Jesse Hahn, 23, was the Rays’ 6th round back in 2010 out of Virginia Tech but did not make his professional debut until 2012 after signing late for $525,000 (second round money) and then undergoing Tommy John Surgery. He proved to be well worth the wait. Hahn went 2-2 for the Renegades with a 2.77 ERA, a 9.5 K/9, a 2.6 BB/9, and a 0.0 HR/9 in 14 starts and 52 IP. But the most impressive statistic of all, courtesy of Minor League Central, is that Hahn’s groundball rate was an outstanding 60%, third in the New York-Penn League minimum 50 innings pitched. Hahn, a 6’5″, 182 right-hander throws a fastball in the low-90′s that touches 95 MPH with heavy late sink, generating all those groundballs. His control of his fastball is good and he commands it especially well down in the zone. His secondary pitches are a couple of different breaking balls and a changeup. Hahn throws two curveballs, a big-breaking one in the mid-70′s and a harder one with sharp 11-to-5 break that stays in the low-80′s. He throws both out of the same arm slot as his fastball and both, especially the harder one, flash plus. He controls the slow breaking ball better right now while occasionally struggling making the harder one look like a strike to force swings-and-misses. Hahn’s changeup has its moments with good arm action and nice late sink, but he has been unable to locate it with any consistency. Hahn is off to a late start to his career as he’ll turn 24 in July of next year, but between his outstanding fastball and the promise of his secondary pitches, his upside remains considerable. The Rays will send him to full season ball in 2013 and hope he can start making up for the lost time in a hurry.

Matthew Spann, 21, was the Rays’ 25th round pick in 2010 and the lefty had an interesting 2012 with the Renegades, going 5-5 with a 3.48 ERA, a 4.8 K/9, a 3.5 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 in 14 starts, 2 relief appearances, and 72.2 innings. His groundball rate was 45.5%, a tick below the league average. Spann’s season was not all that great, but his potential is right up there with anyone we’ll talk about today. The reason: Spann is 6’7″ but just 185 pounds with plenty of projection remaining. Currently, Spann’s stuff isn’t all that impressive, but he shows intriguing flashes of ability. Spann’s fastball sits in the high-80′s, topping out at 90 MPH, and Spann doesn’t get as great a downward angle as he should right now, but it features great late bite in towards right-handed batters leading to plenty of weak contact, although a lot of it was in the air. Spann does have problems with command, leaving his fastball up in the zone too often as well. Spann also throws three different secondary pitches, a changeup, a curveball, and a cutter. His changeup shows nice sink out of the arm slot of his fastball, and that’s a swing-and-miss pitch for him when he can make it look like a strike, which is not often enough at this point. His curveball features nasty 1-to-7 action at its best but no consistency either. And his cutter in the mid-80′s shows sharp late break, but same story, he can’t dream of getting it called for a called strike on a regular basis. Spann shows flashes and it’s nice how he can survive even knowing that his fastball is the only offering he can always rely on, and the Rays hope that he can add velocity on his fastball and continue to improve his secondary pitches as he moves up through the minor leagues. Spann will be a project, but the potential reward is definitely be worth it.

Jeff Ames, 21, was one of the Rays’ many supplemental first round picks in the 2011 MLB Draft and had an outstanding season in 2012 his first extended minor league time, going 6-1 with a 1.96 ERA, a 9.8 K/9, a 2.8 BB/9, and a 0.1 HR/9 in 13 starts, 1 relief appearance, and 64.1 IP. An alarming thing is that his groundball rate was just 30.4%. Ames, a filled-out 6’4″, 225, features a tantalizing three-pitch arsenal but a lot of reasons for serious concern. Ames can ratchet his fastball up to 96 MPH from a deceptive delivery, but he can’t control his fastball with any consistency at that velocity and usually sits in the low-90′s. Ames’ fastball features good sink and armside run when he’s able to get on top of it, but he has trouble finding a stable arm slot and leaves his fastball up in the zone too often. His changeup shows great arm action and simply disappears at the end with great downward movement, but it also flattens out when he loses his arm slot and he has trouble commanding it as well. Same story with his slider, which features devastating break at his best but gets slurvy at times. My favorite thing from when I saw Ames was when his slider got slurvy and the hitter let it go by for a called strike with this look on his face saying “what the heck was that?” Ames features a significant crossfire in his delivery, putting a little too much stress on his arm, but, more pertinently for right now, causes his arm slot to fluctuate, completely throwing off his control and command. Ames flashes three plus pitches but the inconsistency to drive you insane. A future in the bullpen seems most likely for Ames, especially given the stress his delivery puts on his arm, but if he can continue working on getting a uniform arm slot and locating his pitches, he has number two starter upside.

