Monday, September 16, 2013

New Rays? Maybe.

I am in the market for a new player to collect.  A new Rays player, or Cardinals player...something different.  Tonight I am going to share a pair of Rays players on my radar to add to my collection.  In fact, I recently went out and picked up a card of each player to start the juices, marinate, and determine my interest in each player.  Let's take a look:


Candidate One: Kyeong Kang


2010 Topps Debut Kyeong Kang Futures Game Jersey


Kyeong Kang is a Korean National, but was drafted out of a High School in Georgia by the Rays in 2006.  Last year Kang hit 15 homers in just over 100 games, showing very good pop, but this was also his third season playing for the Rays Double A team in Montgomery.  Kang has some pretty high strikeout totals, but has also shown the ability to take a walk with an On Base Percentage above .350.  I am curious to see if Kang will be bumped up to Durham next year, or if he will linger another year in AA.  He is also eligible to become a minor league free agent, so it will also be interesting to see if he stays with the only organization he has ever known.  Still intriguing.  The Rays always have some older guys in Durham who play a lot and play well.  See Dan Johnson, Steve Cox, Kevin Witt.



Candidate Two: Enny Romero

2013 Topps Pro Debut Enny Romero Jersey


Romero is a little bit more of a traditional prospect.  He's sure to pitch a significant number of games next season in Durham after starting 27 games this season in Montgomery with an ERA under 3.  During the final week of the season Romero started a game for the Bulls and went eight innings while pitching a shutout.  The Rays have done well with developing quality starting pitchers and I have no doubt that Romero is a player the team views as a future contributor in the Major League rotation.  So, really this seems like a no-brainer.  What's there to think about?  Well, in order to collect a player they need cards.  Romero has two relics cards and one autographed card.  Not a really big catalog.  Maybe Topps will make more.  Maybe they will make more Alex Cobb autographs.  Maybe.

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