Eliazer Suero, 23, was signed out of the Rays out of the Dominican Republic and had a rough 2012 but finished strong. On the year, Suero went 5-7 with a 5.81 ERA, a 6.0 K/9, a 6.2 BB/9, and a 1.0 HR/9 in 9 starts, 21 relief appearances, and 91.1 IP. He did, though, pitch much better his last 10 games, going 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 38.2 innings pitched. Suero features a projectable 6’4″, 170 frame, but his current arsenal simply isn’t there right now. Suero’s fastball hits just the high-80′s right now, and Suero is able to get a good downward angle on it when he’s right but that doesn’t happen often enough, and his delivery gets out of whack making him struggle to hit the zone. He also throws a halfway-decent breaking ball and a semi-usable changeup. Suero features some deception in his delivery to right-handed batters but has been exposed versus lefties, managing just a 23-34 strikeout to walk ratio against them. Suero’s improvement at the end of the season was fastball command, but he still walked more than he struck out. Suero has a big offseason ahead of him as he looks to begin the process of filling out his lean frame, and the Rays hope that with added strength he can begin making strides as a pitcher.

Wilking Rodriguez, who will turn 23 in March, was signed by the Rays out of Venezuela and added to their 40-man roster before last season, but he was designated for assignment and passed through waivers to remain in an organization after shoulder problems have derailed him the last two years. In 7 starts for the Stone Crabs in 2012, Rodriguez went 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, 6’1″ and 190 pounds, is a very interesting pitcher when healthy. Rodriguez’s fastball hits the 92-93 MPH range with late life, and he’s able to ratchet it up to the 95-96 MPH range when he has to, albeit at the loss of control and command. Rodriguez pairs his fastball with a big high-70′s breaking ball from the same arm slot that he’ll throw to both righties and lefties, and he shows flashes of a changeup that looks to be at least average. Rodriguez’s arsenal remains impressive, but he has to find a way to stay on the mound. In an attempt to make that happen, the Rays might move him to the bullpen, and Rodriguez’s electric stuff gives him a chance to move fast in such a role. Even after lost seasons the last two years, the Rays still can’t get enough of Rodriguez’s repertoire, and if he can find a way to stay healthy a breakthrough could be in the wings in 2013.

Amazingly, the Stone Crabs’ staff leader in wins started just 1 game on the season. Lefty Jim Patterson, who was an 18th round pick by the Rays back in 2010, had himself quite a season, 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 1 start, 38 relief appearances, and 80 innings pitched. 37 of his appearances came at Charlotte to go along with one each at Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham. Patterson, 6’0″ and 190 pounds, has done nothing but pitch well since signing, managing a 2.78 ERA in over 200 innings. Patterson’s fastball stays in the high-80′s, touching 90 MPH, but he throws it for strikes and gets great late life on it, leading to plenty of weak contact in 2012 but not enough of it on the ground for evaluators’ liking. To complement his fastball, Patterson throws a little mid-80′s slider with late break that helped generate some whiffs against lefties as they had trouble picking it up and was another pitch hitters could not square up, and he also throws a halfway-decent changeup. Patterson actually had a slight reverse split in 2012, allowing a .595 OPS to lefties compared to .553 to righties, but the difference in strikeout to walk ratio was staggering going the other way, coming in at 20-3 compared to 32-15. Patterson’s upside is a middle reliever whose specialty is getting lefties out but doesn’t have to be taken out versus righties either, and after his success in recent years, it would not be the biggest surprise if he zoomed through both Double-A and Triple-A in 2013 after cups of coffee at those levels this season and finished the year in the big leagues.

Drafted 2 rounds ahead of Patterson in the 2010 MLB Draft, Nate Garcia, who will turn 25 in May, was having a nice season before injuries ended his season prematurely in late June. In 17 relief appearances and 32.2 innings pitched, Garcia went 0-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 7.7 K/9, a 3.9 BB/9, and a 0.8 HR/9. Garcia, who is 6’1″ and 190 pounds, works with a fastball around 90 MPH with some movement away from right-handed batters along with a mid-70′s curveball with good depth. His pitches worked well against same-side batters as righties managed just a .239/.333/.324 line against him, but his lack of usable changeup led to lefties berating him to .353/.400/.627 line (think Josh Hamilton‘s AL MVP season of 2010). Garcia is another middle relief type, but he’s has to find a way to stay healthy, improve his fastball command, and develop something to use against lefties for him to be a realistic big league option.

