Reinaldo Lopez, 21, has a great Rays name and was signed by the Rays out of Venezuela back in 2007. Lopez had a good season between starting and relieving in 2012, going 3-2 with a 3.49 ERA, a 5.1 K/9, a 2.8 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 in 6 starts, 9 relief appearances, and 49 IP, with 13 of his appearances coming with the Renegades with the other two at Low-A Bowling Green. Lopez, a filled-out 6’2″, 221 right-hander, features a low-90′s fastball with late life that he controls well to go along with a halfway-decent curveball. He throws a lot of strikes and is able to force a good amount of weak contact, but he gets away with a few too many pitches up in the zone and doesn’t force nearly as many groundballs as he should, managing just 40.7% mark compared to the 45.6% NYPL average according to Minor League Central. Lopez needs continued work on his fastball command and his breaking ball, and the Rays will likely teach him a changeup to complete his arsenal. He did do a much better job against righties than lefties in 2012, posting a a 17-4 strikeout to walk ratio to righties versus just 11-11 to lefties, with the lack of a changeup contributing to that. Lopez has a some potential as a middle reliever who can keep hitters off-balance, throw strikes, and force groundballs.

Eduar Quinonez, who turned 23 in August, is another Venezuelan signee who worked in a swingman role with the Renegades this season and also had a solid season, going 7-3 with a 4.04 ERA, a 7.5 K/9, a 3.0 BB/9, and a 0.9 HR/9 in 5 starts, 10 relief appearances, and 62.1 IP. His 7 wins led the team. His groundball rate was a solid 43.8%. Quinonez, a 6’3″, 185 right-hander, throws a fastball in just the high-80′s, touching 90 MPH, but his money-making pitch is an 11-to-5 curveball that shows flashes of tight brake. Lefties did have their way with Quinonez this season, tagging him for a .866 OPS compared to .563 by righties, but encouragingly his strikeout to walk ratio was a decent 20-11 versus lefties, not so far from his 32-11 ratio against righties. Quinonez is on the older side for a prospect who hasn’t yet pitched in full-season ball, but he has a chance to ride his curveball to a big league bullpen role.

Lopez and Quinonez don’t exactly exhilarate you with their middle reliever potential. But we’ll finish with a pair of pitchers that the Rays are much more excited about and that have a real chance of appearing among the Rays’ top prospects in coming seasons.

Henderson had a huge season for the Renegades and has the ability to continue to improve. (Credit: Bluefield Daily Telegraph)

Brandon Henderson, 20, was the Rays’ 15th round pick in 2010 and was the Renegades’ lefty relief ace in 2012, going 5-2 with a 2.06 ERA, a 7.7 K/9, a 1.3 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 in 1 start, 17 relief appearances, and 48 innings pitched. His groundball rate was 43.0%. Henderson, a 6’3″, 175 lefty, fell so far back in 2010 because his fastball velocity was non-existent as he threw in just the mid-80′s. Henderson hasn’t filled out yet, but his fastball velocity has gotten to manageable levels as he throws in the 90-91 MPH range, topping out at 93 MPH. Henderson controls his fastball extremely well with good late life and is able to both throw it consistently for strikes and force weak contact on it, a relatively rare combination for a Short Season-A pitcher, although his fastball command does still need work. But the polish on the fastball is just the start with Henderson. Because he never had the great fastball velocity in high school, Henderson was forced to begin developing a battery of secondary pitches: a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. The slider was the pitch that looked the best when I saw him, coming out of the same arm slot as his fastball sharp late break, but Henderson got into trouble when his slider and his slower curveball blended together to form a mostly ineffective slurve, although Henderson was able to force a lot of groundballs with it. The Rays will have to consider having Henderson dropping his curveball entirely from his repertoire as they try to turn the slider into a consistent dynamic pitch. Henderson’s changeup is a solid pitch against right-handed pitchers, although it was too often more of a straight change with solid arm action but unimpressive movement. Henderson rode primarily his fastball and slider to own left-handed batters, allowing just a .417 OPS with a 9-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and he was great against righties as well, allowing a .626 OPS and a 32-6 strikeout to walk ratio. Henderson’s fastball really shined in 2012 and his secondary pitches are still developing but show promise. The Rays will have to consider making Henderson a starter next season after watching him pitch effectively against hitters from both sides of the plate. The Rays hope Henderson will continue to add velocity on his fastball and improve his secondary pitches, and he has a chance to be a number three-type starter or a dependable late inning reliever if everything goes well.

