Tampa Bay Rays Top-15 Prospects of 2010, No’s 6 – 15

ALSO SEE – Rays Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

Grades are based on a prospect’s projected value over the course of his career and how likely it is that prospect will fulfill his projected value. Various factors are accounted for including upside, red flags, actual performance, and closeness to the majors. See the 2010 Prospect Primer for more information as it relates to prospect grading and philosophy.

Hitters must have 100 or fewer Major League ABs to qualify for this list. Starting pitchers must have 50 or fewer Major League innings to qualify for this list. Relief pitchers must have 25 or fewer Major League innings to qualify for this list. Ages are listed as of May 1st, 2010. Levels are based on the highest level in which a prospect played in 2009. All grades are subject to change based on any new information I receive before the season starts.

If you need to reach me in any way, please contact me via e-mail or post a comment at the bottom of the page and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. The first two prospects are available for everybody to read.

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Player Grades
Contact – 45 Now | 55 Future
Power – 40 | 45
Discipline – 40 | 50
Speed – 50 | 50
Defense – 55 | 55/60
Arm – 55 | 55
Instincts – 50 | 55
ETA – 2010
Final Grade – B

Body Type – He’s thin, but athletic…has wiry strength

Scouting Report

Reid Brignac is a difficult player to to get a feel for. When I watch him, I like him…I like what I see. But I then I look at the numbers and they’re pedestrian. He really hasn’t had a good offensive season since 2006.

At the plate, Brignac keeps the bat head in the hitting zone for a long period of time, spraying line drives to all fields. His approach isn’t really about power, but he will hit you the occasional home run and projects to hit maybe 15 home runs annually.

It’s the instances where Brignac puts what looks like a weak swing on the ball and it still seems to carry that you can see his natural talent and well above average bat speed on display.

Brignac is a good fastball hitter and has solid plate coverage. He struggles with balls in on his hands and will sometimes struggle to pick up on pitches of the off-speed variety. When he’s struggling, Brignac gets jumpy, aggressive, and pull-happy in his approach.

The thing Brignac really needs to work on most is his patience at the plate. You’d like to see him put up a respectable OBP, but his BB% has been in the six percent range the past couple years and if he’s hitting .280, that’s only going to net you a .320 or so OBP.

Brignac has put in a ton of work defensively to become a well above average defender at the position. He doesn’t have great range (closer to above average), but he understands positioning and angles very well to make up for any shortcomings. His hands are soft and he has an above average arm, but will have bouts of inconsistency now-and-again.

A strong Spring Training enabled Brignac to make the Major League team out of the gate. Right now, he’s splitting time at second base with Sean Rodriguez, but it does seem he’s this team’s shortstop of the future and not just a stopgap for Tim Beckham.

Best Case Outcome – Above average everyday shortstop

More Likely Outcome – Average everyday shortstop

Player Grades
Contact – 50 Now | 55/60 Future
Power – 50 | 55/60
Discipline – 50 | 60
Speed – 35 | 30
Defense – 40 | 45
Arm – 55 | 55
Instincts – 55 | 60
ETA – Late 2012
Final Grade – B

Body Type – Strong and stocky

Scouting Report

I’m a big fan of Matt Sweeney, but unfortunately, he’s not a household name yet and injuries have had a lot to do with that.

Sweeney was traded from the Los Angeles Angels to Tampa Bay in the Scott Kazmir trade. He missed a chunk of last season with an injury to his right hip. This comes after missing all of 2008 with an ankle injury that required surgery. So health is a big red flag for Sweeney.

*Credit to farmsystem

But man, can he hit. Sweeney has a pretty, fundamentally sound left handed swing. He loads up well, but keeps a short swing in the process. He generates excellent loft, but does so in a way that keeps the bat head in the hitting zone for a long period of time. He has the quick-twitch muscles in his forearms to accelerate the bat through the hitting zone, enabling him to make hard contact and the finish/extension he gets just after the point of contact is excellent.

Sweeney has a good eye at the plate as well as an advanced approach at the plate. For a power hitter, he makes contact at a solid rate.

Defensively, Sweeney has pretty good hands and a strong arm, but his range is limited. The Rays are keeping him at third base for now and his value will benefit from this should he stick at the position. However, it’s pretty clear if he is to have a role on the Tampa’s major league roster, it’s going to be at a position that isn’t third base.

Best Case Outcome – Above average everyday first baseman…value would be higher as a third baseman

More Likely Outcome – Average everyday first baseman

Brief Rundown on Prospects 8 – 15

8. Tim Beckham | SS | Grade – B/B- – Still very young and he made some strides last year…still hasn’t made the necessary adjustments to his swing, not as athletic as scouts believed coming out of high school, and I have concerns about him staying at shortstop…click here for an extended look at Tim Beckham

9. Wilking Rodriguez | RHP | Grade – B- – A high upside arm who can throw strikes…sleeper to watch out for

10. Kyle Lobstein | LHP | Grade – B- – Posted fantastic numbers, but reports about his stuff last year were conflicting…I like him though, potential No. 3 starter

11. Nick Barnese | RHP | Grade – B- – Still has an upside of a borderline No. 2 starter, but shoulder concerns as well as a drop off in K% raise some red flags for me

12. Alexander Torres | LHP | Grade – B- – Misses bats and keeps the ball on the ground, but command must improve…future is likely out of the pen

13. Luke Bailey | C | Grade – B- – Dropped in the draft because of Tommy John surgery, he could be a steal if his arm gets back to what it was prior to surgery

14. Jake McGee | LHP | Grade – C+ – Coming back from Tommy John surgery…potential power arm out of the bullpen

15. Todd Glaesmann | OF | Grade – C+ – Intriguing outfielder with a nice tool set selected in last year’s draft

*Fernando Perez is not a prospect under conditions I laid earlier

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Other C+ Prospects

16. Hector Guevara | INF | Age – 18 – A shortstop for now, Guevara tore up the Venezuelan summer leagues last year and will make his U.S. debut this year

17. Kyeong Kang | OF | Age – 22 – Improved each year as a pro…nice depth to have within the organization

18. Jeff Malm | 1b | Age – 19 – Known specifically for his bat, Malm has an excellent track record of success, but there are some concerns about his bat translating to wood

19. Kevin James | LHP | Age – 19 – Projectable, athletic, and already boasting a low 90′s fastball with good life and solid-average curveball…he’s a sleeper to watch for next season

20. Ty Morrison | CF | Age – 19 – A raw, but extremely athletic outfielder…needs to get stronger and cut down on the strikeouts

21. Matt Gorgen | RHP | Age – 23 – Good stuff, but shaky command…part of the issue was him jumping two levels of competition last year

22. Alex Cobb | RHP | Age – 22 – Only has average stuff, but he commands it well and he’s put up solid numbers as well

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) – Zach Quate (RHP) | Trevor Shull (RHP) | Joe Cruz (RHP) | John Jaso (C) | Aneury Rodriguez (RHP) | Jason McEachern (RHP) | Albert Suarez (RHP) | Shawn O’Malley (SS) | Cody Rogers (CF) | Ryan Wiegand (1b) | Jake Jefferies (C) | Tyler Bortnick (SS)

ALSO SEE – Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

UP NEXT – Toronto Blue Jays Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

Other References and Resources Used for This Article – First Inning and Minor League Splits