Tampa Bay Rays MiLB Recap: Tyler Goeddel Slams 3 Homers

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Jun 18, 2013; Dayton, OH, USA; East batter Tyler Goeddel during the Midwest League-All Star Game at Fifth Third Field. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

If Thursday’s minor league games are any indication–which they are not–today’s trade deadline is going to be crazy for the Tampa Bay Rays. We had history from an unlikely source in Montgomery, a pair of extra-inning thrillers, and three of the Rays’ top prospects doing exciting things down in the Gulf Coast League. Let’s get into it.

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Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 4, Tennessee Smokies (CHC) 3

If I told you that a Tampa Bay Rays prospect had just hit 3 home runs in a game, Tyler Goeddel would not be one of your first guesses. Richie Shaffer would come to mind first, and understandably so because he hit 3 home runs on June 12th. J.P. Arencibia and his “homers but nothing else” season would come next, but he isn’t exactly a prospect. Then you would think of Casey Gillaspie, who is on the DL, guys with a lot of raw power like Hunter Lockwood and Patrick Leonard, and maybe a player just having a terrific all-around season like Taylor Motter. You would glance at the Rays’ affiliates homer leaderboard to add Johnny Field and Jace Conrad to the list, and at that point, you would think that you had covered every possible name.

But no, it was Goeddel, who began Thursday with 4 home runs and finished it with 7. It has been lucky sevens for Goeddel this season as he now has 7 doubles, 7 triples, and 7 homers–but especially the doubles are bizarrely low after he hit 25 of them last season. In any event, Goeddel’s first homer tied the game at 1 in the fourth inning, he second knotted it at 3 in the sixth, and his third gave the Biscuits a 4-3 lead. MiLB.com has video of all three home runs,

Overall, Goeddel now has a .255/.332/.385 line in 371 plate appearances on the season. Speaking of lucky sevens, this game finally got Goeddel’s OPS above .700 at .717. There have been some highlights–particularly his 17 steals in 21 attempts, his strong outfield defense, and the fact that he has decreased his strikeout rate from 2014 while keeping his walk rate constant–but his lack of power entering this game was a major concern. This is the 22-year-old Goeddel’s fourth year as a professional, yet he still hasn’t filled out his 6’4″ frame as he weighs just 186 pounds. He has the leverage in his swing to have games like this, but not the strength to hit homers more consistently.

Goeddel is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft following the season, and as of right now, it is hard to believe that the Rays would add him (a little bit of a teaser for the mailbag piece I’m going to write about the Rule 5 after the trade deadline). However, the Rays loved his upside when they gave him the second-highest bonus in their 2011 draft class behind only Taylor Guerrieri, and most of that upside remains. Goeddel is no longer a third baseman, but that won’t matter if he starts tapping into his vast power potential. Is that something he can do over the season’s last month to give himself a chance for a 40-man roster spot?

To finish the offensive performances, Juniel Querecuto had the lone non-Goeddel RBI, Hector Guevara went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored, and Joey Rickard walked twice and stole 2 bases. On the pitching side, meanwhile, Jacob Faria was solid on his 22nd birthday, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2. He labored (92 pitches), and managed just a 3-6 groundout to flyout ratio, but he battled to give Montgomery another strong start. Ryan Garton then allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits in 3 innings, striking out 4 while walking 1, before Brad Schreiber stranded a walk with 2 K’s for the save.

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High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers (DET) 4 (19 innings)

This game was downright bizarre–it was just 1-1 entering extra innings. The Stone Crabs scored a run on an error in the seventh, but Eduar Quinonez was unable to strand the runner that he inherited on second base as Lakeland tied the game. Charlotte finally scored again in the 14th on a Yoel Araujo RBI single, but Isaac Gil blew the save. They came through for a second straight frame in the 15th on a Maxx Tissenbaum RBI single, but Josh Kimborowicz let the Flying Tigers tie it again. In the 19th, though, the Stone Crabs got 2 runs on an Andrew Velazquez double, a Mike Marjama triple, and then a Willy Adames RBI single. Position player Pat Blair allowed only 1 run in his second inning of work in the bottom of the frame as Charlotte finally won by a 5-4 score.

Something that was probably long-forgotten in Lakeland by the time the game finished was how dominant Hunter Wood was. He tossed 6 innings allowing a 2-out single in the third inning and nothing else, striking out 6 without a walk. Wood made just 3 starts in Bowling Green before being promoted to Charlotte as a starter, but he continues to dominate nonetheless, maintaining a 1.42 ERA through 3 outings. We will have to see if his changeup develops sufficiently for Wood to remain a starter, but the Rays will give him every chance to do so at this point.

We didn’t actually mention the relievers that were good. Kyle McKenzie tossed 4 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits, striking out 3 while walking none. Then, much later in the game, Steve Ascher pitched 2 scoreless frames, giving up a lone hit while striking out 1. On the offensive side, meanwhile, Adames went 4 for 9 with his RBI and a run scored, Araujo went 4 for 8 with his RBI, Granden Goetzman went 3 for 9, and Blair accompanied his 1 run allowed in 2 innings on the mound by going 2 for 7 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Tissenbaum also played a position other than catcher (third base) for just the second time since 2013.

I’m approaching 1000 words just from those two games, so we’re going to have to do this in slides for once.

