SB Nation - Jason Cromer

A Look at 2009 Mid-Season Promotions on the Farm

FreeZorilla — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:46:43 -0000

Several players in the Rays farm system have been the recipients of mid-season promotions. Let's take a look at how some of these players have fared.

Rhyne Hughes 1B

Age 25 BL TL

Hughes began the season as a repeat in AA Montgomery where he led the Southern League in home runs at the time of his promotion with 15. Hughes was hitting one home run per every 14.33 at-bats. IN 2008, Hughes struggled mightily against left-handed pitching putting up a slash line of .165/.303/.319 while striking out in 31.9% of at-bats vs. lefties. In 2009, he improved to a line of .233/.329/.383 vs. LHP though his strikeout percentage increased to 41.7%. Overall his line was .260/.351/.521.

On June 9^th, Hughes was promoted to Durham where he went on a tear. For the monthof June, Hughes put up a line of .329/.369/.514. So far in July he has been far quieter with a line of .245/.339/.388 . His BABIP has fallen from a silly .486 to .345. In only 37 AB he has OPSed.814 vs. left-handed pitching in Durham. His K% with the Bulls is currently 32.3% while walking just 6.8% of the time. When Hughes hits the ball, he hits it hard. He is hitting home runs at Durham at a rate of one per every 21.3 AB. His biggest weakness, a lack of plate discipline, is the only thing keeping him from being a serious first base prospect.

Cody Cipriano 2B

Age 24 BR TR

Ciprianotook a major leap in 2009 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs putting up a line of .296/.395/.455. He played his way to the all-star team and then up to Montgomery on July 13. Ciprianohas displayed a very good eye at the plate walking between right around 14% of the time in all 3 seasons. His first week in AA went fairly well as he batted .250/.381/.438 with a home run. Cipriano's biggest weakness is his mediocre defense.

Nevin Ashley C

Age 24

Ashley's offense has been on a steady decline since rookie ball. As he worked his way up the system his OPS went from .903 (rookie) to .785 (class A) to .663 (A+). He began the season as a repeat in A+ with Charlotte where he continued to struggle. For the first time in his career his BB rate dwindled below double digits to 7%. His OPS continued to decline to .602. Nevertheless, Ashley was promoted to Montgomery on June 3^rd. AA proved to be a challenge in June, as Ashley OPSed just .532 while striking out 1/3 of his at-bats. July has proven to be much better for Ashley as he has put together 5 extra base hits and a slash line of .233/.340/.419 or Dioner Navarro plus walks. His walk rate continues to be a positive but he will need to continue to hit the ball well to have a shot at a future. Ashley is currently in the midst of a 7 game hitting streak.

Paul Phillips P

Age 25 TR

Paul Phillips was signed by the Rays minor league deal after the 25 year old was released by the Blue Jays organization. Phillips was originally selected in the 9^thround of the 2005 draft out of Oakland University. In 2007, Phillips was listed as the #34 organizational prospect for the Jays according to Scout.com. Phillips had been doing well in the lowest levels of the Jays organization but seemed to hit a stumbling block every time he reached A+ ball. In a half year stint in 2007, Phillips posted a FIPof 5.91. A full season in 2008 with a BB/9 of 5.97 and FIP of 4.49 earned him a pink slip.

The Rays gave Phillips a shot to begin the season in Charlotte where he pitched 18 innings of relief with a K/9 of 9.0 and a BB/9 of 3.3. On June 4, Phillips earned his first real promotion to AA Montgomery (he did serve a 3 game stint in AA in 2006. Phillips has been lights out with the Biscuits in 20 innings posting a K/9 of 8.55, a BB/9 of 2.7 and a FIP of 2.61. Here is a nice article on Phillips.

