SB Nation - Mitch Talbot

Report: Player to be Named Later for Kelly Shoppach is Either Mitch Talbot or Joseph Cruz

R.J. Anderson — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:38:34 -0000

This from MLB.com:

Any speculation on who we're going to get for Kelly Shoppach?
-- Kevin K., Independence, Ohio

Though the Indians won't confirm who they have to choose from on or before the Dec. 20 deadline, I'm hearing it will be one of two right-handed pitchers -- Mitch Talbot or Joseph Cruz

This comes down to whether the Indians want immediate help in the form of Talbot or higher upside with a higher chance of burn out in Cruz. I'm a big fan of Talbot and he's out of options. I'd hate to lose him, but I think it's a matter of when rather than if. Talbot has roughly three seasons of Triple-A under his belt now, and during his time with Durham he's posted FIP of 4.0, 3.03, and 3.55. He is right-handed and his fastball sits in the low-90s, but his change-up is reportedly an above average pitch. He throws strikes and he'll be cheap for a number of years to come.

AFL Championship GameThread: Phoenix Desert Dogs vs Peoria Javelinas.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:04:47 -0000

Phoenix Municipal Stadium home of the Phoenix Desert Dogs, who play the Peoria Javelinas at 2:35 pm EST (12:35 pm MST) Saturday in the Arizona Fall League Championship game.

View full size photo »

AFL Championship...

• Top 5 Reasons You Should Still Watch The AFL Championship Game. - Federal Baseball

"So you don't get to see the '09 No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg pitch, you do get to see the player taken second overall by the Seattle Mariners, Dustin Ackley..."

• Tampa Bay Rays' prospect Mitch Talbot steps in for the injured Stephen Strasburg today, pitching for the Phoenix Desert Dogs (19-13) against Peoria, Arizona's second-favorite team, the Javelinas, (18-14) and right-hander Anthony Varvaro in the Arizona Fall League's Championship game at 12:35 MST (2:35 pm EST) in Scottsdale, Arizona's Scottsdale Stadium. Talbot, 25, a 2002 2nd Round pick of the Houston Astros who was traded to Tampa Bay along with IF/OF Ben Zobrist in a deal that sent IF/OF Aubrey Huff out to Minute Maid in 2006, posted a (4-4) record with a 3.69 ERA and 67 K's in 15 starts and 68.1 IP at three stops in the Rays' system in 2009, and he finished the AFL regular season with a (3-0) record and a 4.37 ERA in 6 starts and 22.2 IP. Anthony Varvaro, a 12th Round pick taken 353rd overall by the Seattle Mariners in 2005 out of St. John's University and Staten Island, New York, pitched at two levels of the Seattle system this season, going (4-3) with a 3.43 ERA and 73 K's in 44 G and 62.0 IP, splitting time between the Class-A Advanced High Desert Mavericks and the Double-A West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (real name). Varvano, who was (1-0) with 2 saves in 10 games and 13.1 IP this fall will be making his first start of the fall for the Javelinas...

BACKPAGE:

• Strasburg Diagnosis Is In.

• Desert Dogs Cap Contest.

BACKPAGE:

• Strasburg Diagnosis Is In.

Apparently a dislocated knee cap is the best possible diagnosis. Washington Nationals fans who heard the words, "Strasburg", "knee" and "pop" and feared the worst will be relieved to know, as Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin reported in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Strasburg's injury won't require surgery", that the Nats' 21-year-old '09 No. 1 overall draft pick, right-handed flame-thrower Stephen Strasburg won't need surgery, but will instead only need, "...to rest and follow a physical therapy regimen to strengthen all the ligaments around his knee," as he recovers from what LA orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum diagnosed as a "patellar subluxation", "...and (Strasburg) should have no trouble being ready for Spring Training."

In Mr. Sheinin's post on the injury Friday morning entitled, "So how bad is the Strasburg injury", the Washington Post writer noted that "what raised more suspicions" about the injury amongst those following the situation was the fact that the Nationals had initially, "...apparently put a gag order on everyone both in Arizona and Washington," but DC GM Mike Rizzo made himself available to Mr. Sheinin and the DC press after Dr. Yocum's diagnosis was in, telling the Post writer that Strasburg was, "...extremely disappointed he doesn't get to finish out the season with his teammates and pitch in the championship game."

