TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS
Best Pro Debut: SS Reid Brignac (2) hit .361-1-25 in the Rookie-level
Appalachian League, then went 7-for-14 with five RBIs in a three-game cameo
in low Class A. RHP Andrew Sonnanstine (13) went 5-1, 0.78 with a 66-10 K-BB
ratio in 58 innings between the short-season New York-Penn League and low
Class A. He has a sharp slider, an average fastball and an affinity for
altering his arm angle on both pitches.
Best Athlete: OF Fernando Perez' (7) speed made him the highest drafted player
ever from Columbia University. Brignac's all-around tools are impressive.
Best Pure Hitter: Brignac drilled 17 hits in his first seven pro games and
kept hitting all summer. 1B Rhyne Hughes (8) batted .401 at Pearl River (Miss.)
CC in the spring.
Best Raw Power: OF Ryan Royster (5) hit a 470-foot blast as an Oregon high
schooler last spring.
Fastest Runner: Perez is a sub-4.0 runner to first base from the right side of
the plate. He stole 24 bases in 28 attempts in the NY-P.
Best Defensive Player: Steady, instinctive 2B/SS Josh Asanovich (11). Tampa
Bay also drafted him in the 21st round out of high school in 2001.
Best Fastball: RHP Jeff Niemann (1) not only throws 92-97 mph, but at 6-foot-9
he delivers his heat on a nasty downward plane. He may not sign until the
spring, but the Devil Rays expect to get the deal done. RHP Wade Davis (3)
touched 94 during the summer, while RHP Matt Walker (10) did so during the
spring.
Best Breaking Ball: Niemann's slider reaches 87 mph and can be flat-out
unhittable. Among the players under contract, LHP Jacob McGee's (5) slider is
the best.
Most Intriguing Background: SS Cale Iorg's (16) father Garth and uncle Dane
are ex-big leaguers. His brother Eli was the Cubs' 14th-round pick in June,
and another brother, Issac, plays in the Braves system. The Devil Rays signed
the sons of two Triple-A managers—RHP Billy Evers Jr. (35), whose dad skippers
Durham in their own system; and RHP Chris Kelly (46), whose father Pat pilots
Richmond for the Braves. Pat Kelly also played briefly in the majors.
Offensive-minded C Matt Spring (4) was MVP of the Junior College World Series
after leading Dixie State (Utah) to the championship.
Closest To The Majors:Niemann likely will begin his pro career in high Class A.
Best Late-Round Pick: Better known as a potential NCAA Division I-A
quarterback last spring, Walker looked like a possible supplemental
first-rounder before tiring late in the spring. He signed for $600,000,
mid-second-round money.
The One Who Got Away: Iorg, who is attending Alabama, can play in the middle
infield and has enough power in case he moves to third base. He's more polished
than Santa Clara-bound SS Ryan Conan, who's more physical. LHP Matt Goyen (27)
used a tantalizing changeup to earn the Cape Cod League's pitcher-of-the-
year award and strikeout title. Goyen returned to Georgia College & State
University.
Assessment: Had he not been slowed by his recovery from arthroscopic elbow
surgery and a nagging groin injury, Niemann could have been the No. 1 overall
pick in the draft. Getting Brignac in the second round also could be a coup.
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