Minor League Profile: Cody Cipriano

William "Cody" Cipriano, the Rays 9^th round selection in the 2007 amateur draft, has been on a tear at the plate this season for the Class A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs. The Rays drafted the 24 year old 6'1 205 lb infielder out of the University of California-Irvine where he led the Anteaters in home runs and slugging %. Baseball America's draft bio referenced surprising pop and good patience at the with below average defensive skills.

Following the draft, Cipriano was assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades where the right-hander showed promise OPSing .817 with a 14% walk rate. He took a major step backwards in Columbus last year, batting only .196 with a sub .700 OPS. Seemingly counted out, Cipriano has taken the Florida State League by storm batting over .330 with an OPS in .930 range. His BB/K ratio has dipped but he has been drilling the ball with a 25.4% line drive rate year to date. More good news is that he has consistently hit right handed pitching well, with a career OPS of .808 vs. RHP and .822 vs. LHP.

This year Cipriano has spent about half his time at second, while splitting the other half mostly between 1B and DH. You'll notice in 2008 his BABIP was a very low .229 with a 10.6% LD rate vs. .421 with a 25.4% LD rate in 2009. While Cipriano will most likely not be able to continue to hit one out of four line drives, he has demonstrated a solid enough bat to be in the conversation for a mid-season promotion. If he can improve on his power, he may be able to put himself near the top of the Rays anemic 1B food chain.

Please enjoy his career peripherals below as well as 2009 RH/LH splits.