Stephen Strasburg ends his AFL campaign with a (4-1) record and a 4.26 ERA in 5 starts and 19.0 IP over which he allowed 15 hits, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR's and 7 walks while collecting 23 K's for 10.89 K/9.

• Desert Dogs Cap Contest.

(ed. note - "Email Both Answers to edchigliakfilms@yahoo.com...":

Two Answers: What were the senior-year high school ERA's of both Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen?

Top 5 Reasons You Should Still Watch The AFL Championship Game.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:11:57 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

3 months ago: Dustin Ackley, the Seattle Mariners' top pick in this year's baseball draft, takes batting practice with the team Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, in Seattle. Ackley is an outfielder and also plays first base, and the team said Monday that he will play for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League after spending some time with the Mariners' instructional league. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Browse more photos »

5. Dustin Ackley

So you don't get to see the '09 No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg pitch, you do get to see the player taken second overall by the Seattle Mariners, Dustin Ackley, a converted outfielder who hit over .400 in three-straight seasons (with an OBP over .500 in his final two years) at UNC before becoming the first fielder taken in the 2009 First-year Player Draft, and so far in the AFL, Ackley's hit for a .315 AVG with 5 doubles, 1 HR and 12 RBI's, while posting a .412 OBP, .425 SLG and an .836 OPS...the Mariners may already/one day regret having sent Orioles' CF Adam Jones to Baltimore in the Bedard deal, but Ackley will help them forget.

4. Chris Marrero

Adam Dunn's under contract for one more year, so unless the Nationals find some way to convince the big slugger to sign an extension, the top-ranked first base prospect in the DC system is Chris Marrero, a 21-year-old former third baseman and outfielder who's now playing his third position since being selected with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2006 MLB draft out of Miami, Florida's Monsignor Pace high school. Marrero hit for a combined .284 AVG, a .358 OBP, .452 SLG and an .810 OPS with 27 doubles, 17 HR's and 76 RBI's at two stops in the Nationals' organization this year, playing 112 games with the Class-A Advanced Potomac Nationals before moving up for 23 games with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators. In 23 games and 83 at bats with the AFL's Desert Dogs, Marrero's hit for a .349 AVG with 7 doubles, 3 HR's and 21 RBI's, a .402 OBP, .542 SLG and a .944 OPS. (ed. note - "And now you too can stare at his 'footwork' at first base and see if you notice anything...")

Reasons No. 3-1 After The JUMP!!...

3. Daniel Espinosa

The second-best SS in the Nationals' system according to Baseball America's Aaron Fitt, (who has Espinosa listed as the Best Defensive Infielder in the organization and penciled in at short in the Projected 2013 Lineup), and the top-ranked shortstop on Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels' list of the Top 20 Prospects in the DC farm system, Danny Espinosa, a 22-year-old 3rd Round pick in 2008 who spent his second pro season with the Class-A Potomac Nationals, posting a .264 AVG with a .375 OBP, .834 OPS, 31 doubles, 4 triples, 18 HR's, 29 stolen bases and 72 RBI's over 133 games, is the next big thing at short for the Nationals...In 24 games in the AFL, Espinosa's hit for a .345 AVG, with a .434 OBP, .460 SLG and an .894 OPS, having collected 30 hits, (5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR) in 87 at bats.

2. Desme, Weeks, Mandel, Wilkie, etc...

In addition to the Washington Nationals' prospects like Jeff Mandel, (ranked 20th overall in DC's system by Minor League Ball.com's Mr. Sickels, who says, "...he might sneak in some major league innings this season."), a 24-year-old right-hander out of Houston, TX who was (12-6) with a 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 5.3 K/9 in two stops in the Nationals' organization in '09, and Josh Wilkie, (whispers: who's available league-wide in the Rule 5 draft), a 25-year-old righty out of GWU, who was (5-2) with a 2.37 ERA at Double-A Harrisburg before being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse this season, you can also see Oakland A's prospects like outfielder Grant Desme, a 2nd Round '07 pick who hit a combined 31 doubles and 31 HR's at two stops in the A's system in 2009, and is hitting .315, with a .413 OBP, 5 doubles, 11 HR's and 25 RBI's as a Desert Dog, or Jemile Weeks, the A's '08 1st Round pick, a second baseman who was ranked 8th overall in Oakland's system in Baseball America's last rankings, or Mitch Talbot, who'll start in place of Strasburg, a Devil Rays' pitching prospect who was acquired by Tampa Bay from Houston along with Ben Zobrist in the deal that sent Aubrey Huff to the Astros...and that's only a random few picked from the D-Dogs' roster.

