starting to show right now. None of this would even be necessary had Perez not suffered a dislocated wrist injury along with ligament damage. Perez is expected to miss 4-5 months, meaning a July or August return. However, Andrew Friedman acknowledged the injury could cost Perez the entire season, but it's too early for that type of speculation.

Photo By Dennis Adair

B.J. Upton Likely To Miss Opening Day After Setback

Tommy Rancel — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:35:50 -0000

The good news is it still looks like B.J. Upton's hand injury is a minor one. The bad news is it's a big enough setback that Upton is "definitely" expecting to the season on the DL.

Upton now figures he will open the season on the DL with hopes of being ready for the April 13 home opener.

"Definitely,'' Upton said. "Obviously I was pushing it, but I think they're definitely going to want to take it a lot slower now.'' --Heater

While it was a long shot for Upton making the opening day roster to begin with, he was progressing nicely this spring and just last week started to play in minor league games. Saturday was his first game playing both defense and offense. According to the report, Upton's hand is still swollen and will visit with Dr. Koko Eaton today for futher evaluation. B.J. still has hopes of playing in a regular spring training game this week, but we all know the Rays are very cautious with injuries.

The Rays could go a few ways with Upton's roster spot. They could give it to a true outfielder like Justin Ruggiano, who has the ability to play all three spots. Or they may opt to keep a utilty infielder around like Adam Kennedy or Elliot Johnson, who both have also played some outfield this spring. This scenario would depend on how comfortable the team is with Ben Zobrist's ability to back up the outfield.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Loneliest Glint Lies In Center

R.J. Anderson — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:00:09 -0000

With Fernando Perez' unfortunate injury, we're looking at having an opening day centerfielder who doesn't actually play center. That means Gabe Kapler, Ben Zobrist, and Justin Ruggiano are going to juggle the position until B.J. Upton returns - assuming the Rays don't try something like Akinori Iwamura in center with Adam Kennedy playing second. Thankfully, there's not much of a difference between the trio over a handful of games span.

Kapler has played center sparingly over his last three seasons. Spending 251 innings in center for the Brewers is the most since 2001 as the everyday centerfielder for the Texas Rangers. Even with that limited exposure, Kapler's last three years of UZR are -0.9, -4.6, and 4.8. Essentially average, even when you account for an extra year of age. Say -5 < x < 5 runs.

Zobrist is a below average defensive shortstop and lacks a sample size in the outfield large enough to make any true assumptions about. I'm willing to call him a 0 < x < 5 runs defensive outfielder until proven otherwise. That makes him a -10 < x < -5 centerfielder.

Ruggiano also features a small offering in the outfield, albeit larger than Zobrist. We're talking 226 total innings with only 37 of those coming in the centerfield. Like Zobrist, I think he's a 0 < x < 5 outfield defender, and a -10 < x < -5 defensive centerfielder. Ruggiano also seemingly figures to be the least likely to secure a roster spot following the centerfield triangle to open the year.

If those projections are accurate, we're not talking much of a difference over 150 games, not along 10-15 games. Kapler's best case defensive scenario is about 15 runs better than what we would expect from Ruggiano and Zobrist, but there's always a chance they can fake a better defensive turnout or are simply better than we'd expect. Either way, 15 runs over 150 games is a run every 10 games.

That means, if the Rays have the worst possible scenarios occur in center over the first 15 games, we're still only looking at about a run defensively.

And don't count on the worst possible scenarios occurring, Zobrist has connections: