Rays announce 18 invitations for spring training
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays have signed left-handed pitchers Dana Eveland and Justin Marks, right-handed pitchers Diego Moreno and Neil Wagner, catcher Michael McKenry, infielder/outfielder Ryan Brett and outfielder Shane Peterson to minor league contracts, each with an invitation to major league spring training.
In addition, Rays minor league right-handed pitchers Jeff Ames and Andrew Kittredge, catchers Nick Ciuffo and Jonah Heim, first basemen Casey Gillaspie and Dalton Kelly, first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers, infielder Jake Hager, infielder/outfielder Patrick Leonard and outfielders Johnny Field and Dayron Varona were invited to major league spring training.
Eveland, 33, spent the 2016 season in the Rays organization, including three stints in the majors. He went 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA (23-IP, 23-ER) in 33 appearances and was outrighted off the 40-man roster following the season. He was re-signed to a minor league contract on October 31. In 2016, he became the second left-handed pitcher in franchise history to make the Rays Opening Day roster as a non-roster invite to spring training, following Jim Parque in 2003. The 11-year veteran is 20-28 with a 5.46 ERA (446.1-IP, 271-ER) in 187 appearances (61 starts) for 10 major league clubs.
Marks, 28, went 7-11 with a 3.86 ERA (140-IP, 60-ER) in 25 appearances (23 starts) in 2016 with Triple-A Durham, including a 9-inning no-hitter on July 16 at Syracuse (Nationals). He was selected to the active roster on September 6 and made four relief appearances for the Rays to end the season. His Rays debut was his first major league appearance since April 20, 2014 vs. Minnesota (with Kansas City), going 872 days in between. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster following the season and was re-signed to a minor league contract on December 1. Over eight minor league seasons, he is 40-65 with a 4.56 ERA (799.2-IP, 405-ER) in 176 appearances (133 starts).
Moreno, 29, signed a minor league contract with the Rays on December 8. He accumulated 72 days of service time for the New York Yankees in 2015, appearing in four games before a right elbow injury ended his season. He split the 2016 season between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees system, combining to go 7-1 with a 4.82 ERA (56-IP, 30-ER) in 32 appearances (two starts). Over nine minor league seasons, he is 27-17 with a 3.10 ERA (398.1-IP, 137-ER) in 236 appearances (13 starts).
Wagner, 32, returned from Tommy John surgery to appear in 42 games between Class-A Charlotte and Durham in 2016, going 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA (48.2-IP, 24-ER). He enters his third season with the Rays organization after signing a minor league contract in September 2014. Wagner last pitched in the majors in 2014 and is 2-4 with a 4.92 ERA (53-IP, 29-ER) over parts of three major league seasons with the Oakland Athletics (2011) and Toronto Blue Jays (2013-14).
McKenry, 31, has appeared in the majors in each of the last seven seasons and is a career .238/.318/.406 (200-for-839) hitter with 29 home runs and 103 RBI in 311 games. He spent the 2016 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers organizations, batting a combined .285/.426/.500 (57-for-200) with seven home runs and 38 RBI at their Triple-A affiliates. He has major league experience with the Cardinals (one season), Colorado Rockies (three seasons) and Pittsburgh Pirates (three seasons).
Brett, 25, was non-tendered by the Rays after missing the entire 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery, and re-signed to a minor league contract on December 6. He is a career .289/.343/.421 (522-for-1,807) hitter across six minor league seasons, and appeared in three games with the Rays in the 2015 season. He entered last season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the Rays organization.
Peterson, 28, is a career .255/.322/.346 (53-for-208) hitter in 95 career games with the Brewers (2015) and Athletics (2013). In 2016, he appeared in 15 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs (Brewers) but missed the majority of the season due to a pair of stints on the disabled list. Over nine minor league seasons, he has hit .287/.377/.431 (894-for-3,112) with 67 home runs and 469 RBI. He was selected by St. Louis in the second round of the 2008 June Draft and was part of a four-player trade involving Matt Holliday in July 2009.
Ames, 25, spent the 2016 season at Double-A Montgomery and went 6-2 with a 2.71 ERA (63-IP, 19-ER) in 48 appearances. His .200 (45-for-225) opponents’ average ranked third among Southern League relief pitchers. He was selected by the Rays in the first round (42nd overall) of the 2011 June Draft and is 30-18 with a 3.33 ERA (373.1-IP, 138-ER) over 142 appearances (48 starts) in six minor league seasons.
Kittredge, 26, split the 2016 season between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma in the Seattle Mariners organization, going 3-3 with a 3.50 ERA (72-IP, 28-ER) and seven saves in 37 appearances (five starts). He was signed by the Mariners as a non-drafted free agent following the 2011 June Draft and is 16-12 with a 4.49 ERA (342.2-IP, 171-ER) in six minor league seasons. He was acquired by the Rays via trade from Seattle on November 18.