The Rays have to be frustrated with the way Linsky’s 2012 went but know he still has considerable ability as a pitcher. (Credit: Flickr user BeGreen90)

Lenny Linsky, who will turn 23 in March, was the Rays’ 2nd round pick in 2011 and could have started off his professional career off any better, overpowering hitters at Short Season-A and Low-A to the tune of a 1.23 ERA and a 30-7 strikeout to walk ratio in 29.1 innings pitched. The Rays thought Linsky could continue pitching well in 2012, starting out the season in High-A before finishing the season in Double-A or maybe even Triple-A as he raced towards the big leagues, but instead a shoulder injury threw Linsky completely off, sidelining him until June and messing up his feel for his pitches even after he came back. In 18 games, Linsky went a decent 1-2 with a 3.07 ERA but managed just a 3.7 K/9, a 5.8 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 in 18 appearances, and ironically, the same 29.1 IP that he threw in 2011. He then went to the Arizona Fall League but continued to struggle, managing just a 5.56 ERA and a 7-7 strikeout to walk ratio in 9 appearances and 11.1 IP. Linsky, who has a good pitcher’s frame at 6’2″, 220, shows excellent stuff when he’s fully healthy, throwing a heavy sinker in the 92-94 MPH range that’s a nightmare for hitters to square up to go along with a sharp mid-80′s slider from the arm slot with devastating break. Linsky’s pitches were not nearly up to that caliber in 2012 as his sinker lost velocity and flattened out and his slider hanged up in the zone too often at times and even when it had its good movement, it looked nothing like a strike. 2012 was undoubtedly a lost season for Linsky and now the question is whether it will derail his career or be just a blip on the radar. The Rays will send Linsky back to Charlotte to begin 2012 and hope that he’ll be healthy and overpowering to begin the season and back on the fast-track to the big leagues before long.

Hard to sell A-ball relievers as all that exciting, but within a couple of years the Rays have a trio of pitchers who could be making big league hitters miserable in Rodriguez, Linsky, and Patterson, and Rodriguez and Linsky have the stuff to profile in the late innings if they can stay healthy. There’s always going to be risk involved, but the potential reward is evident and considering these pitchers are at High-A, their big league reliever could not be so far away.

Overall, the Stone Crabs were a horrific team in 2012, going just 55-79, but that was not a reflection of the caliber of players they had on their roster. Players like Enny Romero, Mikie Mahtook, the since-traded Derek Dietrich, Lucas Bailey, and Linsky are all talented but had their share of troubles this season between injuries and inconsistency. The Rays know that 2012 could have gotten better for the players who spent time with the Stone Crabs, but the ability remains in those players and they could be on the verge of figuring everything out and reaching their potential.

That’s it for our discussion of the Stone Crabs and we’ll continue next time with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. For more of our scouting reports on the Stone Crabs and the rest of the Rays organization, check out our Minor League Affiliates Analysis page here at RCG.

The Rays farm system had a rough day, going 2-5, including a sweep in a doubleheader on Sunday. However, there were positives, as Bruedlin Suero combined with three relievers on a 1-0 shutout. Here is your morning recap of yesterday’s action.

Toledo Mud Hens 4, Durham Bulls 3

The Bulls jumped out to an early lead, but the Toledo Mud Hens came right back, and scored a 4-3 victory Sunday night. Durham scored three times in the top of the first, as Stephen Vogt and Chris Gimenez each had RBI singles, and Brooks Conrad hit a sacrifice fly. The Mud Hens came right back with three of their own in the bottom of the inning, tying the game on Don Kelly‘s three run home run. Toledo pulled ahead in the bottom of the fourth, as Jerad Head doubled, plating Justin Henry for a 4-3 lead. The Bulls had a scoring opportunity in the top of the fifth, with Rich Thompson on third and one out, but were unable to cash in the runner. Toledo pitching then shut down the Bulls the rest of the way, as the Mud Hens won 4-3. Chris Archer picked up the loss, allowing 4 earned runs on 9 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5 in 6 innings of work. Thompson was 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base.

Montgomery Biscuits 5, Jackson Generals 2

The Generals jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, as they loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the first inning. After a fly out, Rich Poythress had a two run single, putting the Generals up 2-0. The Biscuits got one of the runs back in the bottom of the second, as Derek Dietrich singled, moved to third on Kyeong Kang‘s double, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brett Nommensen. Montgomery took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, as Mark Thomas tripled to lead off the inning. Shawn O’Malley singled, driving in Thomas to tie the game, and came around to score on Mikie Mahtook‘s two out, two run home run. The Biscuits tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth, as O’Malley singled again, and scored on a single by Omar Luna, providing the final run in the Biscuits’ 5-2 victory. Nick Barnese picked up the win, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3 over 6 innings of work. O’Malley and Kang each had 3 hits in the win.

