Albert Suarez, a Venezuelan signee who turned 23 in October, can’t be feeling great about himself right now. A 6’2″, 235 right-hander, Suarez began the season on the Rays’ 40-man roster before being designated for assignment after an inconsistent season. Suarez passed through waivers and remained in the organization. On the year for the Stone Crabs, Suarez went 5-9 with a 4.08 ERA, striking out just 4.4 batters per 9 innings to go along with a 2.1 BB/9 and a 0.8 HR/9 in 25 starts and 125 innings pitched. His groundball rate was also just above the league average at 43.0% according to Minor League Central. If there was one major positive for Suarez, it was that he simply stayed on the mound. Suarez’s 125 innings nearly matched his total of 134 innings from the previous four years as he dealt with manifold injuries including Tommy John Surgery back in 2009. However, Suarez’s stuff has been back to his pre-surgery level consistently. Suarez was once consistently at 92-94 MPH with his fastball but sees his velocity dip into the high-80′s at times now, and combining that with a lack of progress on his curveball and changeup means that Suarez is stalling as a prospect right now. Suarez does have good fastball control and solid late life but trying to be a starting pitcher going after hitters with just one pitch he can rely on is a losing proposition. Continued health is a good starting point for Suarez as he strives to get his development back on track, but he has a long way to go to renew the faith the Rays showed in him by adding him to their 40-man roster.

Romero continued to be enigmatic in 2012, but the Rays really like his potential. (Credit: Flickr user chriswish)

Lefty Enny Romero, who will turn 22 in January, could be the most polarizing pitcher in the Rays system, possessing upside as high as anyone but enough inconsistency even as he’s worked his way up to High-A to make you completely lose your mind. The youngest pitcher for Charlotte in 2012, Romero went 5-7 with a 3.93 ERA, a 7.6 K/9, a 5.4 BB/9, and a 0.4 HR/9 in 23 starts, 2 relief appearances, and 126 innings pitched. Howwild was Romero’s season? He had one game where he twirled a rain-shortened 6 inning shutout, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 9 as he out-dueled Pirates top prospect Jameson Taillon- and he also had two games where he allowed 7 earned runs while walking 4 or more. No one doubts that Romero’s stuff is electric. An extremely projectable 6’3″, 165, Romero can make hitters look silly with a fastball that sits in the low-90′s and touches 97 MPH with great movement away from left-handed batters and a dynamic low-80′s curveball. Even his third offering, a changeup, has its moments where it’s a third plus offering for Romero. However, Romero fails to repeat his delivery, causing his release point on his secondary pitches to get of whack and even his fastball to look nothing like a strike. When Romero has everything working, good luck trying to hit him- but he beats himself far too often as he walks batter after batter. Romero managed a strikeout to walk ratio of at least 2 to 1 in just 10 of his 25 appearances, exactly the same number of times in which he walked 4 or more, and there’s nothing to like about that stat. The biggest thing for Romero may be for him to finally bulk up- maybe with added strength his delivery will click and everything will fall into place. You have to wonder why that process hasn’t really started yet but it’s clear that the Rays are taking things very slowly with Romero knowing just how good he has the chance to be. The Rays are certain that there’s an excellent big league starting pitcher somewhere inside Enny Romero, but at the same time he’s going to have his work cut out for him as he tries to turn his flashes of dominance into sustained performance, and who knows whether that will ever happen.

The Stone Crabs did not have a good season, going just 55-79 (.410). After a season like that, just one of their starting pitchers had a winning record on the season. Who was it? Surprisingly, it was right-hander Victor Mateo, 23. Mateo, a projectable 6’5″, 180, had a decent season for the Stone Crabs, going 6-5 with a 4.31 ERA, a 5.5 K/9, a 3.3 BB/9, and a 0.7 HR/9 in 16 starts, 14 relief appearances, and 117 innings pitched. Mateo’s groundball rate was just 37.5%. Mateo stands out most for his physical description, but there are some other interesting parts of his game as well. Mateo doesn’t miss many bats with a fastball around 90 MPH with some run away from right-handed batters, and his high-70′s breaking ball forces some weak contact but doesn’t force many whiffs either. Mateo’s changeup, though, did show some good arm action and late fade to help Mateo manage a 40-24 strikeout to walk ratio to lefties compared to just 32-19 versus righties. Mateo’s prospect stock is really dependent on his projectability as much as anything else, and only when he fills out will the Rays get any indication that he might be any sort of prospect. Mateo’s changeup was a good sign in 2012, and the Rays will see if his overall repertoire and results pick up once he grows into his 6’5″ frame.

