SB Nation User Blog: Kevin Gengler

Arionza Fall League roster finalized

Kevin Gengler — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:07:56 -0000

Stacy Long gave us 5 players earlier, and today the last two were reported:

RHRP Ryan Reid(woo!)

LHSP James Houser(makes sense to make up for time lost due to injury/suspension)

RHP Chris Mason

LHP Mike Wlodarczyk

C Matt Spring(for familiarity?)

1B Rhyne Hughes

OF J.T. Hall

Evan Longoria fans enjoy ABBA,

Kevin Gengler — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:18:31 -0000

Evan Longoria fans enjoy ABBA,

Jeremy Effing Hellickson

Kevin Gengler — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:00:51 -0000

Jeremy Effing Hellickson

Went 6 ip 3 h 1 er 1 bb 9 so

The run came on a HR. The walk was intentional. None of Hellickson's other 9 walks on the season are intentional, so in 116 innings, he's struck out 118 and walked 9.

2008 Draftees: How Are They Doing?

Kevin Gengler — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:20:17 -0000

Here's a rather quick update on how the Rays' 2008 draft picks are doing. This post, of course, comes with the huge caveat that statistics in rookie and low-A ball mean very little, especially with the small sample size we're dealing with. That said, here's everyone's statistics, after the jump.

1st round - SS Tim Beckham: Check RJ's post a little bit down the page for a more in-depth look at the #1 overall pick. In 66 at-bats with Princeton, he's hitting .182/.257/.197.

2nd round - LHP Kyle Lobstein: Apparently has an above-slot deal in place, but it hasn't been approved by the commissioner's office yet(which is just a formality but won't happen until near the August 15th deadline). Could debut with the P-Rays later this season

3rd round - C Jake Jefferies: Splitting time with Mark Thomas behind the plate and getting some DH opportunities, Jefferies is off to a pedestrian start, hitting .272/.337/.424. His 11/9 K/BB rate is probably worth noting.

4th round - OF Ty Morrision: See Kyle Lobstein.

5th round - 1B Michael Sheridan: Signed, reported to Hudson Valley, hit .360/.407/.440 in 6 games, but apparently got hurt as he hasn't made an appearance since June 24th. I'm not sure what he's out with, but let's hope it isn't serious since reports are he has a pretty sweet swing.

6th round - RHP Shane Dyer: A JC pitcher with a funky delivery, Dyer's made 6 starts for Hudson Valley but is clearly on a pitch/innings limit, as he's totaled just 15 innings. His walk total(9) is a tad high, but he's been a groundball machine so far(2.40 GO/AO).

7th round - OF Jason Corder: Off to perhaps the best start of any Rays 2008 draftee. Hitting .352/.394/.516 in 91 ABs with Hudson Valley. The only troubling thing would be the 16 strikeouts to just 4 walks.

8th round - IF Anthony Scelfo: Former Tulane QB has had some problems making contact, striking out 27 times in 101 ABs. Still, he's hitting .257/.348/.376, pretty good considering the strikeouts.

9th round - LHP Shawn Smith: He's a high school pitcher, which means he probably won't see his role increase from the current every-so-often-out-of-the-bullpen one he fills now. In 5.2 innings, he's walked 3, struck out 3, and allowed 3 earned runs.

10th round - IF Matt Hall: He's already with high-A Vero Beach, which would be awesome if he'd earned his way there. Instead, it appears to be out of necessity as Hall's hit just .167/.211/.222 between Hudson Valley and Vero.

11th round - RHP Bradley Furdal: The Canadian righthander signed a contract but hasn't made an appearance yet. If he does, it'll be with Princeton.

12th round - OF Brian Bryles: To say Bryles hasn't taken to pro ball well would be a bit of an understatement. The raw(albeit toolsy) high school draftee is hitting an anemic .111/.200/.156 in 45 ABs as he rotates with Princeton's other outfielders.

13th round - RHP Jason McEachern: A personal favorite of mine, McEachern has thrown 7 innings with Princeton, allowing 1 earned run. He's struck out 4 and walked 4.

