The second of our `Saturday Sleepers' is barely able to vote, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming blips on our `watch list' radars.
I'm speaking of, the Tomball Tornado, Mr. Tyree Hayes. We're not going to get into his father's story, it's irrelevant to Tyree's, even without the name Hayes would be amongst the most intriguing prospects to watch for the Rays and his stats do nothing but back that argument up.
In 9 games he wound up with a record of 3-1. In 40 innings pitched he allowed 34 hits, walked 9 and struck out 26, resulting in an ERA of 2.48 and a WHIP of 1.07. Considering that he was straight out of high school facing some college seniors he adjusted quickly to the pro game, albeit at one of the lowest levels.
Tyree throws a higher 80's fastball with a good curve, he stands at 6'1 or 6'0 depending on who your asking, but for an 18 year old (and barely that) what he did in short season Princeton was just remarkable. At such a young age it's a near certainty that Tyree will get his velocity into the mid 90's as he gets stronger.
In terms of guys in the majors that Tyree resembles, well there is really only one. This is a load of hype for the youngster, but the only guy who myself and a few others could really compare him to is a right handed Dontrelle Willis.
So it's pretty simple, Tyree is results and potential, he's a guy to certainly keep your eye on, even in what's becoming a pitching clogged system. Obviously there is no timetable for Tyree and St. Petersburg but who knows, though one could say he'll be up around the next decade if all goes well of course.
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