Ian Kendall, who will turn 21 next week, was drafted 10 rounds ahead of Henderson in the 5th round of the 2010 MLB Draft and features even better upside- but was on the exact opposite of Henderson on the performance spectrum for the Renegades in 2012. Kendall went 1-0 with just a 6.21 ERA for Hudson Valley, posting an 8.8 K/9, a 5.8 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 in 1 start, 16 relief appearances, and 42 IP. His groundball rate was a bit below average at 41.9%. Let’s stop the comparison with Henderson here- other than the difference between their performance in 2012, Kendall is a right-handed pitcher, features no projection at 6’0″, 205, and stands out most for his raw velocity on his fastball. Kendall consistently hits the mid-90′s on his fastball with late downward bite but fails to control his fastball with any consistency. He has another enigmatic pitch in his sharp 11-to-5 curveball that is downright nasty at its best and did generate plenty of swings-and-misses in 2012, but it hangs up in the zone too often, leading to hard contact. And then there’s his changeup, which Kendall throws with nice sink and decent arm action but no control at all. Kendall’s inability to throw his fastball for a strike often enough to sell his secondary pitches certainly didn’t help him at all. Kendall was hit hard by hitters from both sides, allowing a .796 OPS to right-handed batters and a .765 OPS to lefties, but the difference in strikeout to walk ratio was staggering as Kendall was at 28-11 versus righties compared to 13-16 against lefties. Kendall’s ceiling might be right there with Taylor Guerrieri and Jesse Hahn for highest on the team, but the chances that he’ll get there aren’t looking good right now. Kendall has a ton of work to do on all three of his pitches and the Rays are hoping that something can click for Kendall as he has number two starter upside in the dream scenario, but it seems more likely that Kendall ends up as a fireballing reliever and even a closer if he finds any control.

Don’t underestimate these Renegades relievers, with Henderson possibly jumping onto the prospect radar as soon as next season and Kendall being as big of a wild card as there is in the Rays system. We’ll finish off our analysis of the 2012 Renegades over the next few days as we continue talking about their relievers.

For the earlier installments of our breakdown of the Renegades and the Rays’ other minor league affiliates, please check out the Minor League Affiliates Analysis page.

The Rays minor leagues had a successful night on Wednesday, going 6-1 in their games. Here is this morning’s look around the action.

Durham Bulls 9, Columbus Clippers 7

The Clippers jumped out to an early lead against Cesar Ramos, going ahead 5-0 by the end of the third. Cord Phelps doubled in a run in the bottom of the first, and scored on a base hit by Russ Canzler. Phelps struck again in the third, driving in a run on another double, and coming around to score on a home run by Jared Goedert. The Bulls trimmed the lead to 5-2 in the fourth when Chris Gimenez hit a two run home run. Columbus put another run on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as Phelps continued his monster day with a solo home run. After another run in the seventh, the Clippers held a 7-2 lead. However, the Bulls came back in the top of the eighth, sending up 12 batters, and plating 7 runs. Gimenez’s second home run of the game, a three run shot, and Will Rhymes‘ two run home run highlighted the scoring. The Bulls held on to manage a 9-7 comeback win. Gimenez finished the day 2-4 with 2 home runs, 2 runs scored, and 5 RBI. Josh Lueke picked up the win, allowing 1 run on 2 hits in an inning of work. Phelps was 4-4 with 3 runs scored, 2 doubles, a home run, and 4 RBI in the loss.

Montgomery Biscuits 9, Huntsville Stars 6

The Biscuits jumped out to a fast lead, and held on to win their fourth straight game. With the bases loaded and two out, Kyeong Kang and Michael Sheridan walked, forcing in two runs. Brett Nommensen then hit a grand slam to right, as the Biscuits jumped out to a 6-0 lead. An RBI single in the top of the second chased Stars’ starter Ariel Pena from the game. The Stars got a run back in the bottom of the third, before rallying for four runs in the fourth, highlighted by Brock Kjeldgaard‘s three run home run. Mark Thomas homered in the sixth to give the Biscuits a bit more breathing room, and they tacked on another run in the eighth. Huntsville attempted to rally, putting up another run in the bottom of the ninth, but Montgomery was able to hang on to the 9-6 victory. Kyle Lobstein picked up the win, despite allowing 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks over 5 innings. Pena was roughed up by the Biscuits, giving up 7 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 1.2 innings of work. Omar Luna was 3-4 with a run scored.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 6, Bradenton Marauders 3 (10 innings)

