Rays Organizational Review: First Base
By Hot Rods Media Relations
The big league club has found a consistent force at first base in James Loney, but there are a number of potential successors that lie in the farm system. The former Dodgers star batted .290 with 69 RBIs in 155 games this season for Tampa, so it’s clear he’s not going anywhere soon. Here’s a look at the potential (future) replacements the Rays have in the pipeline.
Hot Rods — Alexander Simon
Simon was perhaps the most surprising name found on Bowling Green’s Opening Night roster. He had just one stateside season under his belt, and that was in the Gulf Coast League. He vaulted past Princeton (Appalachian League) and Hudson Valley (New York-Penn League) to take over every day first base duties for the Hot Rods.
Things did not start well for Alexander, he went hitless in his first six games, and was just 3–34 entering April 18, which was his first multi-hit game of the year. He posted five more such games to close out April, and he never fell back to his slow-starting form. Simon batted .313 in May, and even blasted his first stateside home run against West Michigan on May 26, a liner that Ben Verlander could not grab just over the wall in right field.
Simon hit just .268 in June, but finished strong with averages of .301 in July and .291 in August. Overall, he hit at a .281 clip. Despite the slow start, he showed amazing consistency afterward. The switch-hitter amassed 58 hits in the first half, and 63 in the second half. He still has a ways to go defensively, but Simon made tremendous and visible strides as the season wore on.
Looking Ahead: Simon just turned 22, so it’s very possible he could return to Bowling Green. However, that really depends on where the Rays elect to assign their top pick in this year’s draft, Casey Gillaspie. The 20th overall pick drove in 42 and batted .262 for Hudson Valley in 71 games.
Triple-A Durham — Vince Belnome
My journeys as the #2 broadcaster in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during the 2013 season have been documented on this blog before, but perhaps the largest visiting roar I heard last year was for Vince Belnome of the Bulls, who grew up in NEPA. Coatesville, Pa. to be exact, and why should that ring a bell? It’s the same hometown as 2014 Hot Rod, Ty Young! I’m sure the pass-list was filled with the Belnome name when he made his Major League debut on July 3 this year.
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Belnome was one of the best hitters in the International League in 2013 with Durham, batting .300 with 67 runs batted in. He drew 84 walks to push his on-base percentage over .400. His average took a bit of a dip this season, but he still walked on 72 occasions and blasted 10 home runs in 118 games, all while being a part of the “Durham-Tampa shuttle” system. He recorded an RBI and a double in four games with the Rays.
The 26-year old is no stranger to the Midwest League, while he did not feature with the Hot Rods, he played for Fort Wayne in 2009 after being selected in the 28th round by the Padres out of West Virginia. He appeared in just 10 games for the TinCaps, but Belnome managed to drive in 10 runs in just 32 at-bats. He was acquired by Tampa Bay prior to the ’13 campaign.
Double-A Montgomery — Cameron Seitzer
In 2012, Seitzer batted .307 while accounting for 36 doubles with the Hot Rods. Those impressive numbers, along with an impressive college resume, prompted the Rays to move Seitzer over Advanced-A Port Charlotte and straight to Montgomery. He handled himself well in 139 games with the Biscuits in ’13, driving home 61 runs and hitting a respectable .268, but he had 10 fewer extra-base hits in 65 more at-bats, resulting in Seitzer repeating this past season.
His power returned, and Seitzer launched a professional career-high 14 home runs while sending home 65 runs, also a personal best. The home run total was the most since he blasted 16 as a sophomore at Oklahoma. He accounted for a total of 41 extra-base hits, and did all this in just 123 games. His average took a dip (.242), but his on-base percentage came in at .330 for the season.
It will be interesting to see what happens next year with Seitzer, who is probably due for a promotion to Durham. If Belnome makes the big league roster, this transition is easy. If he doesn’t, one has to wonder if either Belnome will have moved on to a different organization, or if the Rays will look at moving Seitzer to a different position. Seitzer is the son of former big leaguer and current Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach, Kevin Seitzer.
Advanced-A Port Charlotte — Patrick Leonard
Leonard is a recent name for Hot Rods fans, having spent the entire 2013 season in Bowling Green. With the Hot Rods, he hit just .225 and only nine home runs. Many attributed the down year to the high expectations following the James Shield/Wil Myers trade, in which Leonard was a big prospect piece. He shook of doubts this season with a fine year in Port Charlotte.
He proved durable yet again, appearing in 122 games. Leonard amassed 13 home runs, just one shy of his career best set back in ’12 when he was a member of the Appalachian League’s Burlington Royals. He raised his batting average nearly 60 points to .284, and added a speed element to his game with 14 stolen bases and five triples, both career highs. Leonard was a two-time Florida State League Player of the Week, and was selected to the Midseason All-Star team.
With the Arizona Fall League underway, Leonard will get even more at-bats as a representative of the Rays in the prestigious fall season. Leonard was a fifth-round draft choice by the Royals out of St. Thomas Catholic High School in Houston, the 156th overall selection in the 2011 draft. At just 21, Leonard will look to take a big step forward on the prospect charts with a big 2015, most likely in Montgomery.