14th round - OF Mike McKenna: The former FIU outfielder is off to a slow start, hitting .234/.315/.255 with Hudson Valley. He also missed about 13 games with injury.

15th round - 1B Brandon Meredith: Unsigned. Sign him please.

16th round - RHP Matt Gorgen: His twin brother Scott was a high-round pick, but Matt's off to a great start as Hudson Valley's closer. In racking up 5 saves, he's struck out 12, walked 3, and allowed only 4 hits and 2 runs in 9.2 innings.

17th round - 2B Jeremy Beckham: Tim's brother, Jeremy reported to Princeton so the two could be teammates. Jeremy's hitting .263/.383/.340, but that's as a college player amongst mostly high schoolers.

18th round - C David Genao: Another college guy with Princeton, Genao's hitting only .222/.317/.222 and handling the backup catcher duty.

19th round - RHP Trevor Shull: Just signed recently, hasn't made an appearance yet.

20th round - 2B Jason Tweedy: The Bird(That's what we're all calling him now, by the way) is off a good start with the Renegades, hitting .333/.407/.454. He has struck out 31 times in 28 games, which could be a problem. Also of note: 12 steals, 0 times caught.

21st round - LHP Ryan Carpenter: Unsigned.

22nd round - OF Jason Appel: Was off to a .368/.400/.395 start with HV before leaving the team for personal reasons at the end of June.

23rd round - LHP Neil Schenk: 19 strikeouts in 13 innings for the 'Gades is impressive, 7 earned runs in that span less so.

24th round - RHP Marquis Fleming: Off a decent start, I guess. 3.97 ERA, 11 strikeouts in 11 innings.

25th round - LHP Josh Satow: The diminutive lefty from Arizona State has allowed only 1 run in 16 innings with Hudson Valley.

26th round - LHP Michael Jarman: Collegiate among high schoolers. Has gotten a lot of innings in pitching-rich Princeton, and has delivered with 2 earned runs and 19 strikeouts in 17 innings.

27th round - SS Luis Marchena: HSer signed, but hasn't made an appearance yet.

28th round - RHP Thomas Rafferty: The Mayor has thrown 15 innings in relief for the Renegades to the tune of a 3.00 ERA and a 17/6 K/BB ratio.

29th round - OF Brandon Magee: Unsigned, likely headed to Arizona State to play football.
30th round - 2B Ryan Turner: JC infielder is unsigned.
31st round - LHP Greg Williams: Ohio HS pitcher could sign near the deadline.
32nd round - OF Kyle Gaedele: Unsigned.
33rd round - LHP Kyle Hunter: Unsigned, like his Illinois HS mate Gaedele.

34th round - RHP Matt Long: Getting bombed at Princeton(10.38 ERA in 8 innings) as a college guy doesn't bode well for him long-term. His 9/2 K/BB ratio is the only positive.

35th round - RHP Jamie Bagley: He's a college guy, but 20 strikeouts to 1 walk in 17.1 innings(along with a 1.56 ERA) is impressive.

36th round - 1B Jordan Leyland: Unsigned high schooler.
37th round - RHP Kramer Champlin: Unsigned high schooler.
38th round - RHP Anthony Haase: Unsigned high schooler.
39th round - OF Andrew Gans: Unsigned high schooler.
40th round - RHP Sam Gaviglio: Unsigned high schooler.
41st round - OF Brett Parsons: Unsigned junior college guy.
42nd round - RHP Tim Clubb: Unsigned redshirt sophomore college guy, almost definitely going back to Mississippi State.
43rd round - LHP Robbie Ross: Unsigned junior college guy.
44th round - C Phil Pohl: Unsigned high schooler, a lock to attend Clemson.
45th round - OF Royce Bollinger: Unsigned high schooler.
46th round - LHP Jeff Lease: Unsigned junior college guy.
47th round - LHP Chris Matulis: Unsigned high schooler.
48th round - RHP Lath Guyer: Unsigned college guy.
49th round - RHP Kash Kalowski: Unsigned high schooler, headed to Nebraska.
50th round - C Kyle Peterson: Unsigned high schooler.

