Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 9, Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 8

A bullpen collapse made this game crazy at the end, but the Bulls’ offense had quite a night and Frank De Los Santos stepped up at the end to nail down the save as the Bulls got by Toledo 9-8. Jake Odorizzi started for Durham and had a rough game but managed to avoid disaster. He allowed 3 home runs in the first 2 innings, all solo shots, and then walked 3 batters in the 3rd, but he managed to toss shutout ball over his final 3 innings as he went 5 innings allowing 4 runs on 4 hits, striking out 5 while walking 4. As disaster starts, though, you can certainly do worse than that, and great composure by Odorizzi to battle when his stuff wasn’t fooling anyone. On the offensive side, the Bulls scored 4 in the first inning, and although Odorizzi gave those runs back, they were able to avoid the vintage Rays tendency of having one big inning and faltering the rest of the game and provide their pitchers with plenty of run support. They would need it all. Tim Beckham had a really nice game, going 1 for 3 with a a triple, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 RBI, Vince Belnome went 4 for 5 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and 3 runs scored. Cole Figueroa went 3 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI, and Wil Myers, Leslie Anderson, and Juan Apodaca also had multi-hit games. Lefties Jeff Beliveau and Adam Liberatore tossed shutout ball in the 6th and 7th as the game appeared to be out of reach at 9-4 after 7 innings, but Wil Inman allowed 4 runs in just two-thirds of an inning in the 8th to make it 9-8. But that was when De Los Santos, who had managed just a 7.27 ERA in his first 7 appearances of the season, came in and slammed the door, recording the final out of the inning before working around a hit in the 9th, as the Bulls won 9-8. In a slugfest like this, all the pitching you can get matters even more than usual, and the Bulls were able to limit the damage to a couple of bad innings while pitching strongly the rest of the way, and that made all the difference. Great offensive showing by Durham, and nice to see the pitching coming up big when it mattered most.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 5, Tennessee Smokies (CHC) 4

Another great finish in this one as it was tied 3-3 after 8 innings before the Biscuits scored 2 in the top of the 9th and survived a run in the bottom of the inning to win. Victor Mateo started for Montgomery and was decent overall, going 4.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 3 and walking 3 as well. He had tossed 4 shutout innings before coming apart in the 5th to put Montgomery down 3-2. But Mayo Acosta quickly tied it in the 6th on a solo home run, and 3.1 innings of shutout relief from Braulio Lara and Matt Nevarez got the Biscuits through 8. Then in the top of the 9th, Robi Estrada and Kevin Kiermaier singled to begin the inning and the Biscuits elected to bunt them to 2nd and 3rd. That immediately paid dividends as Mikie Mahtook hit a soft groundball that scored Shawn O’Malley, who had pinch-run for Estrada, and a throwing error brought in Kiermaier to make it 5-3. Juan Sandoval allowed a 1-out RBI single in the 9th that made it 5-4, but he buckled down from there to retire the next 2 hitters as the Biscuits won 5-4. Estrada and Kiermaier had nice games, with Estrada going 2 for 3 with a walk and Kiermaier going 2 for 5 with the key insurance run scored in the 9th, and Cameron Seitzer also went 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an RBI. The Biscuits’ rally wasn’t too flashy, but they took advantage of their opportunity and found their way to a satisfying victory.

Low-A Midwest League: Fort Wayne Tincaps (SDP) 3, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2

Blake Snell allowed 3 runs in the first inning and unfortunately the Hot Rods could not overcome that as they went 3-2. Snell has been dominant to begin the year but allowed 3 walks and 2 hits in the 1st before settling in. He went 4 innings allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, on 6 hits, striking out 3 and walking 3 as well. His groundout to flyout was also an impressive 5-0, but his control was off early on and it cost him. Reinaldo Lopez was incredible in relief of Snell, going 4 innings allowing just 2 hits and nothing else, striking out 1 and forcing 8 more outs on the ground. But it wasn’t enough as the Hot Rods managed just 2 runs on 4 hits in the game and blew the opportunities they did have, going just 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position. Tommy Coyle had a big game for Bowling Green, going 3 for 4 with a triple, 2 stolen bases, and a run scored, and Marty Gantt brought in both Hot Rods runs with another triple, but that was basically it. Tyler Goeddel did have an encouraging game as well, going 0 for 0 but with 3 walks and a stolen base of his own. In terms of stolen bases, Coyle ranks second in the Midwest League with 11, Andrew Toles, who walked and stole a base in this one, has 10, and Goeddel is tied for 5th with 7. Great to see the Hot Rods living up their nickname and their billing as members of the Rays organization by stealing so many bases. But it’s awfully hard to steal home, and they have to find a way to push some runs across with hits. Otherwise, they’ll be left contemplating what could have have been after a disheartening loss like this.