Matt Gorgen P

Age 22 TR

If you have followed DRB minor league coverage at all this year, you have been fed a healthy dose of Gorgen coverage. Gorgendevoured the Florida State League out of the bullpen in Charlotte with a FIP of 2.13 and a K/9 of 11.14 in 47.2 innings. He graduated the FSL withan ERA of 0.59 when he was promoted to Montgomery on July 16. In his first outing with the Biscuits, Gorgenpitched two scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout. At this time last year, Gorgen was in Hudson Valley, so he is one to keep an eye on. Matt Gorgen's DRB Minor League Profile can be found here.

Rayner Oliveros P

Age 23 TR

Like Paul Phillips, Oliveros was another abandoned project, this time from the Royals organization. In 2008, Scout.com had Oliveros tabbed as the #43 organizational prospect. RJ Profiled the signing of Oliveros here. The Royals cut bait after the 2007 season where his K/9 was just 6.78 witha HR/9 of 1.28 in A+ ball. The Rays scouts saw something in him though, and have been rewarded for their vision. In 29 innings with the Stone Crabs, Oliveros's K/9 was 9.31 with a 2.30 FIP. On June 3, he received his promotion the the Biscuits and has continued to find success. His K/9 in AA is 8.82 with a FIP of 3.08 in 34.7 IP. It will be important to see his line drive % come down as it sits at 23.7% in AA vs. just 9.3% in A+. The real positive is the dramatic rise in K rate as he has gone through the minors while maintaining his excellent control.

Tom Rafferty P

Age 24 TR

Rafferty did a nice job in Hudson Valley last season striking out 10.89/9 with a 2.38 FIP. He began the season in Bowling Green where he was an elder statesman. Through 27.2 IP he had a FIP of 3.16 while striking out 7.16/9. On June 6, he earned his promotion to Charlotte where his K rate is up to 9.82 in 22 innings pitched. His walks are up a bit to 3.68 and he has allowed 2 home runs whereas he only allowed 1 during his previous minor league experience. Rafferty has induced 45.5% grounders in Charlotte down from 65.6% in Bowling Green.

Other Promotions:

"The Strandmaster" Jason Cromer P AA -> AAA

Mike McCormick C A->A+

Minor League Highlights 6/21 - 6/23 (INPO)

FreeZorilla — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:56:57 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

6 months ago: Kansas City Royals catcher Miguel Olivo, left, and Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Joyce watch his two-run homer off Kansas City reliever Roman Colon during the eighth inning inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 2, 2009, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Joyce had four RBIs in Tampa Bay's 6-2 win. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Browse more photos »

1. The Durham Bulls bats came alive the past 3 days. SS Reid Brignac went 4-10 with a 2B and a BB. Reid's splits sit at .291/.356/.436 vs. .250/.299/.412 a year ago. A big improvement this season has been BB:K as he has gone from .27 to .78. His K% has been reduced from 26.4% to 13.4% while his walks have jumped to a more respectable 9.5%.

2. 27 year old OF Rashad Eldridge continues to play well for Durham since being promoted from AA. In the past 3 games he has gone 3-8 with 2 BB. The minor league vet is having arguably his best season hitting .301/.370/.361. Eldridge had a shot at AAA back in 2006 with the Mets and the Rangers but only OPSed .612 and .583. Prior to this season he put up back to back years in AA of .780+ with the Twins and the Rays.

3. OF Matt Joyce has been mired in a slump since being recalled to Durham going 7 for his last 49 with 9 walks. His OPS in that span has been .541. For the season vs LHP he is putting up .229/.260/.333. He's going to need to improve on those numbers to become the everyday right fielder for the Rays. In the past 3 games he has gone 1-13 with 2 BB, but his lone hit was a big home run yesterday. His seasonal slash at AAA is .268/.367/.453.

4. 25 yr old C John Jaso has woken up in June after a dreadful May where he OPSed .431. He has gone 3 for his last 11 with 2 BB and a HR. His season slash sits at .238/.349/.390. Jaso's plate discipline is excellent, especially when compared to Navi. He is walking at a rate of 13.7% while only striking out 12.8% for a BB/K of 1.24. For those keeping score at home Navi has walked 1.9% and struck out 14.9% for a ratio of .13.

