Getting Familiar: Nick Barnese, Shane Dyer, Matt Gorgen and More

As we continue getting familiar, here are the Hudson Valley Renegade pitchers I've highlighted.

Nick Barnese- The Rays 3rd Rd pick in 2007 out of High School is the only stud prospect of the group at Hudson Valley. Barnese, who just turned 20 years old earlier this month, is coming off a dominating season at short season Hudson Valley. He averaged 11.45 K's per nine and boasted a Sub 2 FIP. The only knock I see is his BB/9 jumped from 0.99 in 2007(rookie ball) to 3.27 in 2008. He's a slim righty with an arsenal that includes an above average FB (91-93 mph may touch 95) with late movement ala Matt Garza and a slurve type breaking ball with hard late action that is improving. His change-up is far behind, but he has plenty of time. The best thing I've read about Barnese is his swagger. It's been said that his confidence sometimes borders arrogance which is what you want from a pitcher. As Kevin Gengler pointed out the Rays may pair him up with Matt Moore in Bowling Green as left/right tandem similar to the McGee/Davis team we've saw before McGee's injury.

Frank De Los Santos--He is a 21 year old from the Dominican Republic who was signed as an undrafted free agent. His 2008 numbers on the surface don't offer much as he went 4-5 with a 5.40 ERA in 11 starts for Hudson Valley, but his FIP was a more manageable 3.22. In fact while his ERA rose from 2007 to 2008, both his FIP and K/BB rate improved. He doesn't strike out much, but he doesn't walk many either and he keeps the ball in the yard. He allowed just two home runs in 56.2 innings. He's probably be nothing special going forward, but if he continues improving his K/BB he could be a useful arm in the system.

Shane Dyer-Dyer was the Rays 6th round pick in 2008 out of the University of New Mexico. Dyer spent only one season at New Mexico so he is still young at age 20. There are some question marks about his mechanics/delivery and while he is a starter now, some feel this may lead to a future in the bullpen. What we do now is that he features a solid fastball in the low 90s with curveball (some say knuckle curve) and a changeup. His numbers don't jump out at you, but his 3.68 ERA was in line with his 3.59 FIP. He could be a valuable swing man in the organization

Neil Schenk-He was recently discussed on Draysbay and we will now forever remember him as "Who the hell is Neil Schenk?" He's a 22 year old reliever out of the University of Memphis. On paper he would look like a traditional LOOGY except lefties (.283 BAA) hit him better last year than righties(.200 BAA). His K/9 of 12.6 was very impressive as was his K/BB (4.82). There really are not many relief "prospects", but he could be a name to keep an eye on.

Joshua Satow-Like Schenk, Satow is a lefty and another 2007 draftee out of college. Unlike Schenk he was a starter as a junior and senior for Arizona State and is 23. In 2008, he was used exclusively as a reliever and had good results. His K/9 like Schenk was impressive at 11.29 and he did allow a home run in 36.2 innings. His 1.23 ERA was lower than his 2.2 FIP, but either one is solid. He did walk 17 batters in those 36.2 innings, but had a LOB% of 87.8. He was also equally effective at getting out both righties and lefties.

Matt Gorgen-Originally my cutoff for these lists was 30 IP, but since Gorgen's numbers were so impressive and he was pretty close to 30(23.0) I decided to include him. Like the other two relievers on this list, Gorgen is another college arm in short season A-Ball. He was selected in the 16th rd in the 2008 draft and made an immediate impact on Hudson Valley. His K/9 of 13.7 is a full strikeout more than Schenk and he only walked five batters in 23 innings making his K/BB rate a shinny 7.0. Along with that excellent K-Rate is an excellent ground ball percentage of 66.7% His FIP of 2.07 was only a notch higher than his ERA of 1.96. He gives the Rays a right handed reliever to watch along with the two lefties above.