In the Fanshot that apparently got out of hand and is now closed, I brought up the point that I thought that the 2012 bullpen is the best going into the season that the Rays/Devil Rays have ever had. It was brought up that the 2010 was better. I was at work so I couldn't get back to it before it was closed but I decided to do some research and was surprised by my findings. The 2010 bullpen was a veteran group whereas the 2012 group has a couple youngsters (Gomes, Mcgee).

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We are now less than 2 weeks away from when teams are eligible to expand their rosters in September. The Rays usually don't bring up too many people as they strive for those all important IL championships but it will be interesting to discuss who may be options to bring up this year as there will most certainly be at least a couple arms and a catcher at the very least being called up.

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I have decided to do up my top 30 prospects for the Rankings factoring in who signed and who has since graduated or will soon be graduating by the end of the year most likely (Mcgee, Jennings, Chirinos, Gomes). I am no expert by any means but do follow the minors pretty closely and at least have some idea of who these guys are. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree on some guys too high too low and feel free to discuss. 1. Matt Moore- Absolute beast, should be #2/3 Prospect in baseball coming into 2012
2. Hak Ju Lee- Has proven to be the center piece of the Garza trade, speed with some power as well as very good defense at a premium position. I still think he moves to CF at some point but projects as above average SS
3. Tim Beckham- The re-emergence, I am going aggresive on his ranking because I really like his ability to stick at SS. I think he is developing his gap to gap power and still has a lot of projection in his body and could develop even more pop.
4. Alex Torres- I still think he could be a #3 starter but I think his future is going to be in the pen with the Rays, imagine Craig Kimbrell/Billy Wagner type. He showed what he could do against the Yankees hitting upper 90's with good breaking stuff.
5. Taylor Guerreri- I'm usually not high on young guys that haven't played pro ball yet but he has good stuff and projects as a potential top of the rotation starter.
6. Chris Archer- Still has good stuff although has been way too hittable this year and still has command issues, I am not giving up yet but his leash is almost gone.
7. Mikie Mahtook- Should be the first impact player from the 2011 class, hopefully he gets a cup of coffee somewhere in the next couple weeks.
8. Alex Colome- Has been good since his call-up to AA, has good stuff and although the BB/K isn't great I like that he hasn't been hit that hard this year.
9. Oscar Hernandez- Yea I just went there, he gets bumped high because the potential is incredible. The floor is also extremely low, but no matter what league it is 17 year old Catchers that hit .400 with 20+ HR don't grow on trees.
10. Drew Vettleson- having a good first season, got off to a great start and has slowed down a bit but I still like the power/speed combination
11. CJ Riefenhauser- Had a big time breakout season in Bowling Green and has continued in Charlotte, will be interesting to see if he can have another big season next year as we hopefully get more reports on him
12. Derek Dietrich- Showing of great power in Bowling Green this year, Most think he will have to move off of SS but that is okay with the depth Rays have at that spot, hopefully 2B will be his destination if not 3B or LF it is
13. Tyler Goeddel- I like this kids power projection, assuming he can put on some good weight. Hopefully he can stick at 3B if not a move to LF is probably needed
14. Brandon Guyer- He should be able to help the majors next season, but I doubt he will ever be more than a 4th/5th OF. Has good speed/power combo though
15. Enny Romero- He hasn't had the breakout year many hoped for but has still put up decent K numbers, will need to work on command to move up this list.
16. Josh Sale- Not the start to his pro career many expected, Had some not so good reports from XST and has done nothing in Princeton
17. Tyler Bortnick- The guy on the short end of the stick, could be top 10 on this list if he could move up the system but has road blocks in front of him. I still like his ability to get on base and steal bases.
18. Grayson Garvin- Still not 100% sure I am a fan of this pick but hopefully he can be a starter, but I think he is destined out of the pen
19. Jake Thompson- While the ERA is nice in Charlotte again this year, for someone his age I would like to see more K's.
20. Jeff Malm- Power is nice, although I'd like to see him hit for a bit of a better average. Still would be nice if a 1B prospect could emerge.
21. Justin O'Conner- It is too early to completely give up on this kid but he, like Sale has not had an ideal start to his pro career
22. Cameron Seitzer- 2011 Draftee that bursted on to the scene hitting homers everywhere, like his power and pedigree.
23. Jason McEachern- I really like what he is doing in HV this year, the K/BB is very nice.
24. Kyle Lobstein- The return of an old friend, he is put up good numbers in Charlotte, and while it would be nice to get a few more K. I like his command.
25. Nick Barnese- The command isn't what I would like to see out of him and the lack of K's are concerning but he still has some back of the rotation potential.
26. Marquis Fleming- nearing 100 K this year out of the pen is nice, will be nice to see him in Durham next year and possibly the Rays pen by July 2012.
27. Matt Bush- Similar to Fleming, although still raw as a pitcher, has been striking everyone out lately. It will be interesting to see how the Rays promote him next year.
28. Joe Cruz- The injury really pushes him back as I along with many others were hoping for a huge season from him, hopefully he will come back strong.
29. Cole Figueroa- Got off to an awful start but has been hitting very well for the last 3-4 months and plays an excellant 2B. He is playing just well enough to keep Bortnick down.
30. Kyeong Kang- I was debating who to give this last spot too and Kang gets it in part to my recognition that I had given up on him. He still is a long shot to make a major league roster but he has had a very nice bounce back year in Monty. Will probably be the next Ruggiano.