The Rays’ signing of Cust clearly did not work out, but the fact that they’re able to cut ties with him owing him nothing tells you exactly how little financial risk there is with the Rays’ free agent strategy. When a player doesn’t work out, they can just cut him owing him nothing or close to it and move on. The Rays still need to find insurance for players like James Loney and Luke Scott, the former for simple performance and the latter for injuries, and maybe Cust being cut indicates that the Rays may have a little more trust in their internal options, such as Leslie Anderson, to contribute in such a role. One thing we do know for sure is that despite players like Cust not working out, the Rays will certainly keep attempting to find great values at minuscule costs on the free agent market knowing that maybe next time everything will come together for them. And of course, Cust isn’t nearly the only such player in Rays camp, with the Rays hoping for big bounce-backs from Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson, and Loney and also having relievers Jamey Wright and Juan Carlos Oviedo in camp minor league contracts, and at little risk even between the five of them, the Rays get production that makes all the difference for their ballclub.

Speaking of Anderson, he was among five players that the Rays sent down to minor league camp following Saturday’s game, joining Cole Figueroa, Rich Thompson, Dane De La Rosa, and Kirby Yates.

Anderson, who will turn 31 next week, had a ridiculous spring, hitting .396 (19 for 48) with 4 doubles, a double, a triple, and 12 RBI. But while Anderson was on fire at the plate, there have been serious doubts the last couple years that he can ever be a good enough all-around player to warrant time on the Rays. Anderson has no plate discipline, ranking first in at-bats among all Rays players this spring but just tied for 23rd in walks with a grand total of 1, and for his minor league career, he has struck out 170 times against just 74 walks. That is even worse because Anderson has almost no power, something first baseman need to have, and also because Anderson’s defensive value is average if you want to be optimistic. He has seen time in left and right field but is a poor defender at both positions and is just decent at first base. Anderson has a lot of things going against him and he will have to continue hitting for average like crazy to have any chance of overcoming them. If Loney struggles or Scott goes on the DL, it will be interesting to see whether the Rays will finally give Anderson a chance.

Figueroa, 25, may be the player among the five with the most promising major league future in a utility role. Figueroa performed well in spring training, going 10 for 32 (.313) with 5 doubles, 4 RBI, and a 3-3 strikeout to walk ratio, and he’s a player who stands out for his excellent plate discipline, strong ability to make contact, and versatility to play second base, third base, and shortstop so far with more positions to come. Joe Maddon had nothing but praise for Figueroa calling him a “big league player,” and with the Rays placing an emphasis on versatility, Figueroa could be an interesting player for the team moving forward.

Thompson, 33, saw time in the major leagues for the Rays last season, going 2 for 22 (.091) but stealing 6 bases as a pinch-runner, and he has hit a decent .263 (5 for 19) for the Rays this spring. Thompson has 464 career minor league stolen bases but seems unlikely to ever get more than cups of coffee in the major leagues thanks to a complete lack of power that hinders his ability to hit in the major leagues at all. However, Thompson could find himself back on the Rays’ roster by the end of the season should a need for a backup outfielder and pinch-runner arise once again.

De La Rosa, 30, also appeared in the major leagues last season, striking out 5 but allowing 7 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings pitched, and he similarly struggled this spring, managing just a 9.45 ERA in 8 appearances, although he did strike out 6 while walking 3. De La Rosa has a fastball that reaches 98 MPH but struggles to control it, and he has never been able to get his slider to be a second effective pitch for him. De La Rosa will look to continue improving at Triple-A and finally break into the Rays’ bullpen this season.

Finally Yates, who turns 26 tomorrow, actually was solid when the Rays sent him to the mound in spring training, managing a 1.93 ERA and a 6-3 strikeout to walk ratio in 7 appearances. Yates is interesting as a relief prospect thanks to a fastball that touches 95 MPH and also a sharp slider, and the key for him will be to continue working on locating both of those pitches. Yates will head to Triple-A this season and could surface in the Rays’ relief corps by the end of the year if he makes progress.

Pitchers (34):
RHP Chris Archer
RHP Matt Buschmann (NR)
RHP Alex Cobb
RHP Alex Colome
RHP Dane De La Rosa
LHP Frank De Los Santos
RHP Marquis Fleming (NR)
RHP Brandon Gomes
RHP Jeremy Hellickson
RHP Roberto Hernandez
RHP Will Inman (NR)
LHP Adam Liberatore (NR)
RHP Josh Lueke
RHP J.D. Martin (NR)
LHP Jake McGee
LHP Mike Montgomery
LHP Matt Moore
RHP Matt Nevarez (NR)
RHP Jeff Niemann
RHP Jake Odorizzi
RHP Juan Carlos Oviedo (NR)
RHP Jim Paduch (NR)
LHP Jim Patterson (NR)
RHP Joel Peralta
LHP David Price
LHP Cesar Ramos
LHP Felipe Rivero
RHP Fernando Rodney
LHP Enny Romero
RHP Juan Sandoval (NR)
LHP Neil Schenk (NR)
LHP Alexander Torres
RHP Jamie Wright (NR)
RHP Kirby Yates (NR)

