Alex Keudell, 22, is the first pitcher we’ll discuss today, but he may have some chance to remain a starter. Keudell, the Rays’ 27th round draft pick in 2012, split time between starting and relieving for the P-Rays, starting primarily in the latter part of the season, and pitched well, going 3-4 with a 2.28 ERA, an 8.7 K/9, a 2.3 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 in 6 starts, 10 relief appearances, and 43.2 IP. Per Minor League Central, his groundball rate was a solid 46.2%. Keudell, the University of Oregon’s this past season, stands out most because of a devastating 11-to-5 curveball that is his one true plus pitch. His other pitches are still in question. His fastball usually sits in the high-80′s, touching 90 MPH, and featuring late sink when Keudell is at his best. Considering Keudell is 6’3″, 205, the Rays hope that Keudell has a little projection remaining and can get his fastball consistently to the 90-91 MPH range and get the late action more often. His third pitch is a solid changeup. Keudell’s curveball is a weapon, but will he be able to establish his fastball enough to use it effectively? As a reliever, it seems strange to have a guy coming out of the bullpen starting off with breaking balls. That’s why it’s almost easier to see Keudell as a 4th or 5th starter type if he can improve his fastball to the point where it’s a second above-average pitch for him and maybe add a cutter. Keudell is an interesting case in the Rays system as he features the fastball-curveball-changeup combination that the Rays love, but he’s one of the few pitchers in the Rays’ system whose best pitch of those three is his curveball. Keudell’s ceiling doesn’t blow you away and he still has plenty of work still to do. But he has as good of a chance as any of these P-Rays players to make it to the big leagues someday in some capacity.

Jacob Faria, 19, is still a developing story in the Rays system. The Rays’ 10th round pick in 2011, Faria signed for $150,000, an above-slot bonus, but not nearly as much as you would expect for a high schooler with any prospect hype to sign for. Nevertheless, Faria has potential. A projectable 6’3″, 175, Faria went 3-4 with a 5.14 ERA in 2012 with a 7.3 K/9,  1.9 BB/9, and a 1.3 HR/9 in 5 starts, 8 relief appearances, and 42 IP. In terms of his stuff, Faria has absolutely nothing going on at this point other than solid control. His fastball is just in the high-80′s with solid movement, but he fails to get a downward plane on it and allows way too much hard contact, especially in the air. He also throws a curveball and a changeup, both of which he can throw for strikes and show flashes of good movement, but more advanced hitters won’t be fooled by simply the difference in velocity. Faria has to fill out before we can even start talking about him as a prospect. You hope that once he adds 25 or more pounds of muscle, hopefully his fastball velocity will get to the low-90′s at least, and then you can worry about his other pitches.

The Rays think that Brandt has a real chance to contribute at the big league level someday. (Credit: US PRESSWIRE)

Kevin Brandt, 22, is a 6’1″, 195 lefty who was drafted in the 18th round of the draft by the Rays this year. Brandt was great in his pro debut, going 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA, a 10.8 K/9, a 1.9 BB/9, and a 0.8 HR/9 in 4 starts, 8 relief appearances, and 36 IP for Princeton. Brandt dominated as a college pitcher should at Rookie ball. Brandt overpowered the younger hitters with a low-90′s fastball with good life, a sharp slider, and a solid changeup. He was completely unhittable against lefties, who went just 0 for 20 against him with 1 walk and 12 strikeouts, and although right-handers managed a .760 OPS, he did strike out 31 versus just 5 walks. Brandt won’t be nearly as dominant moving forward as he struggles with fastball command and his breaking stuff gets inconsistent, but he has a chance to move forward with a chance to be a big league lefty reliever, possibly one that can get both lefties and righties out if he can improve his changeup, but otherwise an effective situational lety. Brandt isn’t nearly exciting as his numbers this year, but he’s a player with a real chance to be a big league contributor someday.