Next: The Hot Rods' Doubleheader

Jun 14, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; Louisville Cardinals infielder Grant Kay (7) celebrates scoring a run against the Vanderbilt Commodores during game two of the 2014 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Vanderbilt defeated Louisville 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Low-A Midwest League Game 1: West Michigan WhiteCaps (DET) 3, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2 (11 innings)

This was another extra-inning contest between a Rays affiliate and a Tigers affiliate, but we won’t have as much to say about this one. An Alec Sole double and a Cristian Toribio RBI single tied this game at 1 in the seventh, but after Brian Miller allowed 2 runs in the top of the 11th, a Thomas Milone RBI single to score Toribio was all the Hot Rods could muster. Sole and Toribio both had big games, with Sole going 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored while Toribio went 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and a run. Milone also went 2 for 5 with a walk and an RBI while Justin Williams went 2 for 5 with an outfield assist.

Hyrum Formo lasted 3 innings for the second time in his last three starts, but he didn’t pitch poorly, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 3 innings, striking out 2 without a walk. This was just a matter of this being a suspended game that resumed in the bottom of the third inning. Ryan Pennell followed with 3 shutout innings allowing a hit and 2 walks while striking out 4 before Edgar Gomez got Bowling Green through the 10th with 4 scoreless frames. Lakeland got 5 hits off of him, but he struck out 1 and forced a 7-2 groundout to flyout ratio.

Game 2: Bowling Green 11, West Michigan 3 (7 innings)

Needless to say, this game went a lot more smoothly for the Hot Rods. Grant Kay was awesome and might have gotten the headline on a different day (he wasn’t even close for this one), going 3 for 4 with 3 doubles and 2 RBI. Bowling Green hasn’t treated Kay nearly as well as Hudson Valley did, but he now has a .340/.380/.426 line in his last 101 plate appearances. He is coming alive, and maybe his story is not over quite yet.

Alec Sole and Justin Williams each gave themselves 2 strong performances on the day as Sole went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored while Williams went 2 for 3 with a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. Williams’ .295/.316/.427 line on the season is good (not to mention the fact that he has been going off the last 2 months), but it would be great if he could reel in his strikeout to walk ratio from its current 72-11 mark. Coty Blanchard also went 3 for 4 with a run scored while Hunter Lockwood went 2 for 4.

On the mound, Bradley Wallace came one out short of a quality start as he tossed 5.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 4 while walking 1. He had to settle for just getting the win in the game. Wallace, a low-cost signing as the Rays’ 10th round pick in 2014, pitched well in 4 relief appearances in Hudson Valley to earn a bump to the Hot Rods’ rotation, and he has at least held his own so far. He now has a 4.29 ERA and a 15-5 strikeout to walk ratio in 21 innings across his 4 starts. Edwin Fierro then finished the game by getting past a walk with a strikeout in 1.1 hitless frames.

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Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 7, Hudson Valley Renegades 1

Travis Ott had a rough start in this game, allowing 6 runs, 5 earned in 3 innings, but at least the rest of the Renegades’ pitchers looked good and there were some offensive highlights. Luis Urena followed by allowing a run on 1 hit in 3 innings, striking out 1. The converted position player and former minor league Rule 5 pick has looked sharp so far, pitching to a 2.61 ERA and a 17-2 strikeout to walk ratio in 20.2 innings pitched. He has nearly doubled his strikeout rate from last season while also improving his walk and homer rates. Cristopher Crisostomo then pitched 2 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits while striking out 1 and getting his other 5 outs on the ground, before Diego Castillo finished the game with a perfect frame with 2 strikeouts.

The Renegades managed just 4 hits, but Cade Gotta did go 2 for 4 with a double while Joe McCarthy went 1 for 2 with a double, 2 walks, and the lone RBI. McCarthy has been impressive in a few different regards in his pro debut, hitting .295 with a .375 OBP. He has walked 10 times against 7 strikeouts and has also swiped 8 bases in 10 attempts. However, his power still hasn’t returned after his back injury as he has just a .346 slugging percentage to this point. He is stealing bases–he isn’t as though he’s still injured–and hopefully the strength in his swing will soon return.

Next: Rookie Ball and a Milestone Homer

Jun 30, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first round draft pick Garrett Whitley looks on prior to the game against the Cleveland Indians at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Advanced Rookie Appalachian League: Princeton Rays 10, Bluefield Blue Jays 7

There was a lot of great pitching in the system on Thursday, but this one was a good old-fashioned slugfest. David Olmedo-Barrera went 4 for 4 with a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored, but he really had only the third-best game on the P-Rays. Blair Beck went 3 for 4 with a homer, a walk, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored while Brett Sullivan went 3 for 5 with a homer, a double, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The Rays brought the non-drafted free agent Beck up from the GCL even though he was hitting just .149, and he has seized the opportunity, hitting to a .375/.512/.656 line in 10 games in Princeton.

Sullivan, meanwhile, doesn’t stand out for his .243/.278/.419 line on the season, but considering his plate approach was poor in college, that can’t be a huge surprise. Even so, the Rays selected him in the 17th round because he had the bat speed and power potential to be interesting at the plate if he could get his strikeouts and walks in order, and coincidence or not, he is looking much better in his second month in the minors. In his last 11 games and 47 plate appearances, Sullivan has a .333/.362/.889 line, and it will be interesting to see how he performs the remainder of the season.

Kewby Meyer also went 2 for 5 with an RBI for the P-Rays while Peter Maris went 2 for 5 with an RBI and Jose Rojas went 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI. On the mound, Spencer Moran continues to look much more questionable as a starter than he did as a reliever, although that may be nothing more than coincidence. Moran allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in 3 innings in this game, striking out 2 while walking 2. He has a 7.36 ERA and a 9-8 strikeout to walk ratio as a starter compared to 2.25 with a 17-1 K-BB as a reliever, but he is actually averaging more innings per appearance as a reliever. This is just a case of young pitchers, even talented ones, being inconsistent.

Bryan Bonnell followed with 4 innings allowing 2 unearned runs on 3 hits, striking out 3 while walking 2, before Andrew Woeck finished the game with 2 shutout innings.

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