5. OF Justin Ruggiano continues to play well going 3-8 with a 2B and a HR making this list for the 2nd consecutive time. THe 27 year old is now slashing .247/.341/.416.

6. 1B Rhyne Hughes continues his torrid hitting since being promoted from Montgomery. In the past 3 Hughes has gone 5-13 with a BB, a 2B, and 2 HRs. In 58 AAA ABs, Hughes has now posted .323/.354/.613.

7. Scott Kazmir had what appears to have been a one night only in Durham going 6 innings while striking out 5 and walking none. He surrendered 5 hits and 0 runs with his velocity consistently in the 90s. Kazmir was sadit o have thrown about 70% strikes.

8. Wade Davis made another excellent start going 6 innings, striking out 6 and walking 2. He allowed 6 hits and 2 runs, 1 earned. In 31 June innings his K/9 is 11.32 vs a BB/9 of 2.32. His seasonal FIP is 3.68 with a June FIP of 2.99.

9. Four Durham pitchers performed well this week out of the bullpen: Jason Cromer, Dale Thayer, Joe Bateman, and Julio DePaula. Each allowed no earned runs in a minimum of 2 innings pitched. The table below will update you on their seasons to date:

	K/9	BB/9	ERA	FIP
Jason Cromer	4.78	3.38	0.84	4.07
Dale Thayer	5.87	2.93	1.47	3.3
Joe Bateman	9.25	5.92	4.81	3.73
Julio DePaula	6.75	4.14	4.14	4.63

10. It was a quiet few days with the lumber for the AA biscuits, but there were a few pitching gems. Jeremy Hellickson made his return in a big way picking up right where he left off. Hellickson went 4 strong striking out 6 and walking none while surrendering 4 hits and 0 runs. Hellickson has been lights out all season with a K/9 of 10.9 and a BB/9 of 2.08. His FIP is at 2.25 with an ERA of 1.85. The right hander turned 22 in April.

11. 25 year old left hander Brandon Mann made his best start of the season for Montgomery going 6 shutout innings while striking out 6 and walking none. For the season his FIP sits at 3.85 with a K/9 of 5.07 and a BB/9 of 3.73.

12. 24 year old right hander Ryan Reid struck out the side in his one inning of work. Control has plagued him since joining AA last season. This season his K/9 and BB/9 both sit at 6.33. His K/9 has slipped this year from 10.3 to 6.33, so hopefully this inning was a sign of things to come for Reid.

13. Jesse Darcy made his best start of the season for the Charlotte Stone Crabs pitching a 7 inning complete game shutout. Darcy struck out 2, walked one, and allowed 5 hits. Darcy picked up his second win of the season in 13 starts. His FIP sits at 5.25 with a K/9 of just 3.68.

14. 24 year old right hander Tommy Rafferty has pitched 8.1 innings of relief for the Stone Crabs since his mid-season promotion. Rafferty has struck out 9 and walked 4 in his 8.1 innings posting a FIP of 2.51 while allowing 2 earned runs.

15. Cody Cipriano has had a cooler bat going 1-8 over the past 3 games. Why is he on this list? 4 walks over that span elevating his BB% to 11.8%. This is good because in A-and A ball Cody walked 14.1% and 13.9% of the time. Looks like his eye may be catching up to A+ pitching.

16. 22 year old middle infielder Omar Luna had been struggling mightily since joining the Stone Crabs in 2009. In the past 3 he has managed to go 4-6 with a BB. His slash sits at .197/.217/.413. Luna has never walked above 5% in his career.

17. 22 year old left fielder Ryan Royster has struggled in his second year with the Stone Crabs. He did manage to go 4-7 over the past games raising his slash to .220/.273/.295. His OPS has declined from .691 last year to .568 this year at the same level. He seems to be struggling in his splits OPSing .516 vs righties while his OPS vs lefties is .771.