I'm sure I forgot a name or two and had a hard time placing some of the guys from this years draft, I wanted to put guys like Hager and Eiermann in but I just haven't seen/read enough about them. Especially Eiermann should probably be somewhere in there but hopefully they will get full years in next year and we will have a better idea.

I have decided to do up my top 30 prospects for the Rankings factoring in who signed and who has since graduated or will soon be graduating by the end of the year most likely (Mcgee, Jennings, Chirinos, Gomes). I am no expert by any means but do follow the minors pretty closely and at least have some idea of who these guys are. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree on some guys too high too low and feel free to discuss.

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VSL Rays 17 yr old Catcher Oscar Hernandez (07/09/1993) is absolutely destroying the league. Looking at the stats it is almost video game like so I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about the league/ballpark that they can shine some light about this kid and where he would/does rank in prospect rankings.

Overall he has a line of .421/.506/.908 32-76 with 11 HR. At home is numbers are insane (one reason I ask about the park, although it only seems to affect him) he is 21-37 with 10 HR and a 2.087 OPS.

To put his numbers in perspective the #2 guy in HR's in the league has a total of 4 and the team highs are the Rays (24) and than 2nd is the Tigers with 11 and no other team has more than 10. It is very early in the season but dude is off to a Babe Ruth like first 20 games.

I was hoping to find out some information on Royals 1B/DH prospect Clint Robinson, I was searching for some potential trade possibilities for the Rays 1B hole and stumbled upon his name. I noticed he was highly considered as a prospect but has put up some really impressive numbers. He is blocked by Butler and Hosmer at the major league level and has only played this year at AAA but does he project as a MLB caliber player and what would it take to make a move for someone like him?

I didn't use fancy stats or big words, that isn't really my thing although I appreciate everyone who does and explains them on this site and others. I did however put together some stats from early in the season on Andrew Friedman's work this off-season. It has been pretty remarkable. Not only has Andrew and all of his super powers created the Legend of Sam Fuld, he has once again created a dominant 1-2 punch at the back of the pen with Peralta and Farnsworth, while last years 1-2 punch has been well umm horrible. LF and 1B the two big holes have seen big plays from both Kotchman and Fuld while both Pena and Crawford struggle to OPS over .500. Jason Bartlett who at the time seemed to be thrown to the Padres for some guys who may or may not be able to help the bullpen at some point, well now all 3 guys are in the bullpen and have been very very good. And Bartlett, just like the other 2 is barely OPSing over .500. I know SSS is in full effect and everything could change by the end of the year but for now lets sit back and enjoy the glory of Andrew Friedman.

