Friday, September 4, 2009

Jennings, Hellickson, Rodriguez on BA Hot Sheet

The new BaseballAmerica Hot Sheet is out, and Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson rank 1-2, respectively. You already know all about them(and it's free if you want to read it), but another Ray, Wilking Rodriguez, made the list under the "Helium Watch":

WILKING RODRIGUEZ, RHP
RAYS
Team: Rookie-level Princeton (Appalachian)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: 1-6, 3.21, 56 IP, 44 H, 5 HR, 2 HBP, 12 BB, 52 SO
The Scoop: Rodriguez struck out nine Johnson City batters in his final start on Saturday, capping a sensational U.S. debut season. (He signed in February '07 and spent two years in the VSL.) He gave up three runs in five innings in that final turn, but the Rays' latest Venezuelan find showed consistently dominating stuff all season—including a 92-93 mph fastball that reached 96 and a power curveball with late, sharp break. Rodriguez's changeup is a bit firm at this stage, but when you consider the raw stuff and the impressive command, you realize that Tampa Bay has another legitimate pitching prospect on its hands.

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