The Tampa Bay Rays have prided themselves in having strong pitching in the past few years, from Scott Kazmir, to Matt Garza to David Price.
Price, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson, the entire rotation for 2011, were all drafted by the Rays. Now that's called a stockpile of talented arms. But there's more on the way.
With Hellickson coming in strong on the spot for the Rays last season and showing himself as a future star, it gave the Rays the flexibility when trading Garza.
In return, the Rays received a few high-ceilinged prospects among others, and once again, they've restocked their arms in the farm system.
With Jake Mcgee and Hellickson coming in full-time for the Rays, a new set of arms are next in line for Tampa Bay.
That list of waiters is led by Matt Moore, who was drafted by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2007 draft, and is considered a top 20 prospect by ESPN. He also appears in Scouting Book's top 25, cementing the fact that he is another big arm on his way up the ranks.
His 6-11 record is a bit misleading, seeing as his ERA was under 3.50 and he struck out over 200 hitters. To be exact, he struck out 208 in just 144 innings. Yes, those numbers are correct. That's close to 13 K's per nine innings.
He looks like he could start flying through the ranks, and maybe be one of the late season call-ups. He tops out at 96 with his heater, and has a solid curve and fading change piece.
Not too far behind him would be Alex Colome, nephew of former Rays' flame-thrower Jesus Colome. He hurls high-90's himself, but still needs to work a bit more on his curveball control.
Colome was 7-4 with a thin 1.66 ERA in the lower classes last year in only 15 starts, with injuries holding him back from a full season.
Another Alex on the Rays' radar is Alex Torres, who despite being smaller (hovering around 5'10"), went 11-6 at Montgomery in 2010. A decent slider and curve compliment a low-90's fastball.
Though he has solid strikeout numbers, Torres still has his share of walks to go with them. Many people inside the organization say he still has a high ceiling, as a number two or three starter for a team in the future.
The future could also be bright for new Ray Chris Archer. As most know, Archer came over in the Matt Garza trade, and has created a nice buzz around him that he could one day be a legitimate two-guy in a rotation, if not more.
Scouting Book went as far to call him a "near-ace starter" by 2013. The 22 year-old hits 97 MPH often and could be a starter or a future closer for the Rays. Though McGee could have that job locked for the future, Archer could make a pitch (no pun intended) for the spot in the near future.
The list doesn't end there with potential MLB arms in the Rays' system, but that's certainly a good dose of what could be on the way in Tampa Bay.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments