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Tampa Bay's depth reaches the mound 03/02/2008 10:00 AM ETBy Lisa Winston / MLB.com
The future success of every Major League team lies in its Minor League system. With that in mind, each preseason, MLB.com takes a top-to-bottom look at all 30 organizations, from top prospects to recent draft picks. The recently renamed Rays are arguably the deepest organization in baseball when it comes to talent: quality, quantity, balance, depth up and down the line, emerging arms, you name it. No other system had as many players in MiLB.com's recent preseason Top 50 prospect package -- five, to be exact. And all of them (third baseman Evan Longoria, shortstop Reid Brignac and pitchers David Price, Wade Davis and Jake McGee) are likely to start the '08 season at Double-A Montgomery or higher, making them just a phone call away from the big leagues. Granted, in an American League East that features the Red Sox and Yankees, it's going to take more than a boatload of top prospects to leap from last place to playoff contention, but it's a pretty good start. If nothing else, Rays fans can look forward to a homegrown team worth cheering for, now and for years to come.
10 Spot
Ten prospects to watch out for in 2008:
Reid Brignac, SS
"All the expectations were so high that when you hit .260 it could be disappointing, but we weren't disappointed at all," Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics explained. "He made nice strides defensively and when you look at what he did in the Southern League, he ranked right up there with all of his peers. He's a young player on the rise and will continue to focus on using the whole field with his bat."
Wade Davis, RHP
"He's big and strong and comes right at you and has learned to throw his curve and changeup for strikes," Lukevics said of the 22-year-old. "His delivery will allow him to be more consistent and locate better, and that's what we look forward to in 2008."
Glenn Gibson, LHP Drafted out of high school in the fourth round in 2006, he posted a 3.10 ERA in 12 starts at short-season Vermont last year, striking out 58 in as many innings and walking only 15 before being shut down with mono. Not a power pitcher, he uses a plus changeup and curveball as out pitches. #ques_include {width:300px;float:right;margin-left:5px;} #ques_content {border-top:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;padding-left:5px;} .ques_schedule {margin-top:5px;font-size:11px;} .ques_dates {font-size:11px;font-style:italic;color:#999;} 
Lukevics was impressed with his first look at Gibson's side sessions, particularly his solid delivery and ability to change speeds.
Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Featuring a low-90s fastball and curveball, he was the top prospect in the short-season New York-Penn League in 2006 with a 2.43 ERA, 96 strikeouts and 16 walks in 77 innings.
"With him, the key is repetition of his delivery, keeping his shoulder closed and driving the lead shoulder to the catcher to give him one arm action," Lukevics said of Hellickson, who should open '08 in the Vero Beach rotation. "All the stuff is there, all the tools."
Desmond Jennings, OF
"He has wonderful tools, and through play and individual development he'll sharpen them," Lukevics said. "He can be a complete player with his athleticism."
Chris Mason, RHP
"He'll get an opportunity in the [Triple-A] Durham rotation and we're looking forward to his duplicating his Montgomery season," Lukevics said. "Now that he's incorporated a curveball the second half of last season, he throws four pitches for strikes, works fast, holds runners well and is a bulldog type on the mound."
Jake McGee, LHP Armed with a mid-90s fastball that's the most potent in the system, he also has a slider and changeup. McGee posted a 2.93 ERA in 21 starts for Vero Beach last summer and a 4.24 ERA in a brief Montgomery promotion. He also totaled 175 strikeouts in 139 innings, good for fourth in the Minors.
"He's dominated at A-ball and now he'll take on Double-A hitters full-time," Lukevics said. "His ability to locate his fastball and throw his curveball and changeup over the plate will be instrumental, but his delivery will allow him to do it."
Jeff Niemann, RHP No longer plagued by elbow or shoulder woes, he went 12-6 with a 3.98 ERA in 25 starts at Durham and comes to camp in the best shape he's ever been in, according to Lukevics. That gives the Rays renewed hope he could contribute in the bigs sooner rather than later.