18. 21 year old shortstop Shawn O'Malley has gone 4-8 with a stolen base over the past 3. The speedster is slashing .265/.364/.322 while swiping 25 bags in 32 attempts. He is having arguably his finest season in 4 years with the Rays organization in his first season at the A+ level.

19. The South Atlantic League held their annual all-star game. The Hot Rods were represented by Tim Beckham and Chris Andujar. It was a rough night for Andujar giving up 3 hits, a walk, and 4 runs in his sole inning pitched. Becks star shone bright as he went 3-5 with a 3B and 2 strikeouts. He also committed an error.

Stats courtesy of MILB.com/Fangraphs/minorleaguesplits

Not all sites update daily so minor inconsistencies may appear

Will do a week in review for short season highlights during the weekend.

2009 Spring Box Score Legend: Jason Cromer

Tommy Rancel — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:00:12 -0000

I love spring training baseball. Working in downtown St. Petersburg area, I've been able to see plenty of Rays Spring Training games over the years. However, this year with the relocation to Port Charlotte, and most spring training games starting at 1 PM, I'm missing out. Without streaming audio or a radio at work, I've been reduced to MLB Gameday, which freezes for innings at a time, and checking the good ol' box score.

During spring training, checking the box scores is a pretty fun task. By the time the game is over the lineup looks like a 40 man roster and the pitching reads like a list of who's who, or more than likey, who's not. Every so often even I, a professional Rays fan, come across a name that makes me do a double take. This was the case yesterday. As I was scanning the Rays box score I was pleased to see the following:

Evan Longoria's HR.
Fernando Perez and Jason Bartlett going a combined 4-6 with five RBI.
A base hit for Tim Beckham (even though I later learned it was an infield single. You know one of those things that doesn't show up in the box score).
Jeff Niemann's Dominance.
Five strikeouts in two innings for Jason Cromer....wait who?

Jason Cromer is still in the Rays organization? For those of you who don't know who he is, and are asking yourself where he came from, the real answer is actually from Des Moines, Iowa; but to Rays fans he's a 28-year-old who pitched for the Montgomery Biscuits in 2008.

Cromer has actually spent the better part of the last decade with the Rays after being drafted by the team in 1999 as an 18 year old out of Lincoln High School in Des Moines. He spent three seasons in rookie ball before moving up to A ball, where he spent the greater part of another two seasons. Finally reaching AA in 2003, Cromer would again remain at the same level for years before reaching Durham in 2006. He would pitch 12 games for the Bulls before he was let go by the Rays. He spent all of 2007 pitching in the Royals organization before coming back home to the Rays' minor leagues in 2008.

Pitching as a swingman for the Biscuits, Cromer went 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA/3.63 FIP. Not bad, but still he was a 27 year old that has 19 career innings above AA. This year the Rays invited Cromer to camp along with 32 of his closest pitching buddies. Odds are when the real Rays pitchers start throwing in games on March 7^th, we'll forget Cromer ever existed, however, that hasn't happened yet .

So as I wrap up my first (and probably last) 500 word article written about him, I'd like to proprose a toast celebrating his finest career achievement to date; striking out five guys wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform in late February.

To Jason Cromer, spring box score legend, this one's for you.

via www.biscuitsbaseball.com

Ray Sign Two More to Minor League Deals

R.J. Anderson — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:40:20 -0000

Per Baseball America

Jason Bowers is a former middle infielder in the Pirates organization. He's basically a Double-A/Triple-A utility man. Ronnie Merrill seems like an apt comparison, which is to say that you shouldn't expect Bowers name to come up during the season. Oh, and he's also nearly 31.

Jason Cromer is a re-signing. He's spent all but one season in the Rays organization. More filler. Cromer began his Rays career in 1999.