Jupiter Hammerheads 5, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4 (Game One, 7 innings)

In the first game of a rain induced doubleheader, the Hamerheads and the Stone Crabs were tied at 1-1 through four innings. In the fifth, Jupiter took the lead as Marcell Ozuna hit a three run home run with one out, putting the Hammerheads up 4-1. Charlotte got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, as they loaded the bases with one out on a single, an error, and a hit batsman. Lucas Bailey hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Steven Tinoco to trim the lead to 4-2. Jupiter got the run back in the top of the seventh, as Christian Yelich doubled, and scored on Ozuna’s RBI single. The Stone Crabs rallied, scoring two runs in the bottom of the frame on Tinoco’s two out single, but the Hammerheads were able to hold on to the 5-4 victory. Albert Koronis took the loss, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and a walk over 3 innings. Tinoco went 4-4 with a run scored and 2 RBI in the loss.

Jupiter Hammerheads 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 1 (Game Two, 7 innings)

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Hammerheads jumped out to an early lead, and cruised to a 6-1 victory. Jupiter scored five times in the top of the second, highlighted by a two run double by Christian Yelich and a bases loaded walk for Mark Canha. Charlotte got one of the runs back in the bottom of the third, as Robbie Price tripled with two outs, and came around to score on Todd Glaesmann‘s double. The Hammerheads got the run back in the top of the sixth, as Blake Barber singled, moved to third on a single by Yelich, and scored on a sacrifice fly. Eliazer Suero was hammered in the loss, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 3 hits and 4 walks over 1.1 innings of work. Glaesmann was 1-3 with a double and an RBI in the loss.

West Michigan Whitecaps 3, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2

The Whitecaps used a two run third inning to take the lead, and held on to defeat the Bowling Green Hot Rods 3-2. The Hot Rods scored first, as Ryan Brett led off the game with a home run to put Bowling Green up 1-0. The Whitecaps got the run back in the bottom of the inning, as Chad Wright walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a two out single by Aaron Westlake. West Michigan took the lead in the bottom of the third, as Brandon Loy doubled with one out, and scored on a single by Eugenio Suarez. Suarez scored on an RBI double by Westlake, giving the Whitecaps a 3-1 lead. Bowling Green got a run back in the top of the eighth, as Juniel Querecuto scored on a double by Jeff Malm. With the bases loaded and one out, Nicholas Avila struck out Kes Carter and got Joshua Sale to pop out, ending the threat, as West Michigan held on for the win. Felipe Rivero took the loss, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk over 3 innings, striking out 2 batters. Westlake was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI in the defeat.

Lowell Spinners 5, Hudson Valley Renegades 2

The Spinners completed the sweep of the Renegades, handing them a 5-2 defeat on Sunday. Lowell loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first, and scored a run on a double play. The Renegades tied the game in the bottom of the second, as Jake DePew drove in Luke Maile with a two out single. Lowell loaded the bases again with none out in the top of the fifth, and scored another run on a double play. Deven Marrero singled, driving in Matthew Gedman to give the Spinners a 3-1 lead. The Renegades got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, as Richie Shaffer singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and came around to score on two groundouts. The Spinners scored again in the top of the eighth, as Dreily Guerrero hit a one out, two run double, giving Lowell a 5-2 victory. Sean Biermann took a tough loss, giving up 3 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 1 in 6 innings of work. DePew went 2-4 with an RBI in the defeat.

Princeton Rays 1, Greeneville Astros 0

Scoreless into the bottom of the fourth, the Rays scratched a run across, providing the final margin of victory. With one out, William Argo was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a single by Omar Navarez. The Rays threatened to put more runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh, with runners on second and third with two out. However, James Harris struck out, ending the threat. The one run was all that Rays starter Bruedlin Suero needed, as he and three relievers combined on a five hit shutout. Suero gave up 5 hits and struck out 2 in 6 innings of work, picking up his fourth victory. John Alexander was 2-3 with 2 stolen bases.

An extra inning loss and a walk off victory highlight today’s trip around the minors. Overall, the Rays farm system went 3-4 on the day.

Columbus Clippers 2, Durham Bulls 1 (10 innings)

After their rain shortened game last night, the Columbus Clippers and Durham Bulls played a low scoring extra inning affair, with the Clippers winning 2-1. Columbus jumped out to the lead in the top of the first inning, as Matt LaPorta‘s sacrifice fly drove in the first run of the game. The Bulls tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, as Cole Figueroa hit a two out single, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Henry Wrigley followed with a double, driving in Figueroa. Despite scoring chances for both sides, the game remained knotted at one until the top of the tenth inning. Aaron Cunningham led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advance to third on a fly ball. Jason Donald‘s RBI single plated Cunningham with the eventual winning run. Brandon Gomes took the loss in relief, allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits while striking out 3 in 2 innings of work. Rich Thompson was 3-5 in the loss.