1. Drew Storen. The Next Flat-Brimmed Closer.

The AFL's league-leader in Saves! The Nationals' second '09 1st Round pick!! The former Stanford Cardinal closer!!! Drew Storen signed with Washington as quickly as he could and set about tearing up the minor leagues as he charged through three stops in the DC system collecting 11 saves and 49 K's in 28 G and 37.0 IP in which the 22-year-old 6'1'' right-hander put up a 1.95 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, and a 6.13 K/BB ratio. With the Desert Dogs, Storen's (2-0) with 4 saves and a 0.66 ERA in 12 games and 13.2 IP over which he's allowed 16 hits, 3 runs, 1 ER, and 3 walks while recording 13 K's. Storen's '09 season was impressive enough to earn him the 3rd overall spot on both Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's and Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels' lists of the Nationals' Top Prospects, and both Mr. Fitt and Mr. Sickels point to Storen as the Nationals' future closer, which means you can be sure he'll carry of the DC Closer Tradition of "Making It Interesting" should he be called upon to save the D-Dogs' AFL Championship win.

Game Time: 2:35 pm EST on the MLB Network and MLB.com. AFL Championship. Phoenix Desert Dogs vs Peoria Javelinas.

LINKS:

• "Top prospects square off in AFL finale" | MLB.com: News - Tom Singer

Phoenix, winner of the East Division, meets the West Division kingpin Peoria Javelinas in Saturday's Arizona Fall League championship game at 2:35 p.m. ET in Scottsdale Stadium.

• Potomac Nationals Weekly Update: Washington Nationals' Prospect Danny Espinosa Interview. - Federal Baseball

Potomac Nationals Weekly Update: Washington Nationals' Prospect Danny Espinosa Interview.

• Potomac Nationals Weekly Update. 5/25 - Federal Baseball (featuring Jeff Mandel/Chris Marrero)

A weekly look in on the Potomac Nationals, or P-Nats, the Washington Nationals' Class-A Affiliate.

• "Potomac Nationals Weekly Update: Washington Nationals' Prospect Drew Storen Interview" - Federal Baseball - Ed Chigliak.

"Drew Storen, Stanford Cardinal closer, was selected by the Washington Nationals with their second 1st Round pick, 10th overall in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft."

AFL Rays Player Updates

FreeZorilla — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:15:11 -0000

As previously, noted the Rays have 4 pitchers throwing for the Phoenix team in the Arizona Fall League, along with middle infielder Shawn O'Malley and catcher Nevin Ashley. Here is a stats update through Tuesday's game. Please keep in mind this is an extreme hitter's league and these are extremely small sample sizes.

Hitters:

	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	AB
League Average	0.284	0.363	0.444	0.807
Shawn O'Malley	0.319	0.396	0.34	0.737	47
Nevin Ashley	0.359	0.395	0.615	1.011	39

-O'Malley is who we thought he was. He led the Florida State League in On-Base-Percentage with a slugging percentage dangerously close to his batting average. That means he is basically the king of the swinging bunt. He was also named the Organizational Base Runner of the Year or the OBRY.

-Ashley has been a very pleasant surprise at the plate to all except for Jamie Cevallos, Ben Zobrist's Swing Mechanic who has been working with Ashley. He was the Organizational Defensive Player of the Year or the ODPY. Not bad for a catcher, where you can put up with mediocre offense more so than other positions. Ashley hit a walkoff grand slam in a Fall Ball game.

Pitchers:

	IP	H /9	HR/9	BB/9	K/9
League Average		10.1	0.98	4.2	7.81
Mitch Talbot	14.2	12.68	1.27	1.27	5.7
Paul Phillips	6.1	10.33	0	5.9	4.43
Heath Rollins	6.1	20.66	1.48	2.95	5.9
Matt Gorgen	4.2	23.57	2.14	8.57	15

There's nothing too exciting here. Strikeout numbers have been dismal outside of Gorgen who has an artificial boost from giving up so many hits. Hopefully, they can improve on these numbers. Gorgen has been named to the Fall Ball Rising Star Game roster which will be played this weekend.