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ROGER MOONEY
ST. PETERSBURG The Jeremy Hellickson Era arrives at Tropicana Field on Monday. How long it last, we’ll learn sometime next week.

Hellickson, the Rays top pitching prospect, will be recalled from Triple A Durham to make his major league debut Monday against the Twins.

.......

Very excited to see Hellickson's start, I have had the privilege of seeing all of the recent starting pitching prospects the Rays have sent through Durham (Niemann, Davis, Price, Hellickson, Sonnanstine, Hammell, etc....) and I thought Hellickson was the best of the bunch in Durham, now we get to see what he can do at the ML level. This may be just 1 start though and he will either head to the bullpen (hopefully) or back to Durham.

I'm curious how does everything think he will fare in his debut?

my guess is a little optimistic but  7 innings 5 hits 2 runs 1 bb 8 K

Tonight's loss was frustrating but not all was to be frowned upon tonight. Hellickson had another masterful performance in AAA (I know I know its just the minors). The thing that jumped out to me the most about tonight's performance was 10K in 5 innings compared to just 2 walks and 3 hits. Essentially his KIP was 2x as high as his whip. That got me wondering how his numbers in that regard stack up to others (Not sure if there is a stat out there or not for KIP/WHIP ratio's but I'm sure there is I'm just not aware of it. There are many ways to look at a pitcher and how he stacks up against others and this is just one way and maybe it is me cherry picking but it shows Hellickson compares quite favorably to other top pitching prospects and also shows just how nasty Tommy Hanson was in AAA this year.

I'm just going to take current level (or AAA if they are now in the majors) numbers from him and others all stats from this season only (Granite it is a small sample size but maybe it can be expanded later if wanted)

Hellickson

35 1/3 innings 21 hits 12 walks 39 K

Whip of .935

KIP of 1.105

Total +.17 (+ meaning more K)

here are his AA numbers to add a little more to the sample size

56 2/3 IP 41 H 14 BB 62 K

Whip .972

KIP 1.095

Total +.123

#41 Wade Davis

145.2 IP 128 H 59 BB 129 K

Whip of 1.284

KIP .886

Total = -.398

#1 David Price AAA

34 1/3 IP 28 H 18 BB 35 K

Whip 1.341

KIP 1.020

Total -.321

#4 Madison Bumgarner SF AA

92 IP 72 H 28 BB 66 K

WHIP 1.087

KIP .717

Total -.370

#10 Tommy Hanson AAA

66 1/3 IP 40 H 17 BB 90 K

Whip .860

Kip 1.357

Total + .497  (DAMN)

#22 Brian Matusz AA

46 1/3 IP 31 H 11 BB 46 K

Whip .907

Kip .994

Total +.087

#9 Neftali Perez AAA

77 1/3 IP 69 H 30 BB 75 K

Whip 1.281

Kip .970

Total -.311

#25 Jarrod Parker AA

78 1/3 IP 82 H 34 BB 74 K

Whip 1.481

Kip.945

Total -.536

I didn't use Cahill or Anderson because they have been in the majors all season but that was all the P in the top 25 plus Davis and Hellickson and Hellickson would rank #2 only behind the outstanding numbers of Hanson. So yea maybe saying he was only slightly behind Hanson was a bit off because Hanson is so damn good was a stretch, saying that Hellickson should be considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball going into 2010 shouldn't be.

Those are just some of the BA (I used Callis' list for Ranking I listed) top pitching prospects coming into the season

 Somebody mentioned this in a game thread a couple nights ago and I'm finally getting around to looking up some of the comparisons to why Bartlett and Zobrist should be considered MVP canidates this season. For two reasons you won't see WAR, BABIP, and any of the such in this post. First we all know that MVP is voted on mainly based on face value stats Avg, OBP, OPS, HR and two I don't know enough about all of the more technical stats so I'll leave the comparisons with those to someone who knows more about what they are talking about.