Jon Weaver, 22, is a 6’3″, 215 right-hander who is another 2012 draftee, having been selected in the 21st round of this year’s draft. Weaver really struggled in his pro debut for Princeton, but there are some encouraging signs for him. Weaver went 0-6 with a 5.85 ERA, an 8.4 K/9, a 4.5 BB/9, and a 1.1 HR/9 in 3 starts, 16 relief appearances, and 32.1 IP. His groundball rate was a decent 45.1%. Weaver features an interesting repertoire. His fastball ranges in the low-90′s with late movement down and away from right-handed batters, and that was the offering he really relied on in his pro debut. He throws two other pitches worth a look, an 11-to-5 curveball that has flashed plus with tight break and a changeup that shows good sink, but he was unable to get a feel for them. With his fastball being his only consistently reliable offering, Weaver was in trouble when he couldn’t command it, especially against left-handed batters, since its movement took it right into the usual lefty power zone down-and-in if he missed too badly. Weaver was OK against right-handed batters in terms of peripheral stats, posting a 25-11 strikeout to walk ratio and a 48.7% groundball rate although they posted .303/.383/.485 line against him. Weaver doesn’t have the most electric arm, but if can get a handle on his secondary pitches, he has a chance to be a middle reliever in the big leagues. Weaver’s pro career got off to a tough start this season, but with refinement he has some potential.

Hugo Duarte was an unknown prospect entering this season and given his age, 22, and ERA this season, he probably still deserves to be. But the 6’1″, 169 right-hander who the Rays signed out of Venezuela back in 2006 managed some interesting underlying stats that are worth a glance. On the season, Duarte went 1-3 for the P-Rays with just an 8.53 ERA but an 8.2 K/9, a 2.8 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 in 2 starts, 12 relief appearances, and 31.2 IP. His groundball rate was a horrific 32.3%. Duarte throws a fastball in the low-90′s with good life up in the zone- but when he loses command, he gets destroyed- while his secondary pitches, a curveball and a changeup, are a work in progress. Duarte is a long way from making an impact at A-ball, let alone the majors, but his strikeout, walk, and homer rates this year were a good sign, and we’ll have to see if he can continue to develop.

Joan Guerrero is left-handed and is a 6’2″, 170 lefty signed by the Rays out of the Dominican Republic back in 2007. Beyond that, I have absolutely no idea. He also was horrific this year for the P-Rays, going 1-0 with a 5.47 ERA, a 6.9 K/9, a 5.8 BB/9, and a 1.1 HR/9 in 1 starts, 13 relief appearances, and 24.2 IP. His groundball rate was just 30%. He was terrible against both lefties and righties. Guessing based on the numbers, he throws a halfway-decent fastball in the low-90′s and a bunch of secondary pitches he can’t control. Guerrero is a lefty. But let’s see some results or something before we seriously talk about him.

Willie Gabay was also absolutely horrendous in his pro debut in 2012. But the Rays feel that he has the ability to be a lot better and fast. Gabay, a 6’0″, 180 right-hander, was the Rays’ 15th round pick in 2012 and put up ugly numbers in his pro debut, going 2-1 with a 7.77 ERA, a 9.4 K/9, a 6.1 BB/9, and a 2.0 HR/9 in 1 starts, 14 relief appearances, and 22 IP. His groundball rate was a nice 46.9%, but he struggled against batters from both sides. Gabay throws a fastball that touches 94 MPH with natural late cutting action. The problem is that he has a ton of trouble controlling it and commanding it at this point, and that led to a ton of hard contact, but primarily he was beating himself. His secondary pitches, a late-breaking low-80′s slider and a changeup with some sink, flash plus when he make them look like strikes, and he was able to get a good amount of swing-and-misses against the inexperienced hitters he was facing, but they need a lot of improvement to look plus often enough to be consistently effective. Gabay’s stuff is awfully impressive and when something clicks, he could move quickly through the minor leagues. That certainly didn’t happen this year, but the Rays hope it will happen soon.

That’s where we’ll stop for right now. We see that these relievers may not have so much upside, but they have the ability to make an impact in the major leagues in less time than you would expect- if everything ever clicks for them. Their stuff is excellent and you just have to hope the control and everything else comes with time.

For the first 4 Parts of this series and our analysis on the GCL Rays as well, please check out our new Minor League Affiliates Analysis page here at RCG.

Cesar Ramos impressed as a middle reliever for the Rays this season, but his struggled mightily trying to be a starting pitcher for Durham. (Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE)