Speed Check - AFL vs. MLB

Harry Pavlidis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:45:10 -0000

Stephen Strasburg's fastball is raising some interesting questions. While Strasburg was on the mound on Monday, a Tweet and an email (so old fashioned) came in asking about the Surprise, AZ, PITCHf/x data. Was it hot?

Strasburg throwing 101 was a surprise to many, and seeing him sit near 98 for a few innings raised more questions. I took a look at the two PITCHf/x installations in the Arizona Fall Leauge (Surprise and Peoria) this morning at the Hardball Times.

The basic conclusion was, no, the system in Surprise isn't hot. Relative to Peoria, that is.

Assuming the two systems are pretty much on par, the opportunity came up to compare AFL pitchers to themselves as MLB pitchers. Using release speed (55 ft. from home plate) I was able to compare data from 14 pitchers.

Nothing fancy and statistical, but, as you browse the baker's dozen + 1 set of images below, I think you'll probably reach the same conclusion I did.

The years shown in the parentheses indicate the MLB seasons the pitcher appeared in. The scale is to the game (actually at bat) and varies by pitcher. September 2009 call-ups will have a vastly different x-axis scale compared to a pitcher who worked back in 2007. But it's the y-axis (MPH) that matters.

Bryan Augenstein (2009)

Randor Bierd (2008)

Josh Butler (2009)

Michael Dunn (2009)

Matt Harrison (2008-2009)

Wilton Lopez (2009)

Ian Kennedy (2007, 2009)

Joe Martinez (2009)

Andrew Miller (2007-2009)

Mike Parisi (2008)

Dustin Richardson (2009)

Travis Schlichting (2009)

Mitch Talbot (2008)

Donald Veal (2009)

AFLf/x ain't hot if you ask me.

Washington Nationals: AFL/DWL Update...Nationals Fans In A Reality Series?

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Gerald Herbert - AP

6 months ago: Washington Nationals assistant general manager and vice president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, right, introduces pitcher Drew Storen, the team's first-round draft pick and 10th pick overall in the baseball draft during a news conference at Nationals Stadium in Washington, on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Browse more photos »

• AFL:

The only Nationals' prospects in action on Wednesday in the AFL were on the mound as Jeff Mandel and Drew Storen both saw action in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 11-6 win over the Peoria Javelinas. Mandel, Washington's 24-year-old right-handed '07 19th Round pick, threw a 1-2-3 5th after replacing D-Dogs' starter Mitch Talbot, a second-round pick by the Astros in 2002, who was traded to Tampa Bay, along with Ben Zobrist, in a deal that sent Aubrey Huff to Houston. Mandel gave up a leadoff single and a one-out RBI double in the sixth before back to back groundouts ended the inning. Mandel's Line: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K's, 3.00 ERA, 31 pitches, 21 strikes.

Drew Storen, the Nationals' 2nd '09 1st Round pick pitched a scoreless ninth for Phoenix, striking out Dodgers' catching prospect Jesse Mier with a slider, curve and change all low in the zone in the mid-80s', popping up Tigers' shortstop Cale Iorg with a 1-1 fastball at 95, and giving up a two-out double to LA IF prospect Justin Sellers on a 2-2 slider before a two-out groundout by Trayvon Robinson on a first-pitch fastball ends the game. Storen's Line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 1.35 ERA, 12 pitches, 9 strikes.

Final Score - Desert Dogs 11, Javelinas 6. - MLB.com's Gameday.

BACKPAGE:

• DWL Update: Desmond's Still Crushing Pitches.

• Washington Nationals Fans + Reality TV = Ratings Gold.

BACKPAGE:

• DWL Update: Desmond's Still Crushing Pitches.

Ian Desmond's first HR for the Dominican Winter League's Tigres del Licey was a two-run blast and a game-winner that came in the seventh inning of Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Toros del Este. Desmond ends the game 2 for 4 with a run scored, a HR and 3 RBI's, leaving the Nationals' 24-year-old infielder hitting .227 after 6 games and 22 AB's for Licey.

• Final Score - Tigres 5, Toros 2. MLB.com Box Score.