Guerrieri delivered exactly the type of dominance the Rays hoped to see from him in his pro debut. (Credit: Times Herald-Record)

Right-hander Taylor Guerrieri was the youngest player on the 2012 Renegades at just 19 years old, but he was also the very best they had to offer. The Rays’ first pick in the 2011 MLB Draft at 24th overall, Guerrieri dominated as expected in his pro debut for the Renegades, going just 1-2 as he got criminally low run support, but posting a ridiculous 1.04 ERA, a 7.8 K/9, a microscopic 0.9 BB/9, and a 0.0 HR/9 in 12 starts and 52 innings pitched. His groundball rate was an impressive 59.7%, right behind Hahn at 4th in the New York-Penn League minimum 50 IP. Guerrieri, who is 6’3″ and 195 pounds, overpowered hitters with a mid-90′s fastball with outstanding sink that he commands and controls exquisitely, especially for a pitcher so young. The rest of his arsenal still needs work. He throws a tight 11-5 curveball with sharp break, and he controls it pretty well but needs work at burying it down in the zone for swings-and-misses. He also throws a changeup and a cutter, both of which show flashes but are still pretty raw. When your biggest problem is that you’re throwing too many strikes, you’re doing pretty well. Guerrieri shows two plus pitches, including a plus-plus offering in his fastball, with two more still developing, and he has clear ace potential. The Rays are ecstatic about Guerrieri’s potential, and he very well may be the best prospect in their organization.

We’ll close with left-hander Sean Bierman, who breaks the mold of all these upside pitchers but may have the best chance of anyone as making the major leagues. Bierman, the only 2012 pick on the Renegades’ starting staff after the Rays selected him in the 10th round, was the rotation’s elder statesman, turning 24 years old a couple weeks ago. He pitched well for the Renegades, going 4-2 with a 2.75 ERA, a 6.2 K/9, a 0.9 BB/9, and a 0.2 HR/9 in 11 starts and 52.2 IP before getting called up to Low-A Bowling Green for a pair of starts, one a strong performance and the other a disaster. His groundball rate was a great 59.3% between the two levels. Bierman, just 6’0″ and 195 pounds, doesn’t feature nearly the stuff of these other four guys but has easily the most polish. Bierman’s fastball hits just the high-80′s after he underwent Tommy John Surgery a couple years ago, but it features great sink and he locates it very well down in the zone to force groundballs albeit while not missing many bats. His secondary pitches are a changeup and a 1-to-7 breaking ball, with the changeup being his best swing-and-miss pitch thanks to great arm action and good late sink and his curveball being a pitch he controls well but uses more for groundballs than whiffs. Bierman’s upside is a number four starter, especially considering his advanced age for a prospect with only two games at full-season ball, but he has a chance to move quickly in that role and make a big league impact before long.

The Hudson Valley Renegades featured arguably the most exciting five-man rotation in the Rays’ minor league system and the Rays can’t wait to see what these five guys can do as they move forward in their minor league careers. We’ll continue breaking down the Renegades’ pitching staff next time.

For the rest of our analysis on the Renegades and the Rays’ minor league system, check out our Minor League Affiliates Analysis page here at RCG.

Thank you #mlb for giving us a day off because it was my birthday…5 inches on each side of the plate tomorrow would be great!! Thanks

— David Price (@DAVIDprice14) August 26, 2012

“I’ll definitely be older. Hopefully I’ll be a little wiser. I don’t know about the maturity level; that’s probably always going to stay pretty low. It’s all about having fun — that’s what we do.”

My birthday is actually lasting 25 hours today since we moved time zones!! I like this…taking that much longer till i’m 28 this way!!

— David Price (@DAVIDprice14) August 27, 2012

Happy Birthday to Price and good luck to him starting today in Texas.

In Jeff Passan’s 25 Things You Didn’t Know About Baseball, Price got a mention as the pitcher with the best fastball in baseball this season. Other Rays mentions were

• Fernando Rodney‘s 0.77 ERA on the season is currently the third best in baseball history behind Rob Murphy’s 1986 and Dennis Eckersley’s 1990. If Rodney managed to toss shutout ball the rest of the season over at least 14 innings pitched, he would have the record. Wow.
• James Shields got two mentions: 1) as the pitcher with the worst cutter in baseball and 2) as the pitcher who uses his changeup the most. Those are just something to laugh about now that Shields has finally gotten his season on track in his last several starts.
• And speaking of cutters, Sean Rodriguez is the worst hitter in baseball against them. Sorry, Sean.