Triple-A International League: Charlotte Knights (CHW) 9, Durham Bulls 6

The Rays decided to stretch out Cesar Ramos to see if he was a legitimate starting option for them moving forward. The experiment had decidedly not gone well as Ramos has managed just a 5.83 ERA along with a 5.55 FIP in his 6 starts after his disastrous outing on Monday night. Ramos lasted just 5+ innings allowing 9 runs, 6 earned, on 8 hits, striking out 3 while walking 2 and posting a 5-3 groundout to flyout ratio. His Achilles’ heel was 3 home runs allowed, and none of them were lucky shots. Ramos’ overall groundball to flyball ratio, counting pop-ups and line drives as flyballs, was a horrific 7-13 as Ramos allowed a lot of balls in the air and the Knights made him pay. The Bulls did everything they could to try to pick Ramos up, with Tim Beckham and Cole Figueroa slamming 2-run homers and Henry Wrigley and Leslie Anderson contributing back-to-back solo shots in the 4th, but the hole that Ramos dug them was just too much as Charlotte won 9-6. Old friend Dan Johnson went 1 for 5 for Charlotte while Rich Thompson (3 for 5, 2B, SB, run) and Jesus Feliciano (2 for 4) provided the Bulls offense other than the home runs, which were the only hitsof the day for all four players that hit them.

Low-A Midwest League: South Bend Silver Hawks (ARI) 6, Bowling Green Hot Rods 3

This game was an absolutely nightmare for the Hot Rods. Trevor Shull started for Bowling Green and mostly struggled, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, in 2.1 innings, striking out 2 while walking 2, although he did post a 5-1 groundout to flyout ratio, but he only lasted just 2.1 innings because he left with an “arm” injury. Shull was a 19th round pick by the Rays back in 2008. But Shull wasn’t the only injury of the game for the Hot Rods as third baseman and top prospect Tyler Goeddel was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance and had to leave this game. It remains to be seen what the statuses of Shull and Goeddel are moving forward.

Not much on injury updates for @bghotrods Brady Williams said Shull left with an arm injury and Tyler Goeddel was getting X rays on his hand

— Micheal Compton (@mcompton428) August 21, 2012

Andrew Bellatti went 3.2 innings in relief of Shull and allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, on 4 hits, striking out 3 while walking none, before Stayton Thomas allowed just 1 hit in the final 3 innings, striking out 2 while walking none. D-Backs top pitching prospect Archie Bradley, the 6th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, dominated for South Bend, going 6 shutout innings allowing just 4 hits, striking out 9 while walking 2 and posting a 6-2 groundout to flyout ratio. The Hot Rods strung together their only other hits of the game along with a walk in the 9th inning, with Joshua Sale notching an RBI single and Ryan Brett driving Sale home with a double for the Hot Rods’ only 3 runs as South Bend won 6-3. Cameron Seitzer went 3 for 3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored for the Hot Rods, while Jake Hager stole his 12th base of the season after replacing Goeddel.

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 2, Lowell Spinners (BOS) 1

At least the Renegades are playing well, having won 5 of their last 6 after his win over Lowell. Eduar Quinonez started allowed 1 run or fewer for the 8th time in his last 10 appearances, going 5 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 4 while walking 1. His groundout to flyout ratio was just 5-4. Reinaldo Lopez followed with 3 perfect relief innings, striking out 2 before Ryan Garton got a strikeout and 2 groundouts in a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th for his 4th save. On offense, Joey Rickard drove in both runs for the Renegades, leading off the game with a solo shot before doubling home Marty Gantt in the 3rd. Ryan Dunn also went 2 for 4 with a double while Justin O’Conner went 1 for 4 with his first stolen base of the season.

Advanced Rookie Appalachian League: Princeton Rays 6, Danville Braves 1

Alex Keudell was sharp and the P-Rays slammed 2 home runs as they breezed by the Braves. Keudell, the former University of Oregon ace, had easily the best outing of his pro career, going 6 innings allowing just an unearned run on 2 hits, striking out 5 while walking 2 while forcing a 9-2 groundout to flyout ratio. Interesting that Keudell started and impressed on the same night that Jeremy Hellickson did the same up in Tampa Bay, as Keudell is another pitcher who stands out for his great changeup. Keudell, like Hellickson, also got a nice amout of run support, with Brandon Martin leading off the game with a home run, Omar Narvaez going 3 for 4 with a solo shot of his own along with 3 runs scored, and John Alexander, Reid Redman, and Julian Morillo driving in the other runs for Princeton.

Rookie Gulf Coast League: GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 1

Not much going on here for the GCL Rays as there were few highlights in their loss to the GCL Twins. Alex Torres started in a rehab appearance and was hit hard, allowing allowing 4 runs on 3 hits in 2.1 innings, striking out 3 but walking 2. He did post a 4-0 groundout to flyout ratio. Matthew Ramsey followed with 1.2 innings of 1-hit ball, forcing a 4-1 groundout to flyout ratio, before Lucas Goodgion tossed 4 shutout innings to end the game, allowing just 2 hits while striking out 2. In terms of the bats, well, there wasn’t much hitting to be found as the GCL Rays got just 6 hits, all singles. Jiminson Natera was the only Rookie Rays hitter with a game that he could even consider writing home about, going 1 for 3 with a walk.