2009

Jason Bartlett

.336 BA

.391 OBP

.541 SLG

.932 OPS

11 HR

55 RBI

Ben Zobrist

.292 BA

.409 OBP 

.550 SLG

.959 OPS

19 HR

60 RBI

Justin Morneau

.302 BA

.385 OBP

.570 SLG

.955 OPS

28 HR

91 RBI

Joe Mauer

.365 BA

.434 OBP

.611 SLG

1.045 OPS

20 HR

66RBI

Miguel Cabrera

.329 BA

.397 BA

.552 SLG

.924 OPS

23 HR

67 RBI

Mark Teixera

.286 BA

.382 OBP

.560 SLG

.942 OPS

29 HR

83 RBI

Kevin Youkilis

.311 BA

.423 OBP

.564 SLG

.987 OPS

20 HR

66 RBI

Like with many MVP races it will come down to who ends up making the playoff's. It is supposed to be most valuable not best player. This could determine the actual winner as right now I would have Joe Mauer and Miguel Cabrera 1-2 on my list because Mauer has been hands down the best player, however Miguel Cabrera has had to carry the Detroit offense along with Inge all season and in the 2nd half pretty much has kept them in first by himself because Inge has fallen apart. That being said I think both Zobrist and Bartlett are in the middle of the hunt for MVP. If either guy can help carry the Rays into the playoff's we could have our first AL MVP from the organization.

Hey guys back again I posted last year asking about Tom and I was wondering what the chances are he gets a promotion to AA before the end of the season. He has battled injuries once again this year but has given up just 1 ER in 21 1/3 innings. with opponents hitting just .224 against him and 2 bb. I watched him pitch in college and he has good stuff, hopefully he can stay healthy long enough to work his way through the system and who knows maybe become a long relief guy at some point. Just wondering if anyone had seen him or anything. Thanks.

Alright I was playing a Baseball Mogul computer game last night and I got to thinking about player options. The way I understand the rule is that as long as a player as options left he can be sent down to the minors without having to clear waivers and that a player can only use up 1 option per year and in that year can be sent up or down an unlimited amount of time. Now I may be wrong on that and if I am correct me but if that is the case, what is keeping a team like the Rays from say using a guy like Price who still has options and "send him down" after every start and "call him up" before his scheduled start and using a guy like Dale Thayer or Andy Sonnanstine who are in the same position out of the bullpen the 4 games between starts. Basically keep 26 guys around and make a roster move every 5 games.

I want to start this by saying I don't completely understand all the stats that show up on this blog to post them only enough to know good/bad so if those stats go against the basic "tv" stats as I call them please share them. but

anyone else think we are going to have a log jam up the middle when Barty gets back. Brignac is quietly 8-17 over a 5 game hitting streak with 3 doubles. Not sure if it is confidence, new swing, or just getting used to big league pitching but he seems to be coming around. My fear is that Maddon is too much in love with the Gabe platoon and will send RB back to Durham. What are the chances that we see a platoon with Brignac/Zobrist at 2B/RF against RHP and Zobrist/Kapler against lefties. Brignac is 12-37 against LHP with 5 XBH, combine that with his above average defense and I think he gives us a better chance to win than a combination of Zobrist/Gross against Righties. The problem with this is that Gabe Gross would not get hardly any playing time anymore. Would it be best to trade him or to keep him on the bench. I think that if we can use Gross as a chip to possibly pick up a bullpen arm than do so but if not keep him around.

MLB TAMPA BAY RAYS: Agreed to terms with pitcher Jorge Julio and assigned him to Durham (Int.); released pitcher Chad Orvella.