The Stone Crabs powered their way to a 6-3 victory over the Marauders in ten innings Wednesday night. Charlotte jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the strength of solo home runs by Todd Glaesmann and Lucas Bailey. Bradenton got a run back in the bottom of the fifth, as Andy Vasquez made it to second base on an error, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a sacrifice fly. The Marauders took the lead in the seventh, as Dan Grovat hit a two run, two out home run. Charlotte tied the game in the top of the eighth, scoring a run on a double play. With the game heading into the tenth inning, Philip Wunderlich hit a two out, three run home run, giving Charlotte a thrilling comeback victory. Jim Patterson picked up the win in relief, giving up 1 hit in 3 innings of work. Glaesmann and Bailey each had two hits in the win.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, Great Lakes Loons 1

The Loons got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth, as Darnell Sweeney reached on a bunt base hit. A failed pickoff attempt moved Sweeney to second, and he scored two groundouts later to give the Loons the early 1-0 lead. Bowling Green tied the score in the top of the fifth, as Joshua Sale homered to center. Sale scored again in the seventh on Juniel Querecuto‘s groundout. The Hot Rods loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, bringing Sale up once again. Again he delivered, hitting a two run single to left, as he factored in all four runs in the 4-1 victory. Trevor Shull and two relievers combined to two hit the Loons, as Shull gave up 1 unearned run on 2 hits, striking out 2 over 6 innings. Sale finished the day 2-3 with 2 runs scored, a home run, 3 RBI, and a stolen base.

Hudson Valley Renegades 2, Connecticut Tigers 0

Eduar Quinonez and two relievers combined on a two hit shutout, as the Renegades defeated the Tigers 2-0. The Renegades scored in the top of the fourth, as Luke Maile and Michael Williams walked. Both advanced on a wild pitch, with Maile scoring on a throwing error to give Hudson Valley a 1-0 lead. Walks factored into the next run in the top of the fifth, as Marty Gantt walked, and scored on Richie Shaffer‘s two out single. Meanwhile, Renegades pitching cruised through the Connecticut lineup, as the Tigers did not get a runner past second in the game. Quinonez picked up the win, giving up 1 hit while striking out 5 in 5 innings of work. Gantt and Shaffer each had three hits.

Burlington Royals 2, Princeton Rays 0

Each team picked up only three hits, But the Royals were able to push two runs across the plate, resulting in a 2-0 victory. Scoreless through the top of the sixth, Mark Threlkeld led off the bottom of the frame with a solo home run, snapping what to that point had been a perfect game for Rays pitching. The Royals tacked on another run in the seventh, as Bubba Starling doubled, and came around to score on two groundouts. The Rays best scoring opportunity came in the top of the first, with a runner on third and two out, but they were unable to push a run across. Alex Keudell picked up the loss, giving up a run on 2 hits and a walk over an inning of work. Kevin Brandt did not allow a baserunner, striking out 8 in his 5 innings of work. James Harris was 1-2 with a double and a walk.

GCL Rays 3, GCL Twins 2

The Rays scored twice in the top of the fourth, rallying with two out in the inning. Yoel Araujo tripled, and scored on a base hit by Armando Araiza. Araiza came around to score on a triple by Leopoldo Correa, giving the Rays a 2-0 lead. Joel Licon led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk, and scored on a triple by Bryan Haar. Haar scored on a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 2-2. The Rays took the lead again in the top of the eighth, as Johnny Eierman was hit by a pitch, and scored on Araujo’s double. Alex Mosier picked up the victory in relief, giving up 3 hits while striking out a batter in 3 innings of work. Araiza was 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Weather factored into two games on the night, causing lengthy delays for the Biscuits and causing the Bowling Green Hot Rods contest with the Fort Wayne Tin Cups to be suspended in the second inning. Overall, the minor league squads went 3-3 on the night. Here’s your look around the farm:

Durham Bulls 3, Gwinnett Braves 2

The Bulls used a three run bottom of the second to defeat the Braves 3-2. After the Braves jumped out to a 1-0 lead, Durham got on the board with a Cole Figueroa base hit. Figueroa was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. An RBI single by Jesus Feliciano and an RBI double from Rich Thompson completed the scoring for Durham. The Braves responded with a run in the top of the third, but it was not enough as the Bulls held on to the 3-2 victory. Matt Torra picked up the win, allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings, striking out 2. Thompson, Figueroa, and Stephen Vogt each had two hits.