Ciuffo, 21, spent the majority of the 2016 season with Charlotte, where he was named to the Florida State League’s midseason All-Star Team and hit .262/.288/.297 (60-for-229) in 59 games. He was named the Rays Defensive Player of the Year, throwing out 27 of 46 (58.7 percent) potential base stealers with the Stone Crabs. Following the season, he played in 21 games for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. He was selected by the Rays in the first round (21st overall) of the 2013 June Draft and is a career .249/.281/.313 (237-for-951) hitter in four minor league seasons.
Heim, 21, was a 2016 Carolina League midseason All-Star for Class-A Frederick in the Baltimore Orioles organization before being acquired by the Rays at the trade deadline in exchange for infielder Steve Pearce. Between the two organizations, he hit .217/.294/.339 (73-for-336) with eight home runs and 33 RBI in 102 games. He was a fourth-round selection of the Orioles in the 2013 June Draft out of Amherst High School in New York. Over parts of four minor league seasons, he has hit .217/.280/.319 (156-for-720) with 10 home runs and 62 RBI in 220 games. He entered the 2016 season ranked by Baseball America as the Best Defensive Catcher and the No. 15 prospect in the Orioles organization.
Gillaspie, 23, was tabbed the Rays Minor League Player of the Year in 2016 after batting .284/.388/.479 (134-for-472) with 18 home runs and 64 RBI between Montgomery (85 games) and Durham (47 games). He earned a spot on the Southern League midseason All-Star Team, and his 11 home runs with Montgomery ranked fourth in the SL at the time of his promotion. Following his promotion, he hit .307/.389/.520 (55-for-179) with seven home runs with Durham. His 22 extra-base hits (13-2B, 2-3B, 7-HR) with Durham were tied for third in the International League following the All-Star break. He was selected by the Rays in the first round (20th overall) of the 2014 June Draft and has hit .270/.367/.462 (274-for-1,016) with 42 home runs and 154 RBI in three minor league seasons.
Kelly, 22, spent the 2016 season with Class-A Clinton (Mariners) and hit .293/.384/.416 (141-for-481) with seven home runs and 58 RBI. He was selected to the Midwest League midseason All-Star Team and ranked among league leaders in on-base percentage (fifth) and walks (63, fourth). He was acquired by the Rays via trade from Seattle on November 18.
Bauers, 21, spent the entire 2016 season with Montgomery and hit .274/.370/.420 (135-for-493) as one of the youngest players in the Southern League. He earned both SL midseason and postseason All-Star honors, leading the league in games played (135) and leading the team in home runs (14) and RBI (78). He ranked among SL leaders in RBI (fourth), doubles (28, fourth), on-base percentage (fifth), total bases (207, fourth), walks (73, second) and runs scored (79, third). He was acquired by the Rays via trade from the San Diego Padres following the 2014 season and is a career .280/.360/.413 (430-for-1,536) hitter with 34 home runs and 241 RBI in four minor league seasons.
Hager, 23, split the 2016 season with Montgomery and Durham, batting .233/.270/.330 (105-for-451) in 114 games. He missed the previous season due to a right knee surgery. He was selected by the Rays in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2011 June Draft and has hit .262/.312/.361 (520-for-1,986) with 22 home runs and 208 RBI in five minor league seasons.
Leonard, 24, hit .258/.323/.400 (105-for-408) with nine home runs and 53 RBI over 116 games with Montgomery and Durham in 2016. Between the two levels, he saw time at third base, first base, left field, center field, right field and designated hitter. He was acquired by the Rays via trade from the Kansas City Royals in December 2012 and is a career .255/.335/.412 (506-for-1,983) hitter with 55 homers and 257 RBI over five minor league seasons.
Field, 24, split the 2016 season with Montgomery and Durham, batting .273/.322/.453 (123-for-450) with 12 home runs and 56 RBI in 114 games. He was named to the Southern League midseason All-Star Team for the second consecutive season. He was selected by the Rays in the fifth round of the 2013 June Draft and has hit .273/.337/.449 (433-for-1,587) with 40 homers, 204 RBI and 71 stolen bases in four minor league seasons.
Varona, 28, spent the 2016 season with Durham and hit .232/.274/.407 (101-for-435) with 14 home runs and 59 RBI in 117 games. Of his 101 hits, 47 went for extra bases (46.5 percent; 32-2B, 1-3B, 14-HR) and his 32 doubles ranked sixth in the International League. Last spring, Varona was reunited with his family in Cuba for the first time in three years prior to the Rays exhibition game against the Cuban National Team. He signed with the Rays as a minor league free agent in 2015 and has hit .256/.297/.438 (200-for-781) over two seasons in the Rays organization.
