Triple-A International League: Syracuse Chiefs (WSN) 3, Durham Bulls 2

This game was too similar to the Rays game for comfort. Alex Torres was dominant, going 6 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 7 while walking 2. His groundout to flyout ratio was an incredible 10-2. Torres is just rolling right now, and the Rays have to call him up in a bullpen role. He departed with a 2-0 lead, but of course his performance went for nought as the Bulls bullpen collapsed. Frank De Los Santos failed to record an out allowing 3 hits including a 2-run home run by 9th hitter Chris Rahl, and a single and an error with Will Inman in the game allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate. Shelley Duncan went 3 for 4 with a double and Leslie Anderson slammed a 2-run home run in the loss for Durham.

Double-A Southern League: Mississippi Braves 19, Montgomery Biscuits 2

This is what the Rays game felt like. A bunch of pitchers got shelled–they don’t deserve the embarrassment of having their names mentioned–but Kyeong Kang did go 2 for 4 with a double. Yay.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 5, Brevard County Manatees 3

The Rays have been waiting all season for Parker Markel to finally get going. On Tuesday night, it finally happened. Markel tossed 5 perfect innings before finishing his outing on a sour note as he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits in the 6th, but overall he was still much improved, going 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1 and managing an 8-2 groundout to flyout ratio. Shay Crawford and Austin Hubbard followed with shutout ball, and Hubbard especially impressed as he nailed down the save, allowing just a walk while striking out 5 in 2.1 hitless innings. On offense, Kes Carter was moved up to the leadoff spot in a Joe Maddon-esque attempt to break him out of his early-season slump and it worked perfectly as he went 2 for 5 with a triple, a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored, Willie Argo went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, 2 stolen bases, an RBI, and a run scored, Jeff Malm went 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, and 2 RBI, and Richie Shaffer went 2 for 5 with a run scored. Shaffer is hitting .313 (10 for 32) in his last 8 games as he is suddenly coming alive after his rough start to the year. Outstanding all-around effort by the Stone Crabs–had to be able to say that about someone, right?

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 1

Who could possibly care about the no-hitter? Kirby Yates was in serious trouble, holding a 2-0 lead with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out after a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt. The game was in serious jeopardy and what had been a magical night through and through was about to come crashing down. Then Brandon Snyder hit a flyball to deep left-center.

Rich Thompson went back to the track and made an over-the-shoulder catch for the out, allowing a run to score but putting the Bulls just 1 out away from victory. Lefty Beliveau came into the game to face Jeremy Hazelbaker, and Beliveau struck him out to end it, and the Bulls had done it, no-hitting the Red Sox in a 2-1 victory.

Jake Odorizzi started for the Bulls and quickly set the tone for his outing in the frist two inning, retiring all six batters in order but five of the six on balls in the air. Meanwhile, the Bulls took advantage of defensive miscues against knuckleballer Stephen Wright and Pawtucket, scoring on a two walks, a wild pitch, and a Brandon Snyder error all with two outs in the first inning before two singles, a swinging bunt, and a passed ball netted them a second run in the second inning. Odorizzi’s perfect game bid ended in the 3rd on a walk to Jeremy Hazelbaker, but he was caught stealing and Odorizzi retired the next two batters in order. Odorizzi retired 7 in a row from the 3rd to the 5th before Snyder drew a 2-out walk in the 5th, but Odorizzi got Hazelbaker to line out to end that frame. Then after a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th, Odorizzi allowed two 1-out walks in the 7th, but got a strikeout of Ryan Dent and a Snyder flyout to escape the jam with the no-hitter intact. Odorizzi went 7 innings allowing no runs on, of course, no hits, striking out just 3 while walking 4. Odorizzi’s groundout to flyout ratio was just 3-8 and his groundout to airout ratio was only 3-14, but Odorizzi had his fastball and all of his other pitches moving superbly and hitters couldn’t hit anything with authority.  Odorizzi talked to MiLB.com about his outing after the game.

“The approach was the same as every game,” Odorizzi said. “I was just throwing the fastball and mixing in my other stuff, trying to keep guys off-balanced.