• LIST: Nationals' Prospects in the Winter Leagues.

• Washington Nationals Fans + Reality TV = Ratings Gold.

MASN and We've Got Heart's Kristen Hudak has a post up at MASNSports.com entitled, "Casting Call: Nats Reality Series", where Ms. Hudak reports that IMG Studios is, "...looking for die-hard Nationals fans to appear in a series starting this offseason," which will focus, according to an IMG Studios casting call, on, "...a person or group of friends [who] find it hard to balance an active social, romantic relationship, work or family with the "other person" (the Nationals) in their life." Anyone interested should send a biographical paragraph and a photograph to: muvena@interfacemedia.com.. Good luck...Anyone from Federal Baseball.com who gets on this will be outfitted with a wardrobe of FB gear...

Tampa Bay Rays Arizona Fall League Update: Matt Gorgen Whiffs Two

R.J. Anderson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:21:08 -0000

For the first time ever, the Arizona Fall League will feature pitchfx data at two locations (Surprise and Peoria). This is fantastic news and hopefully some of our arms - most notably Matt Gorgen - get an appearance or two at those locations. A few Rays were in action for the Phoenix Desert Dogs last night.

Playing shortstop and batting second, Shawn O'Malley went one-for-four with two strikeouts. His hit came in the first inning, a grounder that deflected off the pitcher. He would steal second base but failed to score. Worth noting: he laid down a sacrifice bunt and attempted to reach on a bunt hit.

O'Malley's tale is speed. Drafted out of a Washington high school in 2006, the fifth round pick received a signing bonus of $200,000 to bypass his commitment to Washington State University. Standing a little under six-feet, O'Malley bats lefty and is perhaps the top base runner in the system. Although he's mostly disappointed in his minor league career, he did have a decent season for High-A Charlotte; batting .268/.388/.311 with 40 stolen bases in 54 attempts. He turns 22 in the waning days of December, so there's still a chance he can turn into something, but he's likely an organizational soldier who doubles as a pinch runner/utility infielder.

Matt Gorgen entered in the bottom of the eight and promptly struck out Mike Stanton and Welington Castillo. He also walked one and allowed a single that was eradicated on a failed stolen base attempt. Keith Law tweeted that Gorgen hit 94 on the pitch that struck out Castillo to end the inning.

Formerly the closer at Cal-Berkley, Gorgen was drafted in round 16 in the 2008 draft. Upon joining the system he raised eyebrows by striking out 35 batters in 23 innings pitched. Starting this season in Charlotte and replicating his previous success, he fanned 59 in 47 innings. On to Montgomery where Gorgen hit the first snag in his professional career; walking more than five per nine innings and striking out only seven per. Previous reports have Gorgen throwing a fastball that sits in the 90-92 range with a mid-to-upper 80s cutter.

Cody Cipriano, usually a second baseman, played left field and recorded a hit to go with two strikeouts. His hit, a double, came off pitcher James Russell -- a Chicago Cubs farmhand - who was thoroughly roughed up by the Desert Dogs lineup. No word on how his defense played up.

Formerly of UC Irvine, Cipriano has shown strong power and on-base attributes but has a lackluster glove. Cipriano had previously recorded at least 13% walks and a .150+ ISO in his previous 600 or so minor league plate appearances. Reaching Montgomery for the first time he struggled, walking 9.8% of the time still, but showing little of the gap power he previously flashed. Probably a future utility man.

Other Rays players on the AFL roster include pitchers Mitch Talbot, Paul Phillips, and Heath Rollins as well as catcher Nevin Ashley.

Mitch Talbot is the Next Edwin Jackson/Jeff Niemann

R.J. Anderson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:21:55 -0000

(Idea via ReasonableDoubt)

Warning, technical jargon ahead.

Minor league options are one of the more tedious aspects of baseball vernacular. Essentially, teams have a limit on the amount of times a player can be sent to the minors without his permission. For the average player, this is three options - not years, but options. Some players, like Scott Kazmir, agree to contract extensions that essentially wipe away any remaining options; this leaves Kazmir in control of his own destiny with his agreement the only thing allowing the Rays to demote him.