Davis, Jaso promoted to Durham

Kevin Gengler — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:58:05 -0000

Davis, Jaso promoted to Durham

Biscuits pitcher Wade Davis and catcher John Jaso are being promoted to Triple-A Durham after the All-Star break.
Both will be in uniform for Saturday's doubleheader and will make a one-way trip to the Southern League All-Star Game. They'll join the Bulls after Monday's game in Zebulon, N.C.

Jeff Niemann wants to be called up, apparently

Kevin Gengler — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:37:11 -0000

Tonight at Durham: 9 ip 7 h 1 er 1 bb 12 so

This is the obligatory disclaimer where I mention he did not say anything like "Call me up" or "Betcha Mitch Talbot can't do that" or "This word limit is really really dumb I hope I'm at 75 words. Nope not yet that was only 53 words damn I'm tall and I think DRaysBay is awesome la la la la la la."

Good News, Bad News

Kevin Gengler — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:22:40 -0000

The good? David Price makes his AA debut tonight with Montgomery, while Tim Beckham makes his professional debut in Princeton playing DH. Also, Rays 1B Carlos Pena will be DHing for high class-A Vero Beach and should be activated if all goes well. Also, relief prospect Eduardo Morlan will represent the Rays as a member of the World team in the Futures Game.

The bad? ProjectProspect is reporting that top LHP prospect Jake McGee will undergo Tommy John surgery. McGee was removed from a start last week with forearm/elbow soreness. Assuming he has the surgery within the next few weeks, it will wipe out the rest of this season(obviously) as well as most of next season. For means of comparison, Phillies RHP prospect Kyle Drabek had TJ last June and won't return to a mound during a game until August this year at the earliest. TJ is no death sentence for a pitcher, particularly one of McGee's age, but he lives and dies by his fastball. If his velocity never returns to the mid-high 90's, I very much doubt how effective he can be.

Ryan Morse Named FSL East Starter For All-Star Game

Kevin Gengler — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:04:32 -0000

The FSL All-Star Game is tonight, and Vero Beach right-hander Ryan Morse was named the starter for the East squad. Other Devil Rays(they're still called that down there, don't fine me) participating are pitchers Jeremy Hellickson and Heath Rollins, outfielders Garrett Groce and J.T. Hall, and infielder Cesar Suarez. Pitcher Ryan Reid was also selected, but was since promoted to AA Montgomery. J.T. Hall is also a participant in the FSL home run derby, which precedes the 7:15 EST game.

Also, this is mostly conjecture, but my guess is Hellickson would've started if he was healthy, but he was removed from his last start with a blister problem. I'd be surprised if Hellickson winds up pitching tonight since he didn't start.

Rays Will Select Tim Beckham

Kevin Gengler — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:21:15 -0000

Marc Topkin reporting:

The Rays will take Griffin (Ga.) High SS Tim Beckham with the top pick in today's draft.
The Rays on Wednesday said they had narrowed the field to Beckham and Florida State catcher Buster Posey.
Here is what Rays scouting director R.J. Harrison said about Beckham at last week's media session:
"A really good player at a premium position. Middle of the field player, very good athlete, an advanced bat, had a real good awareness on the field. He plays the game with a great deal of enthusiasm, and then when you spend time with him away from the field, he's the same guy. He's a fun guy to be around.''
The draft starts at 2 p.m. and Rays officials will discuss the decision shortly after that. One question is likely to be about rumors, reported by Baseball Prospectus and other web sites, that Posey was seeking a package of $12-million.

Rays Still Undecided On #1 Pick?

Kevin Gengler — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:39:44 -0000

According to BaseballAmerica, the Rays are still back and forth on the #1 pick, though it appears to be down to just two:

According to BA’s sources, the Rays’ scouting department prefers Georgia prep shortstop Tim Beckham, the kind of toolsy, middle-of-the-diamond athlete the Rays have drafted repeatedly—the kind of athletes that have put the Rays in first place in the American League East as the draft approaches. Others in the organization, such as de facto GM Andrew Friedman, are said to prefer Florida State catcher Buster Posey as the perfect complement to the organization’s impressive current stockpile of talent.