“That’s basically what we did today. I left some stuff up today, and the one or two times they hit balls decent, they were right at guys. It was one of those days when everything was going right.”

Odorizzi is certainly a pitcher capable of striking batters out–he entered the game with a 36-9 strikeout to walk ratio in 27 innings and his 39 strikeouts lead the International League–but it took an outing where his stuff was moving so well that not even he knew where it was going for him to no-hit the opposition. Just 55 of his 95 pitches were strikes, but he was certainly effectively wild on his way to a fabulous outing.

Frank De Los Santos replaced Odorizzi in the 8th but got into trouble, walking a couple batters to set up a 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs jam, but Yates came in to strike out Jonathan Diaz to end the frame. Then in the 9th, Yates walked a pair of hitters and let up Snyder’s sac fly with 2 outs, but Jeff Beliveau struck out Hazelbaker to end it as the Bulls won 2-1, no-hitting Pawtucket. Bulls pitching struck out just 6 while walking 8, but they overcame their wildness to deliver a marvelous game. The no-hitter was the first for Durham since Jason Hammel and Juan Salas combined on one on 7/16/06, the first time Pawtucket had been no-hit since all the way back in 1994 at the hands of Jose Lima, and the second that Odorizzi had been a part of, with the first being a dominant 10-strikeout, 8 inning effort at Low-A Wisconsin in the Brewers organization. The Bulls did also have somewhat offense in this one, with Wil Myers going 1 for 3 with a double and a walk and Mike Fontenot going 1 for 3 with 2 walks. It got scary at the end and the Bulls were lucky to score even a single run at the beginning before Pawtucket pitching shut them out the rest of the game–reliever Graham Godfrey has to get credit for tossing 5 shutout innings in relief of the starter Wright–but it somehow all came together. It was far from a perfect performance for the Bulls at McCoy Stadium on Sunday afternoon, but the Bulls were able to make it a special one nonetheless.

Sorry, but it’s all downhill from here. Rays minor league affiliates didn’t even win another game.

Double-A Southern League: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (CIN) 8, Montgomery Biscuits 2

Victor Mateo, who had tossed the last complete-game no-hitter in the Rays organization has seen on 7/16/11, got shelled in this one as the Biscuits lost 8-2. Mateo lasted just 3 innings allowing 7 runs on 8 hits, and the Biscuits bullpen’s effort of five 1-run innings went completely for nought as the Biscuits offense got next to nothing. Shawn O’Malley did have a great game, going 2 for 2 with a solo home run, a walk, a stolen base, and both runs scored. Mikie Mahtook drove him for the first time in the game with a single as part of a 1 for 3 day. C.J. Riefenhauser lowered his ERA on the season to just 0.46 as he worked around a hit and a walk to toss a scoreless 7th. He has struck out 17 while walking just 4 in 19.2 innings as he has been utterly unhittable, and if he pitches remotely as well as this for much longer, you have to think a promotion to Triple-A will be oncoming.

High-A Florida State League: Brevard County Manatees (MIL) 10, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2

What, does the no-hitter have to be canceled out by horrific pitching elsewhere in the organization? Roberto Gomez allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in 4 innings before Eliazer Suero allowed 5 more runs on 7 hits in 2 innings as this game got out-of-hand in a hurry. Alejandro Segovia did get Charlotte on the board with a 2-run homer in the 7th, and there were a few other highlights for the Stone Crabs. Jeff Malm followed up a 2-homer day on Saturday with 2 hits and a stolen base on Sunday and Willie Argo played very well in his season debut, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. Argo stole 17 bases to go along with a .289/.390/.396 line in 69 games between Rookie Princeton and Low-A Bowling Green last season. Some injury must have sidelined Argo up until now, but hopefully he can begin making up for lost time. The fact that the Rays are assigning him to Charlotte right off the bat has to be a good sign.

Low-A Bowling Green: Clinton LumberKings (SEA) 5, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2

Not even Taylor Guerrieri could save the Hot Rods in this one as the Hot Rods blew an early 1-0 lead allowing 2 runs in the 5th and 3 more in the 6th. Guerrieri started for Bowling Green and got hit around a little bit, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings, striking out 4 while walking none and managing a 7-0 groundout to flyout ratio. Jabari Henry homered off Guerrieri in the 5th, a 2-run shot, to end his outing on a downer. Then Jose Molina came in for the Hot Rods and allowed three two-out hits in the 6th to place three runs and puts the Hot Rods down 5-2. Molina allowed only an error in the last two innings, but by then it was too late. A major issue in the low minors is infield defense, and Hot Rods pitching actually forced 19 groundballs in this game, but only 13 were converted into outs, giving Clinton additional opportunities that they were able to take advantage of. Pretty amazing that the Hot Rods forced a 13-1 groundout to flyout ratio with 3 double plays and still got hit around as much as they did, but that can certainly happen at Low-A. Luke Maile went 2 for 4 with a run scored in the loss for Bowling Green while Marty Gantt went 1 for 4 with a stolen base and an RBI. Maile is 12 for 25 (.480) with 2 homers, a double, and 5 RBI in his last six games. Further bad news in this one, though, for Bowling Green was that Andrew Toles left this game after 8 innings. Hopefully he’s not injured.

Left Fielders

When you’re talking about pure upside, James Harris might be up their with anyone. But the chances he ever gets there seem to be getter smaller and smaller. Harris, who turned 19 in August, was the Rays’ final first round pick out of the 10 they had in 2011 at 60th overall in the draft. But he has a glaring critical flaw that will continue to hinder him unless it is fixed as quickly as possible. Harris can’t hit. This season, in 58 games and 196 plate appearances for the P-Rays, Harris posted a .182/.284/.282 line with 6 doubles, 4 triples, 1 homer, 16 RBI, 6 of 14 in stolen base attempts, and 38 strikeouts versus 22 walks. Harris’ plate discipline is good and he has great speed even if he can’t tap into it on the basepaths yet. All of his issues lie in his swing. It gets too long and Harris cannot find ways to get the ball on the barrel. According to Minor League Central, his .282 slugging percentage was lowest in the Appalachian League minimum 180 plate appearances, his .557 OPS is second-worst, and his 9.4% line drive rate is 7th from the bottom. And Harris actually has some raw power! He was able to make a halfway-decent amount of contact, but he hit so many balls into play weakly, especially in the air in the form of pop-ups. Harris needs to start from scratch with his swing and find some way to get it more compact. With his power completely useless at this point, Harris’ best play may just be to put the ball in play on the ground and work on his bunting game to help him get on base and hit for a decent average. Defensively, Harris has great speed that he uses well in the outfield, although he played primarily left field in 2012 in deference to Andrew Toles (who we’ll see in just a minute). Harris simply can’t get his feet off the ground as a prospect as his hitting ability has showed no improvement at all and the Rays have to hope he can figure something out.

Ismel Antunez, 21, is a little 5’7″, 166 tap hitter with great speed and some good defensive skills. In 2012, Antunez posted a .254/.354/.310 line with 4 doubles, 5 RBI, 8 of 11 stolen bases, and 22 strikeouts against 7 walks. He’s basically a groundball hitter but beats out a lot of balls with his great speed. Bizarrely, he doesn’t know how to bunt yet, but expect that to be rectified as soon as possible. His plate discipline is really lacking and that will have to improve because he’s going to need to get everything he possibly can out of himself at the plate to continue moving up the ranks as a pro. Defensively, Antunez moves very well and actually has a good arm. Antunez is a little old for the level and has fourth outfielder upside, but he has some ability and the Rays like his hustle.