Jacksonville Suns 4, Montgomery Biscuits 0 (8 innings)

The Suns capped off a sweep of their five game series with the Biscuits, shutting them out for the third time in their 4-0 victory. Jacksonville scored all their runs in the bottom of the second, highlighted by Chris Guiterrez’s two run, bases loaded double. Jose Alvarez dominated the Biscuits, allowing only 2 hits while striking out 5 in his 8 shutout innings. Nick Barnese bounced back after his rough second inning to pitch 6 innings, allowing 4 hits, 5 walks, and 3 hit batsmen while striking out 2. Donnie Webb was 0-1 with a run scored, an RBI, and 2 walks for Jacksonville.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 8, Bradenton Marauders 1

Two four run innings helped the Stone Crabs jump out to a lead, as they cruised by the Bradenton Marauders 8-1. Charlotte jumped on Bradenton starter Eliecer Navarro in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs, highlighted by Riccio Torrez‘s two run home run. The Stone Crabs scored another four runs in the bottom of the sixth, capped by a three run home run by Robi Estrada. The Marauders scored a run in the top of the ninth, however it was not enough as they lost 8-1. Eliazer Suero struggled with his control in the victory, giving up 1 hit while walking 6 in his 5.1 innings of work. Todd Glaesmann was 3-3 with 2 doubles, a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. Lucas Bailey contributed with 2 doubles.

Fort Wayne TinCaps 7, Bowling Green Hot Rods 3

Two errors by Ryan Brett helped the TinCaps jump out to an early 6-0 lead, as Fort Wayne held on for a 7-3 victory. The TinCaps struck in the bottom of the first, as Yeison Asencio hit a one out RBI single. Brett made his first error of the night in the bottom of the third, as his errant throw on an infield single allowed Travis Jankowski to advance to third. Jankowski scored on a Jace Peterson RBI single. Another Brett error factored into the scoring in the bottom of the fourth, as he misplayed a groundball. With two outs in the inning, an RBI single, a wild pitch advancing the runners, and a two run single led to a three run inning. The Hot Rods rallied in the top of the eighth, as Brett had an RBI double, and scored on Alejandro Segovia‘s two run home run. However, Matthew Stites shut the door in the top of the ninth, preserving the 7-3 win. Roberto Gomez took the loss, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts over 3 innings. Segovia and Jake Hager each had two hits for the Hot Rods.

Hudson Valley Renegades 7, Vermont Lake Monsters 5

The Renegades fell behind 5-0 early, but rallied to notch a 7-5 victory over the Lake Monsters. The Lake Monsters scored a run in the top of the second, as John Wooten struck out, but reached first on a wild pitch. Wooten scored on back to back one out singles, giving Vermont an early 1-0 lead. Miguel Marte hit a two run double in the third, and Addison Russell and Bert Vertigan had run scoring singles in the fourth as the Lake Monsters jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Renegades came back in the bottom of the fifth, using three consecutive bases loaded singles to cut the lead to 5-4. Hudson Valley tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Deshun Dixon led off the inning with a triple, and scored the tying run on Michael William’s base hit. Luke Maile hit a two run triple with two outs, giving the Renegades their first lead of the game. Dylan Floro picked up the victory with 2 perfect innings, striking out 4 batters. Williams was 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI in the win.

Princeton Rays 4, Bluefield Blue Jays 3

After squandering an early 3-0 lead, the Princeton Rays scored a walk off 4-3 victory over the Bluefield Blue Jays. The Rays jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as Brandon Martin led off the bottom of the first with a double, and scored on Reid Redman‘s RBI single. Princeton added to the lead in the fourth, as John Alexander hit a two run home run, giving the Rays a 3-0 lead. The Blue Jays came back in the top of the seventh, as Matthew Dean had an RBI single, and came around to score on a two run triple by Jorge Vega-Rosado. The score remained tied until the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Ariel Soriano walked and stole second. Following a groundout to short, Brandon Martin hit a game winning single to center, driving in Soriano and giving the Rays a 4-3 victory. Zack Butler picked up the victory in relief, allowing 2 hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. Martin was 2-5 with a double and an RBI.

GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 2

The Rays jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but fell as the Twins rallied back for a 4-2 victory. The Rays took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second on Ryan McChesney‘s RBI fielder’s choice. They expanded the lead as Yoel Araujo scored on a double play, taking a 2-0 advantage. The Twins came back in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with one out. After a run scored on a wild pitch, John Murphy hit a two run single to give the Twins the lead 3-2. Murphy came around to score on a double by Bryan Santy. Kyle Pelchy took the loss in relief, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in 1.1 innings of work. Jiminson Natera went 2-4 with a double and a run scored.