Anyone besides me find this a little odd. I know Orvella has had some injury issues but he still has pretty good stuff and Jorge Julio is awful. I hope this isn't a precursor to Julio being added to our bullpen. I have a bad feeling this is just another guy that will get a chance before Winston Abreu.

Should it be brought back in 09

I haven't read anything on this important issue coming into the season on here or anywhere (of course I could have just missed it) but I for one was a huge fan of the Rayhawk. I thought it had a huge part in our late season and post-season success. I wonder though was it a one hit wonder or will the people of Tampa and the rest of the Ray fan base bring it back. I doubt the players do but I for one would love to keep the Hawk going. I bring this up because I had just got done having a conversation with my roomate who happens to cut my hair that involved me telling him it was time to bring it back at which he laughed and said that was last year and I would have to find something else.

So I ask my friends on Draysbay, should we bring it back or wait for something new?

For the first time ever we are in a situation where September call-ups are going to be used to help the MLB team instead of just getting some young guys some playing time. That brings the question of who do we call up? Here is a list of guys who could potentially be call-up, Ill give my thoughts what does everyone else think?

Guys already on the 40 man

Juan Salas- I know he is already in the majors but I am throwing him in here because I would assume he would be sent down for a day or 2 depending on when Percival comes back.

My guess: 100% chance of being called up

Kurt Birkins- forgotten about lefty who has a 6.75 ERA down in Durham. Has some MLB experience but isnt that good.

My guess: 60% chance of being called up. The only reason it is that high is because we will only have 2 other lefties in the pen and it never hurts having an extra arm.

James Houser- Injured

Jeff Niemann- Niemann was a big name tossed around at the trade deadline and has really good stuff and is a mlb ready starter. He does have a history of injury problems and is only completing his 2nd full pro season.

My Guess: 25% chance of being called up. I think Niemann is a starter and isnt really built to work out of the pen, I also think he would benefit from being shut down a little bit earlier after the minor league playoffs.

David Price- I dont know if there is anything I can say people dont already know, he has struggled in his first 2 AAA starts with command which could be a problem.

My guess: 30%- The front office may get pressured into calling him out but I think the smart move would be to let him finish the year in Durham and shut him down after that. While he could be a bit of help to the pen, I think he will benefit more from getting an extra couple starts in the AAA playoffs.

J.K. Ryu- injured

Mitch Talbot- Insert man crush warning here, Talbot has been extremely solid of late. He has gone 8-1 in his last 10 starts and has allowed just 6 runs in his last 7. Talbot would be my choice to get the spot start in the DH against Baltimore late September and could be successful out of the pen.

My guess: 75%- not sure the FO is as high as I am on him.

John Jaso- Jaso has been a stud since being called up to Durham, .856 OPS and has been solid behind the plate. He would be the easier of the 2 catchers for the Rays to call up being on the 40.

My guess: 35%, not that I don't like Jaso, I just think the FO will go with the veteran Difeliece.

Joel Guzman- .713 OPS but plays a solid defense and has been playing some SS of late along with 3B and 1B. He has tremendous power but that is about the extent of his offensive prowess.

My guess: 75% A right handed power bat, wouldn't hurt right?

Elliot Johnson- most versatile guy possibly in the whole system. I talked to him earlier in the year and he mentioned that he was even the emergency catcher during his time with the big league club at the beginning of the season. He isnt the most talented but has good speed and plays good defense.

My guess: 100%, perfect type of player to call up, can play everywhere on the diamond, switch hitter with good speed.

Fernando Perez- one of the more interesting options, before the season or even a month and a half ago I would say no way he gets called up but he continues to play solid defense and .748 OPS + 40 SB isn't bad either. Could get called up for his defense and speed.

My guess: 50% Really not even sure what I would do much less what the FO will do.

Jonny Gomes- AAA Jonny not much better than MLB Jonny 12-52 (does have 2 HR)

My guess: 40%, I would guess that Gomes, Perez, and Guzman all wont get called up but 2 will, Jonny could be the man left out.

