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Tampa Bay Devil Rays minor league system
analysis What has the Tampa Bay farm system done for the big team lately? Well, plenty, to say the least. Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, Jonny Gomes, Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall, Jorge Cantu, Joey Gathright, and behind them, BJ Upton and Delmon Young. Not too shabby. At one point of the 2005 season, the Devil Rays were able to place homegrown talent in six of the nine positions on the field. Pretty decent talent to boot! The only thing missing talent wise has been starting pitching. The gem of the system, Dewon Brazelton, fizzled in 2004 and 2005 and was traded to the Padres for third baseman Sean Burroughs. For all of his talent and stuff (low 90s fastball and very good changeup), Brazelton could not put it together at the major league level. Perhaps the fact that he had only two quality pitches had something to do with his lack of success. Another product of the system, Victor Zambrano, gained notoriety in 2003 by becoming the 12th pitcher in history to walk over 100 batters (he finished with 106 BB’s), hit 20 or more hitters and throw more than 15 wild pitches. Zambrano finished the season with a record of 12-10 and a 4.21 ERA. He was the first pitcher since 1900 to accomplish this feat. His potential was considered to be so vast that the Mets gave Scott Kazmir to the D-Rays for him and Bartolome Fortunato. Obviously, the Mets player evaluations were not driven by sabermetrics at the time. The Rays have also been able to use their minor leaguers to obtain some starting pitching --- witness Joe Kennedy for Mark Hendrickson. The balance of last seasons starters, Seth McLung (whom the Orioles considered taking in the first round of 1999 instead of Josh Cenate) and Doug Waechter, are homegrown. The system has also provided some bullpen help in the form of Chad Orvella, the team's 13th round pick in the ’03 draft. In addition, the D-Rays system was strengthened by the acquisition of Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffany, obtained from the Dodgers for Dannys Baez and Lance Carter. Jackson never lived up to the hype which surrounded him after his blazing debut as a 20-year-old; Tiffany will most likely start the season at AA. The D-Rays #1 pick in the ’05 draft was righthander Wade Townsend, who spurned the Orioles first round money in 04, and eventually signed a lesser deal in ’05 with the D-Rays. Townsend pulled a classic maneuver after being picked by the Birds; he renounced his eligibility to play his final season at Rice, while attending classes to get his degree. Given his success in obtaining bonus money, one has to wonder what he majored in at Rice. Fortunately for Townsend, he signed before the ligament tear in his pitching elbow was discovered and he will be out for the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Position Players: 1) Delmon Young, OF - What more is there to say about Delmon Young, except the D-Rays angered him by not giving him a promotion to the big team at the end of the season. Young demolished Southern League pitching before moving onto AAA Durham where he struggled a bit, but still managed to hit .285, with six home runs and steal 32 bases. Young was the first pick in the 2003 draft, and Dimitri's younger brother has done nothing to diminish the title. I saw Young and Joey Gathright play in the 2004 AFL and felt at the time, there wasn’t a better pair of outfielders from the same organization there that season. 2) BJ Upton, SS – Upton was the D-Rays #1 pick in the 2002 draft and moved quickly through their system. In 2004, at the age of 19, he was the youngest player to start at the shortstop position at the AAA level since Alex Rodriguez. Upton finished the 2004 campaign with 159 at bats in Tampa. He returned to AAA last season where he posted a .303 average with 16 home runs. The only question Upton has is his ability to play defense at shortstop. Last season, the Rays considered moving him to third, however, they seem committed now to leaving him at short. Little known fact --- the initials BJ contain a reference to his father Melvin, who was known as “Bossman.” BJ’s proper name is Bossman Junior! 3) Wes Bankston, 1B- 2002 fourth round pick by the Rays. Not bad. His batting average and OBP have climbed every year he has played. In 2004, he hit 23 Home runs in the Sally League. A big, powerfully built player, Bankston has developed his defensive skills to complement his powerful offensive tools. Bankston led the Appalachian league in HRs his first professional season, and he has been climbing ever since. 4) Elijah Dukes, OF – Tampa Bay's third round pick of the 2002 draft. Just what the D’Rays need, another standout OF prospect. Just a note, the D’Rays took BJ Upton in 2002 in the first round of the 2002 draft. I think they have a very good plan in place on draft day. Dukes is described as a toolsy player who is still developing. He has problems with his strikeouts, about a rate of one strikeout in every four at bats. However, he has been collecting more walks and extra base hits than strikeouts! Last year at AA he showed some power, hitting 18 homeruns. Others of note: Prospects, prospects, prospects. How deep is this system as far as position players? The Rays have some younger players who show a lot of promise. Andruw Lopez, John Matulia and Garrett Groce come to mind from the lower levels. This past year, the Rays sent AA outfielder Jason Pridie to the Arizona Fall League; no offensive force, he played excellent defense. It will be interesting to see how the turnover in the front office plays out in Tampa’s future drafts. Pitchers: 2) Jason Hammel, RHP – Starting pitcher drafted from South Kitsap HS in the state of Washington, Hammel was originally selected by Seattle as a draft and follow in 2000. However, he elected not to sign and was instead picked by the Rays in the 19th round of the 2001 draft and then again in the 10th round of the 2002 draft. Hammel has a low to mid 90s fastball which he compliments with a breaking ball and changeup. He reached AAA Durham in 2005 and for the first time in his career, he gave up more hits than innings pitched. His strikeout rate remained fairly constant though it did dip a bit. 2) Jamie Shields, RHP – Another high school pitcher, Shields battled the injury bug in 2002 and missed the entire season. Shields is a fastball (upper 80s) curveball, slider and changeup pitcher. Usually guys like this have to depend upon their control to be successful. Shields was one of the top pitchers in this last AFL season. He pitched to a 1.74 ERA and struck out 29 hitters while walking only two in 31 innings pitched. He may be the best in the D-Rays system at the higher levels. 3) Jeff Niemann, RHP – Niemann stands 6-9 and weighs 260 lbs. --- quite a presence on the mound. Niemann was the fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft. One of the much heralded trio of Rice pitchers to come out that season, Niemann eventually signed a major league contract which guaranteed that he will be in the majors in five years. The contract was valued at $5.2 million and included a signing bonus of $3.2 million. Niemann has fought injuries throughout his career. He has had arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow and dealt with a groin pull while in college. He features a 97 MPH fastball, spike curveball and a slider. Niemann's health again became an issue in 2005, as he required arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder. As of now, he joins fellow Rice alumni and current D-Rays farmhand Wade Townsend as one more Tampa Bay pitcher with promise and injuries. 4) Chris Seddon, LHP – Enjoyed some success at AA Montgomery, which earned him a promotion to AAA Durham where he struggled. Throws a low 90s fastball, curveball and slider. Suffered through shoulder tendonitis (I always look at this as a precursor to other problems) in high school. 5) Chuck Tiffany,LHP – Acquired from the LA Dodgers in the Danys Baez deal, Tiffany offers hope for the future and some much needed depth on the Tampa Bay farm. Tiffany's first professional win was a perfect game which he followed up with a combination no-hitter for his second. Tiffany was the Dodgers second round pick in the 2003 draft and signed or a $1.1 million bonus. He strikes out more than three times as many hitters as he walks. Others of note: Relief pitcher Chris Flinn has shown some promise while moving slowly through the system. Andrew Sonnanstine, James Houser, Jr, Chris Mason and Wade Davis show promise at the lower levels of the system. In addition, Brian Stokes has made a modest contribution although he is in his upper 20s and is nothing more now than a very solid pitcher. Wade Townsend will be recovering from Tommy John surgery this season. --- John
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