It was a trio of lefties who led the Stone Crabs in strikeouts per 9 innings. Two of them, Chris Rearick and Theron Geith, have since been traded. The third is C.J. Riefenhauser, the Rays’ 20th round pick in 2010, who will turn 23 next month. Riefenhauser had an uneven season between the Stone Crabs (23 appearances) and Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (9 appearances) in 2012 but definitely had his moments, going 8-9 with a 4.55 ERA, a 9.3 K/9, a 3.1 BB/9, and a 1.2 HR/9 in 15 starts, 17 relief appearances, and 114.2 IP. Riefenhauser’s groundball rate was unfortunately just 32.2% between the two levels, the fifth-worst minimum 75 innings between the Florida State and Southern Leagues. He did have a nice showing in the Arizona Fall League, managing a 2.19 ERA and a 14-5 strikeout to walk ratio in 9 appearances and 12.1 innings pitched. Riefenhauser, 6’0″ and 180 pounds, throws a fastball around 90-91 MPH that lefties struggle to pick up, but he leaves it up in the zone too often, leading to his extreme flyball tendencies. It does has some late movement, but that didn’t stop hitters, especially righties from hitting it hard. Riefenhauser’s struggles against opposite-side batters were compounded by his lack of a consistent changeup to use against them, leading to a scary .302/.370/.515 line in 347 plate appearances by right-handers. But against lefties, Riefenhauser showed promise, combining deception on his fastball with a mid-70′s curveball with big break that befuddled lefties all season as he held them to just a .162/.225/.262 line with 57 strikeouts against 10 walks. After seeing a platoon split like that, the Rays are going to be tempted to convert Riefenhauser into a situational lefty role full-time, and with improved fastball command he could be a good fit for the role. The Rays don’t appear to give up on him versus right-handed batters yet, though, and will have him continue to work on his changeup. Riefenhauser has continued work to do, especially on his fastball command, but he has the stuff to give lefties fits and the ability to contribute in a middle relief role for the Rays over the next couple of seasons.

We’ll finish for today with another lefty, Grayson Garvin, who was the 9th of the Rays’ 10 first and supplemental picks in the 2011 MLB Draft at 59th overall coming out of David Price‘s alma mater, Vanderbilt. Garvin flashed dominance in his pro debut, striking out 10 in a May 3rd start, but following that start he began to struggle and the reason turned out to be an elbow injury that retired surgery (not Tommy John, likely a procedure to clear out bone chips or something along those lines) that ended his season in mid-June. Overall, Garvin went 2-4 with a 5.05 ERA, a 7.2 K/9, a 3.7 BB/9, and a 0.0 HR/9 in 10 starts, a relief appearance, and 46.1 innings pitched. His groundball rate was a good 48.6%. What’s funny about Garvin’s strikeout and walk ratios are that his K rate drops to 5.9 per 9 innings if you take out the 10-strikeout game and his walk rate falls to 3.2 if you take out his last start before getting injured, so you can take all his numbers with a grain of salt given the small sample size. Garvin, a 6’6″, 225 lefty, attacks hitters with a low-90′s fastball that touches 94 MPH. When Garvin is at his best, he’s able to throw his fastball for strikes and get a good downward angle on it to command it down in the zone, but that’s something he’s needs to work on doing more often. Beyond his fastball, Garvin gets great arm action on his low-80′s changeup that he threw to right-handed batters quite effectively in 2012, but he needs work at getting more consistent fade on it to make it a real plus pitch. His third pitch is a slurvy breaking ball that he’s able to use as a serviceable third pitch, forcing contact on the ground, but it’s going to have to be cleaned up to work at higher levels. Garvin’s upside is not incredibly high, but if he can stay healthy and refine his breaking ball he could be a third or fourth starter type in the big leagues within a couple of years, and his floor, assuming he stays healthy, is an effective middle reliever who can get both righties and lefties out. Garvin had a rough time out in his first professional season, but if he can put his injury problems behind him he has the best chance of anyone on the Stone Crabs to contribute in the big leagues for the Rays and that could happen pretty fast.

Looking at five of the the Stone Crabs’ five primary starting pitchers from the 2012 season, we see an interesting combination of ability and upside, with players like Garvin and Riefenhauser potentially able to make an impact for the Rays sooner rather than later and Romero, Suarez, and Mateo featuring the upside to be productive pitchers themselves. Romero is the one pitcher in the Charlotte rotation who has star potential but the Rays have to be cautiously optimistic about the contributions they could be receiving from three or four of these pitchers over the next few years. We’ll finish off this series on the Stone Crabs next time with the rest of the Stone Crabs pitching staff.

