Rays Draft 2015: Rounds 6-10

After opening the draft by selecting Garrett Whitley, the Rays have followed by drafting Chris Betts, Brandon Lowe, Brandon Koch, and in the 5th round, they selected Joe McCarthy.

Round 6, 178th Overall

Benton Moss - RHP - North Carolina

6'2 - 180 lbs - 22 Years Old

With their sixth-round selection, they Rays have selected Benton Moss out of the University of North Carolina. He is projected to be a reliever as his stuff doesn't hold up for long into games. His curve ball can flash as above average at time, but it's not consistent.

Over the course of four seasons with North Carolina, he was 26-6 with a 3.23 ERA. He also has 8.62 K/9 to go along with 2.95 BB/9 in 65 games and 332 innings pitched.

BA writeup

His fastball worked mostly at 89-92 this spring, and he touched 95 early in the year before experiencing forearm tightness. His late-breaking curveball came and went, but early in games it showed above-average potential. Moss’s changeup became a weapon for him at times, but like the rest of his stuff, it lacked the consistency

Round 7, 208th Overall

Jake Cronenworth - 2B/RHP - Michigan

6'1 - 170 lbs - 21 Years Old

The Rays seventh-round pick is also their second college second basemen taken in the draft. Although he was actually a closer for his team, sometimes touching 98 on the gun.

As a starter he sits in the low 90's. He is also said to have the best splitter in the draft. But, the Rays selected him as a second baseman, possibly due to him having surgery following his freshman year to repair a torn labrum.

Hitting-wise over the course of three seasons with Michigan, Cronenworth slashed .312/.400/.436 with 10 HR (6 this past season) and 42 stolen bases in 182 games. Pitching-wise, he was 5-13 with a 2.76 ERA to along with 9.55 K/9 and 3.40 BB/9. He also recorded 27 saves during his time as a closer.

BA's writeup

He sits 88-92 and touches 94 mph right now. His fastball could play up a little more when he focuses entirely on pitching in short stints. He sets hitters up with the fastball then finishes them off with an average to tick-above-average split-finger fastball. He also has a well-below average slider. At the plate, Cronenworth has a smooth swing and excellent plate discipline, but he's less projectable as a second baseman than he is on the mound.

Video

8th Round, 238th Overall

Reece Karalus - RHP - Santa Clara University

6'3 - 235 lbs - Turns 21 Years Old on Sunday

He served mainly as a reliever during his time with Santa Clara.

Over the course of three seasons there, he was 7-14 with a 4.68 ERA to go along with 8.64 K/9 and 2.81 BB/9 in 62 games and 125 innings pitched.

Santa Clara JR RHP Reece Karalus is a classic sinker/slider arm that adds a fun wrinkle to the archetype with his plus command and plus control. He’s too good to call a sleeper, but between the way he misses bats, gets ground balls  - Source; http://baseballdraftreport.com/tag/reece-karalus/

9th Round, 268th Overall

Danny De La Calle - C - Florida State University

6'3" - 220 lbs - 22 years old

A college senior, he was previously drafted by the Rangers in the 33rd round in 2013 out of a junior college. He spurned Texas for a step up to Florida State, becoming the everyday catcher for a team that would need a replacement for FSU senior Stephen McGee once he became a professional.

De La Calle is known for his strong arm and work behind the plate. Per Baseball America, he is bilingual player, and that could have value to the young pitchers he will be catching. His eight home runs were tied for third on a nice FSU offense, but with an on-base percentage under .300, I would not expect much from him at the plate. To be honest, I'm not sure if I have ever seen a player below .300 get drafted this high.

"Danny From The Street" would be the literal translation of his name.

10th Round, 298th Overall

Sam Triece - RHP - Washington State University

6'2" - 210 lbs - 21 years old

Rays northwest scout Paul Kirsch got one of his guys taken in the 10th round. Triece, a senior, struck out nearly a batter an inning in his three-year Cougars career. Over his final 15 appearances, his ERA was just 0.31 with 31 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. In 50 2/3 innings total, he had 25 walks, so while no scouting report seems to be available, you may be able to guess what kind of pitcher he is.

He once hit a guy in the head with a reported 90-mph fastball.