"We're past the injury hurdle, so now it's time for his delivery to be consistently repeated, for him to locate his fastball and throw strikes downhill," Lukevics said of Niemann, who throws a fastball in the low-90s and a good curve. "He has terrific stuff, it's just a matter now of his refining his delivery."
David Price, LHP There was little debate over whether the Rays would scoop up the Vanderbilt ace, who was 11-1 with 194 strikeouts for the top-ranked team in the country during the regular season. A consensus College Player of the Year and Golden Spikes winner, the 6-foot-6 22-year-old has it all: a fastball consistently in the mid-90s, an outstanding slider, a good changeup and, to top it all off, tremendous makeup. So Lukevics is only slightly understating things when he says of the young man whom they've yet to see throw a pro pitch, "If everything everyone says is true, he has a pretty good upside."
Ryan Royster, OF The 2004 sixth-rounder out of high school hit .329 with 30 homers, 98 RBIs and 17 steals along with 31 doubles and a .601 slugging percentage for the league-champion Catfish, homering in six straight games down the stretch. And had the team not seen its last four games rained out in Savannah before the playoffs, odds are he would've padded those stats just enough to have a 30-100-20 season, rare at any level at any time.
"Not too many players had a season like he did in 2007," Lukevics said. "He had one terrific year, and we're so proud of him for taking that next step."
Under the Radar
John Jaso, C
He continued that trend in '07, batting .316 with 12 homers and 71 RBIs in 109 games at Montgomery. His catching continues to come around and he has good plate discipline.
Fernando Perez, OF Added to the 40-man roster during the offseason, Perez is enjoying his first big-league camp and, in all likelihood, will head to Durham as the Bulls' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter in his Triple-A Debut. Though he missed time with hamstring trouble, Perez hit .308 with 32 steals at Montgomery. In 2006, he was named Visalia's team MVP (despite the fact that teammate Brignac was league MVP) after hitting .307 with 33 steals. He also was Southwest Michigan's MVP in '05 after batting .289 with 57 steals in his first full season.
Some scouts think that some holes in his bat would be exposed as an everyday player in the bigs, that he could be a key guy off the bench and fourth outfielder for many teams in the Majors right now.
Heath Rollins, RHP
He throws a fastball that sits around 90 and a plus slider, set a Rays Minor League record for wins and tied for tops in the Minors in '07. He followed that by going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in the playoffs for the champion Catfish.
Mitch Talbot, RHP Talbot's 2006 season, when he was acquired from Houston, was impressive as he posted a 3.39 ERA at Double-A Corpus Christi and a 1.90 ERA in 10 starts for the Biscuits en route to the Southern League title. He tossed back-to-back complete-game shutouts in the playoffs.
"He has good stuff to compete in the big leagues," said Lukevics. "It's just a matter of throwing it over the plate."
2007 Draft Recap
RHP Will Kline (second round), a 23-year-old out of Mississippi, brought his plus changeup right to Columbus, where he posted a 4.97 ERA in nine games. Sally League foes batted .309 against him in his first taste of the pros. ... RHP Nick Barnese (third round) is a California high schooler with good control of a lively low-90s fastball. He posted a 3.22 ERA in nine starts at Princeton in the Appy League, walking four and striking out 37 over 36 innings. ... CF Emeel Salem (sixth round), drafted out of Alabama, hit .311 with 18 steals at Hudson Valley. ... OF Reid Fronk (seventh round), a North Carolina product, batted .311 with five homers and 27 RBIs for Hudson Valley. ... OF D.J. Jones (11th round) makes his pro debut this season and is a toolsy outfielder with raw stuff and a football pedigree.
Predictions
Organizational Player of the Year: Desmond Jennings
Organizational Pitcher of the Year: David Price
Comeback Player of the Year: Matt Walker
Top Candidate for AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria
Quotable "He has 'it.' He loves to play baseball. He has the ability to be a very good big-league player." --Lukevics on Longoria This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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