Triple-A International League: Charlotte Knights (CHW) 2, Durham Bulls 1

We’ve seen this story before in the major leagues: Alex Colome fought through control struggles to have a nice outing, but it was meaningless as the Bulls couldn’t get him any run support. Colome went 5 innings allowing a lot of baserunners, 5 hits and 4 walks, but he managed to hold the Knights to 2 runs, 1 earned, striking out 7 and forcing a 6-3 groundout to flyout ratio. Colome’s ERA after three starts to begin the year is an amazing 0.56, and he pitched well enough to win on most nights. But it was not to be this time around as White Sox top prospect Andre Rienzo held the Bulls offense to 1 run over 6 innings before the Charlotte Bullpen did the rest, holding Durham to just 6 hits in the game and a 1 for 10 mark with runners in scoring position. Making that even more annoying is that Durham’s bullpen was incredible, with Steve Geltz, whose control is known to come and go, completely locked in and unhittable, striking out 4 in 2 perfect innings, and lefty Frank De Los Santos striking out 2 more in a perfect bottom of the 8th to give Bulls pitching 13 strikeouts on the day. On the offensive side, there wasn’t much, but most of it came from the Rays’ two top prospects in the lineup, Hak-Ju Lee and Wil Myers. Lee went 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a stolen base while Myers went 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored. Nice to see them playing well, but we obviously want to see a better team hitting effort than this.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 9, Mobile BayBears (ARI) 3

Speaking of better team hitting efforts, that’s exactly what you could find in the Biscuits game as they tore through BayBears pitching with 3 home runs, including a first inning grand slam by Mark Thomas. Matt Buschmann got the start for Montgomery and gave them a decent effort, going 5.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2, and the bullpen took care of the rest, with C.J. Riefenhauser tossing 2.1 perfect innings to lower his ERA to 1.23 on the year and Juan Sandoval working around a hit and a walk in the 9th to lower his ERA to 1.08. In a game like this, though, you almost want your pitchers to save their good performances for another day. Beyond Thomas’ slam, Riccio Torrez went 2 for 4 with a homer, a double, 2 RBI, and a run scored, Greg Sexton slammed a solo home run, and Mikie Mahtook had an encouraging day, going 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored as he battles back from a rough start to the year. Always great to see the offense clicking on all cylinders, and doing it via the home run ball only makes things more fun.

High-A Florida State League: St. Lucie Mets 13, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3

This game was far from fun for the Stone Crabs as lefty Felipe Rivero struggled mightily for the third time out in a row, allowing 7 runs, 5 earned, in just 3.1 innings, striking out 3 and walking 3 as well. Then Eliazer Suero, who has pitched well to begin the year, completely came apart as well, allowing 5 runs, 4 earned, in just 1.2 innings, before Shay Crawford restored a little stability, allowing 1 run on 3 hits in 2 innings, striking out 4 while walking 1. After all of that, there was still another inning left to pitch, and down 10 runs, the Stone Crabs went to first baseman and outfielder Steven Tinoco for his first game on the mound in 2013 after 3 in 2012. And actually, Tinoco might have been the most effective pitcher Charlotte used, working around a hit in a scoreless 8th. That’s baseball for you. On the offensive side, Alejandro Segovia slammed a 2-run home run to account for 2 of the Stone Crabs’ 3 runs and Richie Shaffer going 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored to account for the other. Segovia, the former catcher, has not yet caught this season, playing first base three times and DH seven times, and while that certainly makes his path to the major leagues tougher, he’s been hitting so well that it might not matter. If we consider him a first base prospect now, he could be right up there for the best in the system.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 2, Great Lakes Loons (LAD) 0

No one doubted that the Hot Rods’ pitching was dominant on Tuesday. The only question was going to be whether their offense could push across a run, and they managed to do that in vintage Rays fashion in the 8th to seal the deal on a satisfying win. Loons hitters couldn’t do anything with Jeff Ames, who went 5 innings allowing just 1 hit, striking out 8 while walking 1. He has a 1.20 ERA and a 15-1 strikeout to walk ratio in 15 innings to begin the season, and the Rays couldn’t ask for anything more than that. The Rays are taking it slow with Ames, their 2011 supplemental round pick out of Lower Columbia College, and he still has a long way to do, particularly in terms of command, but he’s another high-upside pitcher who could emerge as a weapon for the Rays, especially out of the bullpen. But for all of his efforts, Ames didn’t get the win in this one as it was still a 0-0 game. That remained the case until the 8th. With 1 out, Ryan Dunn singled to set the table before two errors on one play gave the Hot Rods 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Not taking any chances with a double play, Bowling Green manager Jared Sandberg ordered Justin O’Conner to lay down a safety squeeze, and it worked to perfection as Dunn scored to give the Hot Rods the lead. Then Andrew Toles gave the Hot Rods a more conventional run, drilling an RBI triple, already his 4th of the season, to make it a 2-0 game. Jose Molina worked 3 hitless innings for the win, forcing a 5-1 groundout to flyout ratio, and Ryan Garton finished off the 1-hitter with a perfect 9th as the Hot Rods won 2-0. Ames obviously gets the headlines, but Toles went 3 for 4 with his big triple, O’Conner gets credit for his clutch bunt, and Dunn went 1 for 1 with 2 walks and the go-ahead run scored. It was Rays baseball like we’re used to, with outstanding pitching and fans desperately hoping or some runs, but this time it worked out absolutely fine for everyone.