Another high pick from 2011, 2nd rounder Granden Goetzman, was excellent for the P-Rays but played in just 12 games because of an injury. The 19 year old Goetzman, who is 6’4″, 200 posted a .298/.346/.468 line with 5 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBI, 7 of 8 stolen bases, and 7 strikeouts versus 4 walks but in just 52 plate appearances. The Rays are very excited to see what Goetzman can do moving forward, but he has to stay healthy. Goetzman draws comparisons to Jayson Werth for his size (Werth is 6’5″, 225), power potential, and speed. Goetzman shows outstanding bat speed and makes a lot of contact with a good portion coming on the barrel. He has good strength and if he can develop better lift in his swing, he has a chance to be a 30 homer threat someday. He is overaggressive at this point, but he does have good pitch recognition skills and can lay off of breaking balls. Goetzman runs very well for his size and is a 20-steal threat a la Werth and his speed also gives him good range in the outfield, where he has a chance to handle centerfield but profiles best in right field. Goetzman played exclusively left field during his brief time in Princeton deferring to Andrew Toles and Willie Argo. Goetzman has a ton of potential, but the Rays need him to stay healthy and continue to make progress to give him a shot to live up to his high upside.

The Rays have to love just about everything they have seen from their 2012 third rounder Toles. (Credit: Matt Rice, Wicked Local)

Centerfielders

Finally get to our first 2012 draft pick in a while, 3rd rounder Andrew Toles. Toles, 20, is a smaller player listed at 5’10″, 185 but he has big-time ability that he showcased in his pro debut. In 51 games and 214 plate appearances for Princeton, Toles posted a .281/.327/.482 line with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, 33 RBI, 14 of 19 stolen bases, and 36 strikeouts versus 12 walks. Toles has 5-tool potential, and the Rays think he has a real chance to get there. Toles stands out first and foremost for his blazing speed that serves him well on the bases and in centerfield, and he also shows good bat speed at the plate with above-average power potential, especially for a centerfielder. What’s holding back Toles as a hitter right now is sub-par plate discipline and some struggles with pitch recognition, but even with those problems he still has a great season. Between his bat speed and regular speed, Toles has a chance to be a .300 hitter but he’s going to have to get his plate discipline up to par because even his speed won’t offset too much weak contact. Toles also needs to work a little bit on utilizing his speed in games as he could use polish at reading pitchers and doesn’t bunt at all at this point, something he will need to learn to do to help him get on base at a higher clip. Defensively, Toles glides in centerfield and has a good but a little inaccurate centerfielder’s arm, something he’ll also have to work on. Toles gave the Rays a good showing in his debut as a professional and the Rays can’t get enough of his abilities.

Argo really stands out defensively in the outfield and the Rays think his bat could make an impact as well. (Credit: University of Illinois)

Right Fielders

Drafted 19 rounds after Toles in this year’s draft, Willie Argo, even though he will turn 23 in October, is a very interesting prospect in his own right. Argo, who is 6’1″, 220, was playing against younger competition as a member of the P-Rays and tore up the competition as expected, posting a .301/.404/.411 line with 15 doubles, 2 homers, 24 RBI, 17 of 23 stolen bases, and 49 strikeouts versus 31 walks in 64 games and 252 plate appearances before finishing the season with 5 games at Low-A Bowling Green. Defensively, Argo played almost exclusively in right field, at least partially because of Toles, but really impressed, notching 8 outfield assists. Argo may have been the Rays’ most interesting pick in this year’s draft. He stands out most for his speed as he’s a very good basestealer and shows excellent range in the outfield, and he also has a plus arm. The interesting thing with him is his pure hitting ability and power. Argo has dealt with wrist injuries the past couple of years that sapped his once-promising power potential. In exchange for that power potential, his swing gets long at times and he could be a high-strikeout player moving forward. But he has good plate discipline and hits the ball hard when he connects. The question for him is whether the real power will ever come back. If not, he’s an Elliot Johnson-type offensive player in the outfield at best, striking out way too much while not hitting for much power. Argo is a player to watch as we see whether his power ever shows up again, but at worst he has a chance to be a speedy fourth outfielder type who does a lot of things well. The Rays think they may found a steal getting Argo in the 22nd round of the 2012 Draft, and he did nothing to disprove that theory in his pro debut.

The P-Rays outfielders were a very interesting group as they had as much upside as any group of players you’ll see and Toles, Goetzman, and potentially almost everyone has a chance to end up as a top prospect if things fall the Rays’ way. We’ll continue with the Princeton Rays’ pitchers tomorrow.

Part 1 of this series is here while Part 2 is here.