Catchers (7):
Craig Albernaz (NR)
Robinson Chirinos
Chris Gimenez
Jose Lobaton
Jose Molina
Mark Thomas (NR)
Stephen Vogt

Infielders (14):
1B/OF Leslie Anderson (NR)
2B Tim Beckham
SS Reid Brignac
SS Yunel Escobar
2B/3B Cole Figueroa (NR)
UTIL Mike Fontenot (NR)
UTIL Elliot Johnson
SS Hak-Ju Lee
1B James Loney
3B Evan Longoria
UTIL Shawn O’Malley (NR)
2B/3B Ryan Roberts
UTIL Sean Rodriguez
1B/OF Nick Weglarz (NR)

Outfielders (9):
OF Jason Bougeois (NR)
OF/1B Shelley Duncan (NR)
OF Sam Fuld
RF/LF Brandon Guyer
CF Desmond Jennings
RF/LF Matt Joyce
RF Wil Myers (NR)
LF/RF Rich Thompson (NR)
UTIL Ben Zobrist

That 64-man roster is not final- note that Kyle Farnsworth, Luke Scott, and Kelly Johnson all don’t appear- but it gives us a pretty good idea of who we’ll in spring training, including several interesting names. We’ve discussed almost all the non-roster invitees elsewhere (feel free to search away in the search box on the upper right-hand corner of the page), but let’s run through several that we have not discussed too much previously.

Matt Nevarez, who will turn 26 later in February, was once traded for Ivan Rodriguez and used to be a solid relief prospect for the Houston Astros before injuries derailed his career. But he recovered to dominate at Independent ball before the Rays signed him and continued blowing away hitters as he moved up from High-A to Double-A. Overall on the season, Nevarez managed a 2.22 ERA, a 13.7 K/9, a 3.0 BB/9, and a 0.8 HR/9 in 37 relief appearances. Nevarez throws a fastball in the low-to-mid-90′s along with a sharp slider and solid changeup, and if he can continue to stay healthy, he could wind up being a real find for the Rays out of Independent ball.

Jim Paduch, 30, was once a promising prospect for the Cincinnati Reds before his career fell apart and he also ended up in Independent ball. After staying in unaffiliated ball for four years, the Rays signed him prior to 2011 and he has spent the last two years primarily with their Triple-A Durham affiliate, going 6-12 in 2012 with a 5.48 ERA, a 5.6 K/9, a 3.2 BB/9, and a 1.0 HR/9 in 22 starts, 7 relief appearances, and 120 innings pitched. The Rays rewarded Paduch for his continued perseverance with his first invite to major league camp. Paduch throws a fastball in the high-80′s, touching 90 MPH, along with a solid changeup and a breaking ball, Paduch did get better results against right-handed batters compared to lefties, and despite Paduch being a starter his entire career, a conversion to relief to see if he can better results could be in the cards.

Neil Schenk, 26, is a lefty reliever coming off a good year at Double-A, going 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA, a 6.2 K/9, a 3.0 BB/9, and a 1.0 HR/9 in 42 relief appearances and 60.2 innings pitched. He held lefties to a .713 OPS with a 52.6% groundball rate and he will look to play a lefty specialist role in the major leagues with a deceptive delivery, a high-80′s fastball, a curveball, and a changeup.

Jim Patterson, who will turn 24 in a few days, is another lefty coming off a great season primarily at High-A, going 8-4 with a 2.70 ERA, a 5.8 K/9, a 2.0 BB/9, and a 0.4 HR/9 in 39 appearances and 80 innings pitched. Lefties managed just a .595 OPS, but then again, righties were at just .553. Patterson has gotten excellent results since his first day as a pro with great control, a high-80′s fastball with great late life, and a good slider, and although he played just a game each at Double-A and Triple-A, he could see time at both of those levels in 2012 and maybe even taste the major leagues.

Finally, Cole Figueroa, 25, is a sleeper prospect acquired by the Rays in the Jason Bartlett trade. Figueroa had a nice season between Double-A and Triple-A in 2012, managing a .292/.362/.413 line with 23 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, 54 RBI, and 43 walks compared to 31 strikeouts in 113 games and 452 plate appearances. Figueroa doesn’t have much power or speed, but he has a compact stroke, great plate discipline, and good defense abilities at third base and second base, and he has the ability to be a good utility infielder in the major leagues, and that might happen as soon as 2013.

Overall, the Rays have a lot of talent coming to their camp, as usual, but we also see that they’re giving quite a few players chances to compete for their open spots: a couple of bullpen spots, a right-handed hitting first baseman, the backup catcher behind Jose Molina, and a utility spot or two. The ability is there for the Rays to make a run to the postseason in 2013- but first to have to figure out who exactly are the players that will lead them there. With several positions up in the air, expect a spring training with plenty of competition as veterans not coming off their best seasons look to reestablish themselves, non-roster invitees hope to impress, and young players strive to prove themselves and defy the odds by making the Rays’ Opening Day roster.