Triple-A International League: Charlotte Knights (CHW) 5, Durham Bulls 4

The Bulls blew a 4-2 lead after five and a half innings as they lost their second straight game after a four-game winning streak. Jake Odorizzi took the hill for Durham and was great overall but allowed a 2-run homer to Brent Morel in the 6th inning to knot the game up at 4. Odorizzi went 5.1 innings allowing 4 runs on 5 hits, but most impressively, he struck out 9 while walking none, improving his strikeout-to-walk ratio to a ridiculous 17-2 for the season. But even as Odorizzi racks up the strikeouts, he has to do a much better job keeping the ball down in the zone before he can unleash his potential at the MLB level for the Rays. The Bulls did have a decent offensive day in the loss, with Jason Bourgeois going 3 for 5 with an RBI, Rich Thompson going 2 for 5 with a stolen base, Brandon Guyer going 1 for 3 with a hit-by-pitch, an RBI, and a run scored, and most impressively, Hak-Ju Lee slamming a solo home run in 4 trips.

Double-A Southern League: Jackson Generals (SEA) 10, Montgomery Biscuits 9 (10 innings)

This one really stung. The Generals jumped out to a 9-3 lead after 5 innings before the Biscuits came all the way back to tie the game at 9 in the 9th on a 2-out, bases-clearing 3-run double by Mark Thomas, but they lost in walk-off fashion in the 10th. Enny Romero got hit hard for the Biscuits, going 4.1 innings allowing 7 runs, 6 earned, on 6 hits, striking out 3, walking 3, and allowing 3 home runs, but it was three shutout innings by C.J. Riefenhauser and Neil Schenk that allowed Montgomery to rally. The Biscuits offense did everything in their power to win this game, with Thomas going 2 for 5 with his huge hit, Riccio Torrez going 3 for 5 with a homer, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Todd Glaesmann homering while Ty Morrison and Shawn O’Malley laced triples, but it wasn’t enough as the Biscuits’ bullpen could only keep Jackson off the board for so long.

High-A Florida State League: Fort Myers Miracle (MIN) 8, Charlotte Stone Crabs 7

The Stone Crabs fought valiantly, but a 4-run 8th wasn’t enough to overcome the fact that they gave Fort Myers this game on a silver platter with 5 errors and 3 passed balls. Roberto Gomez continued his early-season struggles after blowing by Low-A, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings, striking out 4 while walking 3. Eliazer Suero and Lenny Linsky couldn’t do much better, allowing 3 runs in 4 innings. The bats did show a good deal of promise, with Alejandro Segovia going 2 for 4 with a homer, a double, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Kyeong Kang, Jake Hager, and Drew Vettleson also having multi-hit games, but the Stone Crabs have to be hitting themselves for letting this one get away with their defensive miscues.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, West Michigan Whitecaps (DET) 2

There is hope for the future as at least the Hot Rods found a way to win. Of course it’s all about the pitching. Sean Bierman breezed by the Whitecaps, going 6 shutout innings allowing just 5 hits, striking out 4 while walking none. Bowling Green manager Jared Sandberg loved the way he “pounded the zone on both sides of the plate with all his pitches,” and after Bierman has thrown 11 shutout frames to begin his season, the 24 year old Bierman may be ticketed for High-A if he keeps impressing as the Rays try to make up for his advanced age for the level. Bierman was followed by Nick Sawyer, who struggled in his first two outings of the season but was right back to the domination that pervaded his 2012 pro debut on Saturday, going 2 no-hit innings striking out 4 while walking 1. Control has been an issue at times for Sawyer, but his stuff is electric and he was locked in against the Whitecaps. In terms of the lineup, Joey Rickard, Justin O’Conner, and Leonardo Reginatto all had multi-hit games with a double and Tyler Goeddel encouragingly went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI as the Hot Rods offense was far from prolific but got plenty given the quality of their pitching. Hopefully the Rays can take the same queue.