Topkin also reported at the link above that Jeff Niemann is fine after getting hit by a liner in his right, pitching hand during his last rehab start and the Rays are weighing how they will use their starting pitchers the rest of the season. With Niemann back, the Rays will have 6 starting pitchers and we’ll have to see exactly how they utilize them. The Rays’ starters have been adamant about not wanting to go into a full-fledged 6-man rotation in the past and it would be strange for the Rays to take away starts from a group of 5 starters who have all thrown the ball well of late.

A could of Rays’ pitching prospects got write-ups, lefty Matthew Spann in the Times Herald-Record, and right-hander Jesse Hahn on MiLB.com. Both are members of the Short Season-A Hudson Valley Renegades. Nice to see that and here are some of the highlights.

Spann:

“I pretty much told my parents that I liked school and everything, but it’s once in a lifetime here and I didn’t feel like going to college and end up getting hurt or something and not get this opportunity to play.”

“The biggest thing is about keeping my alignment. In high school I was really bad about throwing over my body. Getting here and going through extended (spring training), I’ve learned more about alignment stuff. That’s a big part of my game. If I get off, I start throwing wild, so that’s a big part of it.

“It’s been a blast. All this chemistry around this team has helped us all settle in. We go home, sleep, come back here and we’re like a big old family. The coaches act like moms and dads and they keep us in line, but they’re just having fun with us. I feel like that’s why we’re having a great season.”

“I go by Matthew, which is my original name. In Princeton, I don’t know what happened. (He laughs.) Somebody ended up calling me Matt and it’s gone on my whole career now.”

Hahn:

“I feel like my fastball is back up to where it was before (the surgery). It feels really good. My (fastball) command is there, and I can bump it up with two strikes if I need to.”

“Everyone’s excited to get to the playoffs and get a shot at a championship. This team has some great chemistry.”

For more on Spann and Hahn, you can check out what we wrote about them here at RCG here and here.

A number of close games highlight the action around the minor leagues tonight. The Princeton Rays and Johnson City Cardinals faced off in a doubleheader as well. Here is this morning’s look at the action Friday night around the farm system:

Columbus Clippers 4, Durham Bulls 3

The Clippers used a two out home run in the bottom of the fifth by Juan Diaz to snap a scoreless tie, taking a 2-0 lead over the Bulls. Durham came back in the top of the sixth, as Tim Beckham led off the inning with a solo home run, and tied the game on a run scoring double by Leslie Anderson. The Bulls had the bases loaded with one out in the inning, but Matt Langwell struck out Reid Brignac and Cole Figueroa to end the threat. Durham took the lead in the top of the seventh, as Brooks Conrad‘s two out base hit drove in Chris Gimenez, giving the Bulls a 3-2 lead. However, the Clippers rallied in the bottom of the eighth, as Cord Phelps and Russ Canzler hit back to back home runs, giving the Clippers the eventual 4-3 victory. Brandon Gomes took the loss, giving up 2 earned runs on 2 hits in his inning of work. Conrad and Anderson both had two hits in the defeat.

Huntsville Stars 9, Montgomery Biscuits 8

The Stars jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a run scoring throwing error by Nick Barnese, and a two run, bases loaded double by Hunter Morris. Barnese was knocked from the game after the 6 run barrage, having not recorded a single out. The Biscuits got two runs back in the top of the fourth, scoring on a hit batsman and a walk with the bases loaded. Montgomery batted around in the fifth, scoring six times, highlighted by a two run single from Brett Nommensen and Kyeong Kang‘s RBI double. Huntsville got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, as Brock Kjeldgaard led off the inning with a home run. The Stars took the lead with two out in the bottom of the eighth, as T. J. Mittelstaedt hit a two run single. The Biscuits attempted to rally in the top of the ninth, putting runners on first and second with no outs, but were unable to push a run across. Marquis Fleming took the loss, giving up a run on a hit and a walk in his inning of work. Kang was 3-5 with 2 runs scored, a double, and an RBI.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 6, St. Lucie Mets 5

The Mets put a quick run on the board, as Alonzo Harris singled to lead off the top of the first, stole second, and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Muno. The Stone Crabs tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, as Luke Scott led off the inning with a home run, knotting the game at 1-1. The Mets took the lead again in the top of the fifth, as Cory Vaughn hit a two run double, and came around to score on Aderlin Rodriguez‘s single. The Rays and Mets swapped runs over the next inning, giving the Mets a 5-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Charlotte then exploded int he bottom of the seventh, as Luke Scott hit a two run single with the bases loaded, putting the Stone Crabs within one. Todd Glaesmann, who homered in the sixth, double to tie the game. Scott then scored the game winning run on Cody Rogers‘ base hit. Alex Koronis picked up the victory in relief, giving up 1 run on 3hits and a walk over 2 innings, striking out 3 batters. Scott and Glaesmann each finished 2-4 with a home run.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 2, Great Lakes Loons 1

