FanPost

Rays Community Prospect #16


With 73% of the votes, Drew Vettleson was elected the 15th overall prospect. I will be adding a new section. In the comments, I will have a reply labeled "Candidates". Under this reply, please say who you would like to be promoted from the testers pool to the candidate pool.

1. Jeremy Hellickson (84%)

2. Desmond Jennings (50%)

3. Matt Moore (100%)

4. Jake McGee (74%)

5. Alex Torres (55%)

6. Alex Cobb (65%)

7. Tim Beckham (41%)

8. Alex Colome (57%)

9. Nick Barnese (50%)

10. Josh Sale (94%)

11. Jake Thompson (50%)

12. Enny Romero (53%)

13. Joseph Cruz (67%)

14. Wilking Rodriguez (50%)

15. Drew Vettleson (73%)

Contender Pool: Ryan Brett, Tyler Bortnick, Leslie Anderson,Ty Morrison, Hector Guevara, Cody Rogers, Luke Bailey, and Justin O'Conner

Tester Pool: Scott Shuman, Todd Glaesmann, Albert Saurez, Kyle Lobstein, Jesse Hahn, and Derek Dietrich.


Ryan Brett: The third round pick for the Rays in the 2010 draft, Brett played some in GCL where he hit .303 with a .364 OBP. Scouting reports (pre-draft) are all very good. BA had this to say: "Brett is a throwback player who's fun to watch. He's always dirty, doesn't wear batting gloves and is a sparkplug who always plays at full speed. He has a knack for getting the barrel on the ball, though sometimes he tries to play bigger than he is and scouts said they would like to see him embrace small ball. Brett is smallish at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, but he works out regularly with Josh Sale and is strong." They also concluded that his ceiling is great defense (either at 2b or CF), good speed (20-30 SB), some power (lots of doubles and 12 homers) with a .285 BA. Andy Seiler thinks more highly though, beleiving he has plus-plus speed and should hit for an even higher average. I would also like to point out that a local news report stated that he hit a 450 foot homerun.

Tyler Bortnick: There isn't really much to give about Bortnick. He is a well rounded player, having above average speed, power, defense, and average. He plays second base and is a well rounded player. Drafted in the later rounds our of college, he is old for his level. Aaron Fitt of BA said: "Bortnick's just a solid player who can hold his own all around the infield, he runs OK, and he's a decent gap hitter. I could see a future as a utilityman, but his tools aren't loud enough to suggest he'll be an everyday player." We'll just have to wait and see when he stops hitting. If he does, he should drop off all rankings, but till then.....

Justin O'Conner: O'Conner, a Rays first round pick in 2010, hit poorly in the GCL in 2010 (.211/.301/.348) However, the catcher recieved great scouting reports prior to the draft and should not be a worry. BA had to say this: "Scouts had been split on whether O'Conner was a better prospect as a power-hitting third baseman or as a pitcher with a 93-95 mph fastball and a hammer curveball. When he began catching at the end of the showcase circuit last summer and played regularly behind the plate this spring, though, it settled any debate about his future. He's now the top high school catching prospect in the 2010 draft. His standout tool is his arm, which grades as plus-plus and is capable of producing 1.8-second pop times. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder is agile behind the plate, though his inexperience shows in his receiving. O'Conner also generates above-average thunder with his tremendous bat speed, showing power to all fields in batting practice. A righthanded hitter, he's pull-conscious in games and struggled at times against quality pitching last summer, so there's some question whether he'll hit for a high average. Even if he doesn't, his arm and power could make him an all-star catcher." Andy Seiler also mentioned that he has at least average speed, which is great for a catcher.

Luke Bailey: Bailey, a hyped up catcher from the 2009 draft, had a bad year in the GCL. However, do not be disappointed, as he was still recovering from TJ surgery. Out of all the players listed, he has the highest potential as a 5 TOOL CATCHER! BA said (pre-draft): "Bailey entered the season at the front of the national group of high school catchers, one of the strongest positions in the draft. He had shown a rare combination of hitting ability, raw power and arm strength, all of which graded above-average, as well as solid athleticism and surprising speed." Perfect Game said: "

Luke Bailey is a 2009 C/3B with a 6'0'', 195 lb. frame from LaGrange, GA who attends Troup HS. Bailey can flat out play. He is outstanding behind the plate with a big arm(84) and a 1.73 pop time. He is not just an excellent catch and throw guy but he has big power at the plate. He is very strong and can drive the ball to all fields. He is short to the ball with good bat speed and excellent power. To top of his total package he also ran 6.89 sixty. He has legitimate 5 tool potential and is a top 2009 follow and will create strong 2009 draft interest. He is also a good student. Aflac All American.

From seeing him play this year, I can tell you that he looked like he was still recovering from an injury. 2011 could be a mega-breakout year for him.

Leslie Anderson: Anderson was signed by the Rays in March. At 29 years old, he is certainly old for the levels he played in, expect maybe for AAA. From his stats, he looks like a line drive, athletic outfielder who could hit for some average with average to less power. Reports indicate the same thing, expect that he could hit for above average power. John Sickles saw him play in the AFL, and said that while he expects a decent average, "his upside is limited".

Ty Morrison: Morrison hit .250 at Bowling Green as a 19 year old with 6 homers and decont OBP skills. The two factors that he brings to the game are speed and defense. He stole 58 bases in 131 games this year while getting caught ten times. He also plays a plus CF. There are not many scouting reports on him, but he is projected to be a top of the order bat who gets on bases and steals more. He will probably play in A+ ball next year at only 20 years old. More power has probably yet to come.

Hector Guevara: Not much is know about Guevara other than he has a swing that scouts love. At only age 18, he held his own at Princeton. Almost every stat of his progressed through the season till he was looking like a fine hitting prospect. Big sleeper prospect going into 2011. I believe he plays an adequate 2b and his speed is above average. From what we have seen, it looks like he could hit .280 with 15 homers if he progresses well. In truth, his upside might be higher, but it is really hard to tell at this level.

Cody Rogers: Roger is a 22 year old outfielder who played fro Bowling Green. Since raysprospects has already made their reprot on him, I will copy part of it here: "His raw tools make him intriguing, but he has a lot of work to do, starting with getting a full season in. He has plus speed and above-average power, but a lot of swing-and-miss in him. His solid pitch recognition and patience helps to off-set that a little bit, but he doesn't project as a high-average hitter and as a result his OBP could suffer, as it did in 2010. He has star potential with his tools, but at age 22, he'll need to start putting them together. The Rays could send him back to Bowling Green, where he'd be the primary centerfielder. If they give him a promotion to Charlotte, he'll probably have to slide to a corner spot so Ty Morrison can man center. He has the range to play anywhere in the outfield, but his arm is fringe-average."

This post was written by a member of the DRaysBay community and does not necessarily express the views or opinions of DRaysBay staff.

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