Most people assume players can only be sent to the minors and recalled three times total, that's not true. If the Rays were to purchase Tim Beckham's contract in September, and keep him up through the end of the season, they would only use an option when they optioned him to the minors next spring. If they recalled him after two weeks had passed and Beckham remains in the majors for the rest of the season - therefore finishing with less than 20 days in the minors - this too would not count as an option used.

The Rays could demote Beckham in 2010, skip 2011, and send him down in 2012 for some more seasoning and Beckham would still have to frown and head to bus town. If he had five years of major league service time, Beckham could refuse the optional assignment and become a free agent instead. Also worth noting: Beckham would be eligible for a fourth option if he were optioned in each of those seasons but had less than five years of experience in non-short season leagues. By my count, he would qualify.

Okay, now, let's get to the point. Every season a few fringe players have renewed chances of making the roster because they are "out of options". That means, simply, they can no longer be optioned to the minors without being designated for assignment (giving the team 10 days to trade, release, or place the player on waivers). The last step in that process involves irrevocable waivers, meaning any player with value is going to be claimed; barring a messy contract or crime scene. For those who aren't claimed, they can be assigned to the minors without choice the first time they've been "outrighted", but have the choice to become a free agent either at that date or after the season if they aren't placed back on the 40-man roster.

So, which players are the Rays going to have to maneuver for next spring? Well, first, let's put the obvious ones to rest. Pat Burrell is not going to the minors, neither is B.J. Upton, or Carl Crawford, or whomever else. We're talking about fringe roster types or highly touted prospects that have run into a few hurdles. This year, the big one was Jeff Niemann, last year it was Edwin Jackson, and so on.

By fringe, I simply mean guys who don't seem to have a defined role on next year's team. This doesn't mean they suck nor have no future, it just means there may not be a bench spot or place in the bullpen for them.

Fringe players with zero options remaining entering next season:

UT Elliot Johnson

P Mitch Talbot

P Joe Nelson (some would argue he's a non-tender candidate, I'd agree)

P Lance Cormier

P Randy Choate

UT Joe Dillon

Fringe players with one option remaining entering next season.

P Jonathan Meloan

(I know some will attempt and argue with who I label as fringe, please don't.)

Mitch Talbot is the big name on that list. Pitchers with 380 Triple-A innings and 3.5 FIP don't pass through waivers. He's unlikely to make the Rays rotation, so the Rays are going to have to decide whether he's bullpen fodder or his best value is derived from trading him for whatever. Assuming he's still with the org through the spring, he's Jeff Niemann 2010 and could be the first real causality to the Rays rotation depth.

Thanks to Cots for spectacular reference material.

Rays Set Minor League Rotations; David Price, Wade Davis

Tommy Rancel — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:00:10 -0000

The Rays minor league affiliates get their seasons started this Thursday. Here are the full minor league rotations:

*Opening day starter in italics*

Durham: Mitch Talbot, David Price, Wade Davis, Carlos Hernandez, Jason Cromer

I kind of feel bad for Talbot. He's performed well at Triple-A, yet this is his third year in Durham. He's a victim of circumstance; he has options and others don't. The only surprise in Durham is Jason Cromer. Cromer, 28, has mostly worked in relief, but has had a few starts each year. He was inducted in to the spring box score legends in 2009. It seems as if he's just keeping a seat warm for Hellickson or possibily Jake McGee

Montgomery: Jeremy Hellickson, Ryan Morse, Heath Rollins, Brandon Mann, Rayner Oliveros

Hellickson is the obvious pick for opening day starter as he is the best pitching prospect the Rays have at the Double-A level. Both Hellickson and Rollins could find themselves in Durham by year's end. Rayner Oliveros returns to profession baseball and will be inserted into the Biscuits rotation. He made 69 appearances for the Royals organzation in 2006 and 2007 with 63 of those in relief. Obviously the Rays saw something in him because they choose to sign him after being out of baseball in 2008 and will try him as a starter.

Port Charlotte: Alex Cobb, Jesse Darcy, David Newmann, Jeremy Hall, Darin Downs

We know the names Alex Cobb and JESSE DARCY, but a few may have forgotten David Newmann. Newmann, 23, was drafted in 2007 out of Texas A & M. He did not make an appearance after the Draft and missed the entire 2008 season with injury. He also missed all of 2006 while in college after Tommy John surgery. He is a project at this point to say the least.