For more of our scouting reports on the Rays’ minor league affiliates check out our Minor League Affiliates Analysis page here at RCG.

The Rays hope to see Francisco swing the bat well for them in September. (Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE)

On Friday, the Rays acquired 30 year old outfielder Ben Francisco for the Rays in exchange for a player to be named. Francisco, who many of you remember from his time with the Indians and Phillies, is now on his third team in 2012 and fourth in the last 12 months as he was traded from the Phillies to the Blue Jays to the Astros and now to the Rays. Francisco gives the Rays an experienced backup outfielder for September who can do a bunch of different things. Francisco can play both corner outfield positions and has a .258/.328/.425 career batting line over the past 6 seasons including a .244/292/.370 mark in 2012. Francisco has a little pop, slamming 15 homers each in his only full major league seasons in 2008 and 2009, and he also can run a little bit, swiping 14 bases in 2009 and going 8 for 8 in steals in 2010. Francisco also has a solid .259/.352/.398 career line as a pinch-hitter, which is a role that he could play for the Rays quite a bit as a right-handed bat. The Rays acquired Francisco for next to nothing and they hope he’ll give them some quality at-bats in September. Francisco popped out in his first Rays at-bat on Saturday.

Francisco actually is arbitration eligible for the third and final time this coming offseason after making $1,537,000 in 2012, little of which is being paid for by the Rays. I don’t see any way that the Rays retain Francisco following the season with Sam Fuld being their 4th outfielder (and as we know, so much more) and Francisco making more than chump change, and he will likely be non-tendered.

In order to make room for Francisco and Jeff Niemann on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated right-hander Albert Suarez and infielder Will Rhymes for assignment.

Suarez, 22, was signed out of Venezuela by the Rays way back in 2006, was having a pretty decent year at High-A Charlotte, going 5-9 with a 4.08 ERA, a 4.4 K/9, a 2.1 BB/9, and a 0.8 HR/9 in 25 starts and 125.2 IP. Suarez, who is 6’2″, 235, was consistently in the 93-94 MPH range back in 2009 before undergoing Tommy John Surgery and he also missed much of 2009 with Lyme disease in his left knee. His velocity has been inconsistent since then, and he has never really gotten the consistency the Rays would have liked to see in his curveball and changeup. The Rays put him on the 40-man roster to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft in 2010. The Rays have designated Suarez for assignment, meaning not necessarily that they want to get rid of him, but that they want to remove him from the 40-man roster. The Rays hope that Suarez will pass through waivers and remain in the organization. Suarez still has some upside if he can regain his pre-injury sharpness, but there wasn’t any point of wasting a 40-man roster spot on a questionable prospect not nearly big league ready down at A-ball.

Wilking Rodriguez has to be happy about his standing with the Rays. (Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE)

The one interesting thing with Suarez getting DFA’d is that the Rays decided to designate him as opposed to a player in an extremely similar situation, fellow 22 year old Venezuelan right-hander Wilking Rodriguez. Rodriguez was added to the 40-man roster this past offseason for the same reason Suarez was added the year before, to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Rodriguez, a smaller pitcher at 6’1″, 180, made just 7 starts in 2012 for High-A Charlotte, going 0-4 with a 5.56 ERA, a 7.7 K/9, a 4.0 BB/9, and a 0.8 HR/9 in 34 innings pitched. Rodriguez has dealt with a lot of shoulder problems over the last two years that have held him to just 18 starts and 79 innings. Doesn’t Rodriguez seem worse than Suarez given that he has been injured much more over the last two seasons and is even farther from helping the big league team? The answer to that is yes based on the stats, but the Rays choosing Rodriguez over Suarez has a lot more to do with Rodriguez’s stuff than anything else. Rodriguez throws a fastball that touches the mid-90′s with natural sink when he’s right, and he complements it with a big high-70′s curveball and a solid changeup. His arsenal is the same as Suarez, but the difference is that Rodriguez frankly misses a ton more bats than Suarez. Rodriguez’s 8.2 career K/9 dwarfs Suarez’s 5.5 mark. Even if Suarez has been a little bit more healthy the past two years, Rodriguez has never undergone Tommy John Surgery, and even though he’s currently out, he has the ability to help the big league team within a couple of seasons, especially if he’s converted into a relief role. The Rays hope to keep both Suarez and Rodriguez, but they have made clear that they believe Rodriguez has more of a future with their ballclub. Rodriguez has to feel pretty good about himself right now.