Guys not on the 40 Man.

Dan Johnson- Johnson has been playing a lot of 3B leading a lot of people to believe that this is leading to a September call-up. Im not sure why the Rays would try him out there if that wasnt the case given he most likely wont be on the team next year.

My guess: 90%, he should get the call, my guess Ryu goes to 60 man DL

Mike Difelice- Veteran catcher, isnt going to bring much to the table other than experience but that he has. Difelice was a member of the original Devil Rays

My Guess: 65%, He isnt as good as Jaso but I think they go with the veteran.

Dale Thayer- A lot of people keep throwing this name out there and I am a big fan of his 2.39 ERA in 48 innings.

My guess: 5%. Like I said I am a Thayer fan but I dont see us taking someone off the 40 man to add a guy who would maybe only make it 1 or 2 games and that would only be in mop up duty. Thayer should get his chance next spring to make the roster.

Chris Richard- Richard has been the MVP for the Bulls this season (.914 OPS) IMO and can play 1B or corner outfield. Will most likely have the same problem as Thayer

My guess: 10%, A little higher than Thayer but snot by much, I dont really see the Rays making room on the 40 man for a guy who isnt going to play much

This was kinda long but it is nice to have September call-ups really mean something and I for one am excited.

Just past 4 here in central NC and the rain is still falling. I am still holding out hope that I will get a chance to see the great David Price pitch tonight. Weather is supposed to taper off around 7-8 so hopefully they will get the game in at some point. I will give you guys a full report on how it goes. This will be the second time I have seen Price pitch, the first being 4 years ago while he was with team USA and he was dominant than so I am real excited to see what he looks like now. Anyway I will be doing my rain dance tonight as this will most likely be the last Durham game I go to this season (headed back to college) and I am greedy and want to see him pitch.

I've been thinking about this for awhile now and now that Papa Joe has decided to start tinkering with the line-up I feel like it is a good time to make a post about it.

What is everyone's thoughts about the line-up and how the team is constructed right now (no trades, call-ups, FA). I wont be suprised if a lot of people have a lot of different opinions because not much besides Longo/Navi is working for the offense.

Here is what I would do.

Vs. LHP

CF- BJ

DH- Riggans

3B- Longo

1B- Pena

C-Navi

RF- Gomes

2B-Aki

SS- Zobrist (Barty when he comes back, only exception to rule about current roster because barring big set back he should definately be back sometime soon)

LF-Crawford

    I have thought for most of the season that BJ should be leading off, he is extremely patient and considering the amount of time he gets on base is our biggest SB threat. I like having Riggans' bat in the line-up, especially against lefties. He also is very good at making pitchers work and will see a good amount of pitches (unlike Navi who you could say the same about, Riggans won't completely clog the bases). My thoughts on the back-up catcher is that if Navi happens to get hurt in a game against a LHP and Riggans is DH than you just have to either find an emergency catcher or give up the DH, knock on wood but the odds of that happening are pretty slim. Gomes isn't amazing defensively but I believe with CC and BJ in the other two outfield spots we can afford to have him out there for the first 6-7 innings (go to Gross). The biggest difference I have than most would is moving CC down to 9th ( I know he will complain but he can get over it) moving him to 9th keeps him and BJ back to back which I like because of the speed and it also has him behind Aki and the SS, that way if he does find a gap he isn't clogged by Navi, Pena, or Gomes most likely.

Vs. RHP

CF-BJ

2B-Aki

3B-Longo

1B-Pena

RF-Hinske

C-Navi

DH-Floyd

SS-Zobrist/Bartlett

LF-Crawford

    Pretty much the same story except I move Aki up to 2nd without Riggans in the line-up and enter Floyd and Hinske in for Gomes/Riggans, pretty standard moves in my part as far as the players in the line-up.

I know this was long I was just thinking about the line-up and what everyone would do if they were in Maddon's shoes.