Bowling Green: Matthew Moore, Shane Dyer, Frank De Los Santos, Joseph Cruz, Michael Jarman

Matt Moore is a stud and it's only a matter of time before Nick Barnese joins him in Bowling Green, if Moore hasn't moved on by then. Shane Dyer is a 2008 draft pick, who was pretty good at this level last year and may be the first to move up to the Port Charlotte. Joseph Cruz makes the jump to A ball after two impressive seasons at the rookie level.

A couple of other minor league notes from Stacy Long

Ryan Reid will miss the start of the season with "elbow pain." Never good.

Eduardo Morlan and Chris Mason will work out of the Double-A Bullpen. We know about Morlan's offseason travels, but Mason actually gets demoted here after a bad showing in 2008 at the Triple-A level. In 2007, he was named the Double-A pitcher of the year.

Desmond Jennings contines to play for Montgomery during spring training which is a sign that hopefully he will start the season with the Double-A club.

A Look At The Race For The Rays Fifth Starter

Tommy Rancel — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:48:44 -0000

With an off day today I figured it would be a good time to re-group and take a look at the performance of the fifth starter candidates so far. While spring training stats don't account for much, without the benefit of seeing the games from a scouts point of view, they are all we have. Of course we have yet to see David Price, but the growing consensus is he will be starting the season in Durham regardless. This leaves us with five candidates who at least have been mentioned by Jim Hickey or Joe Maddon as being in the race.

Player	IP	H	ER	K	BB
Hammel	6	6	0	5	1
Davis	5.2	1	0	4	0
Talbot	8	14	8	3	0
Niemann	5	3	1	7	1
Hernandez	4.1	2	0	1	1

Realistically, both Hernandez and Davis are more likely headed to Durham than the Trop, but both have pitched well. Herndandez was excellent in his first start, but was not as sharp in his second appearance. Two of his runners scored, but both were unearned. I don't have any numbers on his velocity, but he doesn't seem to be missing many bats with only one strikeout to his credit.

Davis has probably been the Rays best starter this spring. He has faced names like Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texieria and Albert Pujols and did not give up a hit to any of them. In fact, he's given up just one hit with no walks and four strikeouts. If this was 2010, he would be close to locking up a rotation spot, however, its not and he will likely be going back to Durham at least to start the season with an eye on a call up should an injury happen.

Mitch Talbot has been the least impressive of the candidates statistically. He has given up four home runs and eight earned runs overall(technically seven since last nights game "didn't count"). He seemed to settle down after his awful first inning against Philadelphia and his last six innings have looked much better on paper. He also held down a pretty potent Puerto Rican lineup last night. Unless something miraculous happens over the next few weeks, Talbot will probably slide into the Bulls rotation for a third straight season.

This leaves us with two pitchers, who regardless of their successes or failures this spring should find themselves on a Major League roster in one way or another. I know it's just spring and the stats don't really count, but you have to be pleased with the control Jason Hammel has shown to date. He has just one walk in six innings and has struck out five. Listening to his last start on the radio, he seemed to be getting a lot of swings and misses which is fantastic. He has pretty much put himself right there at the top of the competition.

The other pitcher is Jeff Niemann. While Davis has grabbed the most attention, Niemann has quietly been dominant. His K/9 right now is over 12 and he has walked only one batter. I'd say he is my favorite for the spot so far, but if you read into Joe Maddon comments last week, his role may already determined.

"You always think about the possibility, and then when you actually see it, it becomes even more of a possibility," Maddon said. "You put him in late in a game and see 96, 97 mph and the downhill look, and it's like, 'Holy (cow).'

"Now we're going to give him a chance, absolutely, to be the fifth starter. But there's a real possibility he could go to the bullpen and really help us. He's the kind of guy you'd have to nurture through, but he's got real potential."

That seem's to be ok with Niemann.

"I know a lot of guys want to say, 'I'm a starter, I'm this or I'm that.' I had experience starting and relieving last year — invaluable experience — and either way to me will be great," Niemann said. "I enjoyed working out of the bullpen a lot more than I thought I would. So whichever way it goes, I don't think it will bother me either way."

The best part is this all could change within a weeks time. It's only March 5th and if you look at the Rays plans, the real spring training doesn't begin until Saturday. It will be interesting to see who gets the most looks and how roles will be changed once the other Rays starters are intergrated into the mix.