Tag Archives: Triple-A Durham

Harold Ramirez Traded to Tampa Bay Rays

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A ray(s) of light for Harold Ramirez.

The 27-year-old Colombian professional baseball outfielder has been acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade with the Chicago Cubs.

Harold RamirezRamirez batted .268 with seven homers and 41 RBI in 99 games with Cleveland last season. He was acquired by the Cubs for cash in November.

Chicago got minor league infielder Esteban Quiroz in the deal with Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old Quiroz hit .268 with 12 homers and 48 RBI in 68 games with Triple-A Durham last year.

A native of Cartagena, Colombia, Ramirez is a .271 hitter over parts of three seasons with Miami Marlins and Cleveland.

He ranked sixth among National League rookies with 116 hits for the Marlins in 2019.

Wander Franco to Make Major League Baseball Debut with the Tampa Bay Rays

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It’s a Rays of sunshine for Wander Franco…

The 20-year-old Dominican professional baseball player and top MLB prospect is officially headed to the big leagues and will be called up from the minors by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Wander Franco

Franco is a switch-hitting infielder who entered the season ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball, according to ESPN‘s Kiley McDaniel.

In 39 games for Triple-A Durham, Franco hit .315/.367/.586 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.

He’ll join the Rays for their series against the Boston Red Sox beginning Tuesday in Tampa, Florida.

The Rays are the midst of a six-game losing streak, their longest since an eight-game skid in May 2018, including four walk-off losses in their past five games, the last two of those 10-inning defeats to the Seattle Mariners.

The Rays have hit only .222/.300/.361 in June, ranking 25th in the majors in OPS, so they will turn to Franco to provide some offensive spark. Regarded as one of the best pure hitting prospects in recent decades, Franco has a career minor league average of .332 with more walks than strikeouts. He has thrived in Triple-A East, ranking 10th in OPS despite skipping Double-A while being the youngest player in the league.

Franco has played primarily shortstop at Durham, starting 28 games there, while also playing some third base and second base. Rookie Taylor Walls has been the primary shortstop for the Rays since they traded Willy Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers, but Walls has hit .237 with one home run in 26 games. Joey Wendle started at shortstop Sunday, but his best position is third base, which should clear shortstop for Franco if Walls is the player sent down to open a roster spot for Franco.

“Franco has been the best prospect in baseball for almost two years because of his unique combination of pedigree, tools and performance. He was the best international prospect in his signing class at least two years before he signed and is the best prospect baseball has seen in at least five years,” McDaniel wrote in his preseason top 100 rankings.

Franco will debut at 20 years and 113 days old, which will make him the second-youngest player in Rays history behind B.J. Upton, who debuted in 2004 at 19 years and 347 days.

Peralta to Play Ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers

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Joel Peralta is headed to the West Coast…

The 38-year-old Dominican veteran relief pitcher has been acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with minor league left-hander Adam Liberatore, from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for young right-handers Jose Dominguez and Greg Harris.

Joel Peralta

The move was the first Major League Baseball (MLB) trade under new Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who spent 10 years in the Rays’ front office.

Peralta pitched 69 games for the Rays last season, going 3-4 with a 4.41 ERA. In 10 seasons with five teams starting with the Los Angeles Angels, Peralta has a 3.92 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.

The Rays recently picked up a $2.5 million option on Peralta for 2015.

“Joel’s significance to the Rays transcended his on-field performance,” Rays general manager Matt Silverman said in a statement. “He was a clubhouse leader who always sought ways to make the organization better.”

Dominguez, 24, was among the hardest throwers in the Dodgers’ organization. He pitched in 14 games over the past two seasons, with a 6.14 ERA.

Harris, 20, was 7-6 with a 4.45 ERA at Class A Great Lakes last season.

Liberatore, 27, was drafted in the 21st round by the Rays in 2010. He went 6-1 with a 1.66 ERA at Triple-A Durham.

The Dodgers invested heavily in their bullpen last winter, but it proved a disappointment in the regular season — ranking 12th in the National League with a 3.80 ERA — and a major liability in the playoffs.

The Rays also designated veteran catcher Jose Molina for assignment.