The minor leagues provided another mixed bag of results, with several nice performances throughout the system. Overall, the Rays’ affiliates went 3-4 on the night.

Norfolk Tides 7, Durham Bulls 6 (12)

Luis Exposito hit a walk off home run with two out in the bottom of the twelfth inning to give the Tides the victory. Durham plated 4 in the top of the second against Brian Matusz, only to watch Norfolk respond with 5 runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Durham retook the lead in the top of the seventh, pushing across runs on an Evan Longoria single and a Henry Wrigley fielder’s choice. Norfolk retied the game in the bottom of the inning, before winning in walk off fashion. Longoria ended 1-3 with a walk and an RBI. Will Rhymes and Cole Figueroa each had three hits in the loss.

Mississippi Braves 14, Montgomery Biscuits 5

Mississippi exploded for 12 runs over the final three frames to take a victory against the Biscuits. Leading 3-2 heading into the seventh inning, the Biscuits bullpen imploded, as the Braves scored 2 runs in the seventh, 7 in the eighth, and 3 more in the ninth. Chris Rearick, Marcus Fleming, and Scott Shuman combined to give up 10 runs (9 earned) on 10 hits and 4 walks in only 2.2 innings of work. Philip Gosselin provided much of the damage for the Braves, going 405 with a home run and 3 RBI, while scoring 3 runs.

Tampa Yankees 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2

The Stone Crabs and Yankees were tied at 2-2 heading into the top of the seventh. The Yankees then scored twice in the top of the seventh, and twice more in the top of the eighth to come away with the 6-2 victory in the first game of a four game series. Jimmy Patterson allowed 4 runs, with only 2 of them earned, in four innings of relief to take the loss. Enny Romero started, but only lasted 4 innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5 batters. Riccio Torrez went 2-4 with an RBI for the Stone Crabs.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 1

Ryan Carpenter was dominant over his 8 innings of work, as Bowling Green swept the three game series from the Whitecaps. He scattered 4 hits and a walk over his 8+ innings, giving up 1 earned as an inherited runner scored in the top of the ninth. Carpenter also struck out 4 batters. Josh Sale hit his first home run since June 10th, giving him 9 on the year. Juniel Querecuto went 2-3 with an RBI and a double.

Hudson Valley Renegades 7, Williamsport Crosscutters 4

The Renegades started out hot, scoring all seven runs in the first three innings, then held on to complete the sweep against the Crosscutters. After the Crosscutters went up 1-0 in the top of the first, the Renegades put up 5 in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by an error, a wild pitch, and a two run double from Geoff Rowan. Joey Rickard, Luke Maile, Joel Caminero, and Rowan all had two hits on the nighT. Williamsport starter Josh Warner was tagged for all 7 runs, with only 4 being earned, on 8 hits over 4 innings. Matthew Spann picked up the win, lasting 6 innings and giving up 3 unearned runs on 7 hits while striking out 2 batters.

Princeton Rays 8, Burlington Royals 2

The Rays jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead after three innings, and never looked back, coming away with an 8-2 win over the Burlington Royals. Alex Keudell picked up the victory, going 5 innings and allowing only 2 hits while striking out 3 batters. The only blemish on his night was a solo home run by Bubba Starling in the fourth inning. Colin Rodgers took the loss, giving up 5 runs (3 earned) over 5 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 2 batters. James Harris went 2-4 with a double, a triple, and 2 RBI. Brandon Martin chipped in with a home run and 2 RBI.

GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 1

The Twins jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and held on, taking a 3-1 victory. Despite out-hitting the Twins 8 to 6, the Rays only pushed across a single run in the top of the fifth inning. With the score 2-1 and runners on second and third with one out, Kuo Hua Lo escaped further trouble, getting a strikeout and a groundball to the mound to prevent further damage. Lo picked up the victory in relief, going 3.2 innings, allowing the 1 earned run on 5 hits, while striking out 4 batters. Geisel De La Cruz took the loss, permitting the two first inning runs on 4 hits and 1 walk in his 5 innings of work, while striking out 2 batters. Leopoldo Correa went 3-4 for the Rays, with 2 doubles and a run scored.