Rays Notes: Scott Injury, Draft Signings

This is getting ridiculous. No- it already is. We learned on Wednesday that Luke Scott has missed the past few days with back stiffness and it remains to be seen how long he’ll be out. Wow. The injury bug has struck with the Rays all this year. The Rays need all the offense they can get, and all these injuries are certainly adding up.

Good news is that the Rays continue to get their draft picks signed, now signing 25 of their 40 picks. The two they signed on Wednesday were notable ones: a couple of high school players in 4th rounder Nolan Gannon and 11th rounder Clayton Henning. Gannon is a projectable right-handed pitcher with excellent upside who needs a ton of refinement. He shows a fastball that touches 92 MPH with nice sink and flashes plus with a curveball, but he needs a ton of work. Historically, the Rays have gotten several 4th round pitcher steals: Jeremy Hellickson, Wade Davis, and Alex Cobb. The Rays hope Gannon can join that list. Full scouting report on him here. Henning is a speedy outfielder with outstanding raw tools, but he’ll be a project. He is a ridiculous athlete and we’ll have to see how that translates into performance as a pro. The report on Henning is here. The Rays still have to work on deals for their picks in the first three rounds of the draft, third baseman Richie Shaffer, shortstop Spencer Edwards, and centerfielder Alvin Toles, but they’re making great progress with their signings and look to really take advantage of the talents they selected in this year’s draft. For scouting reports on every Rays selection in this year’s draft, check out our Rays 2012 Draft Profiles page.