The Hot Rods jumped out to a quick lead, as Ryan Brett doubled, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly to give Bowling Green a 1-0 lead just two batters into the game. The Loons tied the game in the bottom of the third, as James Baldwin singled, stole second, and scored on a groundout. Hot Rods’ starter Jake Floethe left while warming up in the bottom of the fourth, due to an apparent injury. The Bowling Green bullpen, however, was up to the task, shutting down the Loons the rest of the way. The Hot Rods got another run in the top of the fifth, when Juniel Querecuto doubled, and advanced to third on an error by Nick Akins. Querecuto then scored on a base hit by Tyler Goeddel. The Bowling Green bullpen pitched six innings, giving up two hits and three walks. Justin Woodall picked up the victory, pitching 2 hitless innings, walking 2 and striking out 3 Loons. Brett was 1-3 with a double, a stolen base, a run scored, and 2 walks.

Connecticut Tigers 5, Hudson Valley Renegades 3

After falling behind 1-0 after the first inning, the renegades came back, scoring a run as Ryan Dunn singled, went to second on a passed ball, stole third, and scored on a Jake DePew single to tie the game at 1-1. Hudson Valley took the lead in the top of the fifth, as Joey Rickard doubled, scoring DePew, and came around to score on a base hit by Richie Shaffer. The Tigers loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, and scored a run with a two out bases loaded walk. Jordan Dean singled, the ball glancing off of Luke Maile‘s glove, driving in two and giving the Tigers a 4-3 lead. Connecticut tacked on an insurance run in the eighth, coming back for a 5-3 win. Matthew Spann took the loss, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3 in 5.2 innings. Three Renegades had two hits each in the loss.

Johnson City Cardinals 10, Princeton Rays 9 (7 innings)

In the first game of the double header, the Rays jumped out on the Cardinals. The Rays scored a run in the top of the second, then put another three runs on the board in the third, highlighted by Reid Redman‘s RBI double and a run scoring single from Andrew Toles. Princeton scored four more runs in the top of the fourth, on two runs home runs from Brandon Martin and Toles, taking an 8-0 lead midway through the fourth inning. The Cardinals got three runs back in the bottom of the inning, as Jeremy Schaffer, Gerwuins Velazco, and Ronard Castillo each had RBI doubles. Both teams swapped runs in the sixth, giving the Rays a 9-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. However, the Cardinals came all the way back, scoring six times in a wild inning. Two errors and a wild pitch contributed to the baserunners, and the scoring was highlighted by a two run bases loaded double by Carson Kelly. With the game tied and the bases loaded with two out, a passed ball allowed Bruce Caldwell to score from third, giving the Cardinals the 10-9 victory. Jonathan Weaver picked up the loss, giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits without recording an out. Andrew Toles and William Argo each had three hits in the defeat.

Johnson City Cardinals 8, Princeton Rays 4 (7 innings)

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Rays again started quickly, scoring three times in the top of the first. Andrew Toles had an RBI double, moved to third on the throw home, and scored on a throwing error. The Cardinals came back in the bottom of the inning, as Bruce Caldwell hit a bases loaded single, driving in two runs. Toles scored again in the top of the third, this time on a Omar Narvaez sacrifice fly, giving the Rays a 4-2 lead. As in the previous game, the Cardinals came back, scoring a run in the fourth as Trevor Martin hit a solo home run. Johnson City then put three more runs up in the fifth, highlighted by an RBI double by Michael Knox. Knox scored on an attempted stolen base by Trevor Martin. The Cardinals scored twice more in the sixth, as Bruce Caldwell hit a two run double, providing the final margin in the 8-4 victory. Hugo Duarte took the loss, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits in his inning of work, while registering 3 strikeouts. Toles, William Argo, and Chad Nacapoy each had two hits in the defeat.

GCL Rays 6, GCL Orioles 1

The Rays broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on Bralin Jackson‘s two out, bases loaded triple. The Rays tacked on single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, opening up a comfortable 6-0 lead. The Orioles got a run back in the top of the eighth, as Adrian Marin hit a two out RBI single to score Andres Aguilar. However, it was too little, too late, as the Rays won 6-1. Isaac Gil picked up the victory, pitching 5 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 batters. Jackson was 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBIs, and Armando Araiza went 1-3 with an RBI, a walk, and 2 runs scored.