Will Rhymes, 29, appeared in 47 games for the Rays this season, posting a .228/.299/.285 line in 137 plate appearances. He posted a .256/.326/.390 line in 46 games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Rhymes can play second and third base and he’s a decent player, but he is not a great hitter and he can’t play shortstop either, making him expendable as he would not receive much playing time if the Rays called him up for September. The Rays like Rhymes’ character, and he was not the worst injury fill-in in the world, but they’re giving him a shot in another organization. With the minor league season basically over, you would expect Rhymes to elect free agency even if he passes through waivers in the hope that some major league team gives him a shot in September. Good luck to Rhymes wherever he ends up.

The Rays had to be feeling pretty good about themselves when Jeff Niemann began mowing down the Blue Jays in his first major league game since May. But after recording the first out of the fourth inning, Niemann suddenly had to leave the game and was replaced by J.P. Howell. Niemann’s injury was curiously described later in the game as “arm tightness.” Joe Maddon explained what was going on following the game.

“He just didn’t feel right. There’s no way when a pitcher tells you his arm is a little sore you’re going to leave him out there.”

Niemann’s injury is just a day-to-day thing and hopefully he’ll be OK to make his next start. When exactly that will be is up in the air as the Rays will have to decide how to utilize their 6 starters over the rest of the season. The good thing about that is that Niemann will be able to wait as long as he needs to make his start.

Sunday was a day of mixed results for the minor league affiliates, as the farm teams went 3-3 on the day. Despite some lackluster performances, there were positives in each game, highlighted by Alex Colome‘s first nine inning complete game.

Norfolk Tides 8, Durham Bulls 7

Bulls starter Alexander Torres was shelled, lasting only .2 innings, giving up 6 earned runs on 3 hits, a hit batter, and 3 walks while striking out one batter. The Bulls did rally back, scoring twice in the top of the second, three times in the top of the sixth and once again in the top of the ninth; however, the damage had already been done. Matt Torra did admirable work to give the Bulls a chance, permitting only 2 earned runs on 7 hits and 1 walk over 5.1 innings. Evan Longoria went 1-3 as the designated hitter, with a walk and two strikeouts.

Montgomery Biscuits 5, Mississippi Braves 2

Alex Colome threw his first career nine inning complete game, as the Biscuits beat the Mississippi Braves 5-2. Colome gave the 2 earned runs on only 6 hits, striking out 6 batters without issuing a walk. Shawn O’Malley, Ty Morrison, Mikie Mathook, and Greg Sexton each had two hits. For the Braves, Todd Cunningham provided most of the offense, going 2-4 with both runs scored, a stolen base, and a double.

Dunedin Blue Jays 8, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2

Brandon Morrow made his first rehab appearance for the Blue Jays, holding the Stone Crabs to 3 hits and 1 walk over 3 scoreless innings of work. Dunedin jumped on Charlotte starter Albert Suarez in the second, scoring 6 times and essentially putting the game away. Suarez made it through 4 innings, giving up the 6 earned runs on 9 hits, including 3 home runs. The Stone Crabs cut the lead to 6-2 in the top of the seventh, however the Blue Jays scored twice more in the bottom of the eighth, ending any thoughts of a comeback win. Designated hitter Steven Tinoco went 2-4 with a run scored.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 4

Bowling Green held off a late rally, escaping situations with a runner on third and one out in both the eighth and ninth innings to come away with a 5-4 victory. Trevor Shull picked up with win, going 5 innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 3 batters. Right fielder Drew Vettleson hit his 10th home run of the season, and ended the day 2-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Hudson Valley Renegades 9, Williamsport Crosscutters 2

After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the second, the Renegades exploded, scoring 4 times in the second, once in the third, and 3 times in the fourth en route to a 9-2 victory. Justin O’Conner, Richie Schaffer, Luke Maile, and Ryan Dunn each had two hits, with O’Conner hitting a 3 run home run in the fourth. Eduar Quinonez picked up the victory in relief, pitching 4 innings of shutout ball, giving up 3 hits without a walk, while striking out 4 batters. Jonathan Musser had a rough start for Williamsport, lasting only 2.2 innings, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 1 Renegade.

Burlington Royals 5, Princeton Rays 4

The Burlington Royals scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first, and another run in the bottom of the second, holding on for a 5-4 win. The Rays scored twice in the top of the second, and twice again in the top of the eighth, making the game close. Kenny Diekroeger had a bases loaded triple in the bottom of the first. Rays starter Johnathan Weaver lasted only 2 innings, giving up 5 earned runs on 4 hits and three walks. For the Rays, Ariel Soriano went 2-4 with 2 RBI, a double, and 2 strikeouts.