Jacksonville Suns 1, Montgomery Biscuits 0

After 3 hours and 20 minutes of rain delays, the Biscuits were shut out for the second consecutive night by the Suns, falling 1-0. The lone run came in the second, as Kyle Skipworth hit his 15th home run of the year. James Leverton picked up the win in relief, as he and three other pitchers combined to two-hit the Biscuits. Leverton gave up both his and 1 walk over 4 innings of work, while striking out 5 batters. The Suns only had 3 hits for the game. Hak-Ju Lee had his 46 game streak of reaching base snapped, as he went 0-4 in the contest.

Jupiter Hammerheads 2, Charlotte Stone Crabs 0

Four Jupiter pitchers combined on a seven hit shutout, blanking the Stone Crabs 2-0. The Hammerheads pushed across their first run in the second, as starter Enny Romero issued a two out walk to Jacob Realmuto. Realmuto would later score after singles by Noah Perio and Ryan Fisher. Giancarlo Stanton, playing on a rehab assignment, blasted a home run in the sixth for the final run. Despite an excellent effort, Enny Romero picked up the loss, giving up 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 4. Todd Glaesmann and Robbie Price each had 2 hits for the Stone Crabs.

Fort Wayne Tin Caps 2, Bowling Green Hot Rods 0 (suspended in second inning)

Due to heavy rains, the matchup between the Tin Cups and the Hot Rods was suspended during the second inning, with the Tin Cups holding a 2-0 advantage. Both runs were unearned, as an error by Tyler Goeddel allowed Jace Patterson to score on a double play. Mike Gallic scored on the next play, as Lee Orr singled. The game will be completed tomorrow, and will be followed by a seven inning contest.

Hudson Valley Renegades 5, Jamestown Jammers 1

Justin O’Conner homered in the fourth and ninth innings, helping the Renegades defeat the Jammers 5-1. O’Conner’s solo home run broke open a scoreless contest in the fourth, and his two-run home run in the ninth provided the final margin of victory. O’Conner also contributed an RBI single in the fifth, on a night where he finished 4-5 with 2 home runs, 2 runs scored, and 4 RBI. Eduar Quinonez picked up the victory in relief, allowing 2 hits and 1 earned run over 5 innings while striking out 3 batters.

Princeton Rays 7, Kingsport Mets 5 (10 innings)

The Rays jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, then came from behind to notch a 7-5 victory over the Mets. Daniel Duran had an RBI single, Darryl George scored on a throwing error on a stole base attempt, and Chad Nacapoy had an RBI double in a three run second. The Mets closed the game to 3-2 in the fourth, using an RBI double and a sacrifice fly. Princeton put up another run in the sixth before the Mets took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the frame. Jeyckol De Leon hit a one out solo home run, Kevin Weijgertse had an RBI single, and Anthony Chavez scored on an errant pickoff attempt. Princeton tied the game on a fielder’s choice in the eighth, sending the game to extra innings. In the tenth, Andrew Toles hit a two run home run to give the Rays an 8-6 lead. Nick Sawyer shut down the Mets in the bottom of the inning, completing the win. Sawyer picked up the victory in relief, giving up 1 hit in 3 innings of work while striking out 7 batters. Five different Rays, including Toles, finished the night with 2 hits.

GCL Orioles 3, GCL Rays 2

The Rays held a 2-1 lead after three, however the Orioles scored once in the fourth and once in the eighth to escape with a 3-2 victory. The Rays put up their runs on an Adderly Rossa RBI single in the second, and a Taylor Hawkins double in the third. The Orioles scored an unearned run in the fourth, as Manuel Hernandez reached on an error, and scored on a two out single by Steel Russell, tying the game at 2-2. Hernandez drove in the winning run in the eighth, lacing a two out double to plate Raymond Hunnicutt. Alex Mosher picked up the loss, giving up 1 earned run on 2 hits over 3 innings of work while striking out 2 Orioles. Yoel Araujo went 1-3 with 1 walk and 2 runs scored in the loss.