Catcher

Matt Rice, 23, was the Rays’ 9th round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft and enjoyed a nice season with the Hot Rods, posting a .301/.390/.402 line with 9 doubles, 4 homers, 33 RBI, and 39 strikeouts against 31 walks in 74 games and 290 plate appearances. Those stats have to be taken with a grain of salt because Rice was 2 years older than the Hot Rods’ team average for their position players and 1 year older than league average, but are still pretty impressive. He doesn’t have much power, but he makes a lot of contact and shows great plate discipline. Defensively, though, Rice was pedestrian, posting a .993 fielding percentage but allowing 8 passed balls while throwing out just 19% of attempted basestealers. Rice is a bigger catcher at 6’3″, 195 and is a solid receiver but has to work on getting down for pitches in the dirt. His arm, though, will always be below-average. Rice does get high marks for calling games behind the plate and did a good job working with the Hot Rods’ young pitchers in 2012. Rice has a chance to be a backup catcher in the Jose Lobaton mold who features a good walk rate but is unimpressive in every other regard.

Can you name the Hot Rods’ leader in slugging percentage and OPS in 2012? The surprise winner was 22 year old catcher Alejandro Segovia, who the Rays signed out of Venezuela back in 2007. Segovia had a huge offensive season, posting a .269/.362/.527 line with 14 doubles, 15 homers, 45 RBI, and 36 strikeouts versus 29 walks in 70 games and 284 plate appearances. Segovia’s combination of power and plate discipline make him very intriguing, although his bat speed is just average and he hits a lot of balls weakly in the air. He has good pitch recognition skills but will have to do a better job discerning which pitches to drive if he wants to keep hitting and hitting for power moving forward. Segovia’s biggest concern right now is his defense. He posted just a .979 fielding percentage, allowing 6 passed balls while posting a 25% CS%. Segovia features a strong but erratic arm and his receiving needs plenty of work. Segovia might have the bat to profile at first base and played 38 games there between 2008 and 2009, but that would subtract significantly but his value and put all the pressure on his bat. Segovia put together one great season and will have to make significant improvements defensively and also adjustments at the plate to reach his upside of a power-hitting catcher. Segovia has plenty of question marks around him, especially defensively, but in a Rays system that can’t find an impact catching prospect, Segovia could be the best of the bunch right now.

First Base

Jeff Malm, who turned 22 at the end of October, was Rays’ 5th round pick in 2009, signing for an above-slot $600,000 and he continues to show potential but not the consistency the Rays have hoped for. Malm had a solid season for the Renegades in 2012, posting a .263/.356/.438 line with 36 doubles, 13 homers, 61 RBI, 6 of 9 stolen bases, and 127 strikeouts versus 61 walks in 128 games and 540 plate appearances. Malm played in 71 games at first base, managing a nice .996 fielding percentage, and appeared in 22 games in the corner outfield spots, notching 6 outfield assists. Malm is a big 6’3″, 225 power bat with tantalizing ability. He shows great bat speed with flashes of big-time power, and he also has nice patience at the plate. The combination of power and bat speed gives Malm the chance to hit for nice power without too many strikeouts. That certainly did not happen in 2012. Malm does a good job at finding fastballs to drive, but he struggles recognizing breaking pitches, accounting for quite a few of his strikeouts. And Malm’s hitting is especially important because although he has a great arm, hitting 90 MPH off the mound in high school, he doesn’t have the athleticism to profile in the outfield. Malm has a chance to hit for 30-homer power to go along with a good average and on-base percentage and the Rays keep waiting for something to click and jolt him forward towards that upside.

Cameron Seitzer, who will turn 22 in January, was the Rays’ 11th round pick in 2011 and had a nice season in 2012 for the Hot Rods although his limitations were clearly present. Seitzer posted a .307/.386/.429 line with 36 doubles, 4 homers, 54 RBI, and 83 strikeouts versus 55 walks in 118 games and 488 plate appearances. Defensively, Seitzer managed just a .988 fielding percentage, playing a lot of DH with Malm at first base. Sietzer is interesting because he features good bat speed and nice plate discipline. The problem for Seitzer is that despite being a big guy at 6’5″, 220, his power has been close to non-existent the past couple of years. It’s nice that Seitzer is a pretty good pure hitter, but if he doesn’t develop solid 15-20 home run power, there’s no way he can profile as a regular in the big leagues. Seitzer also needs work to be passable defensively at first base. Seitzer has some ability but he essentially has to add an entire extra dimension to his game to be any real prospect.

We’ll stop here for today after seeing a couple of players to watch moving forward in Segovia and Malm and two more possible big leaguers in Rice and Seitzer. We’re just getting this series revved up with plenty of talented players still to come.

For our earlier discussions of the GCL Rays, Princeton Rays, and the Hudson Valley Renegades, check our Minor League Affiliates Analysis page.