Corey Ray

[MrTPlush]

Should get that guy practicing his bunting skills. He lacks enough power, but has enough speed where bunting to keep the shift off of him might be a great idea. Cause those ground balls to the right side are pretty brutal.

 

The Home/Road splits don’t really bother me. He can do that at the MLB level for all I care too. Miller Park will cater to his RF power thus it should translate to the MLB level pretty well.

[wibadgers23]

So is he a potential September call-up if he keeps this up?

[adambr2]

So is he a potential September call-up if he keeps this up?

 

No. Maybe if he were a middle infielder, but not as an outfielder. He'd barely play outside of a late game pinch hit or pinch run. Then they'd have to keep him on the 40 and they have enough of a roster crunch coming up without unnecessarily adding guys early.

 

Ray still seems more likely than not to be traded at some point given how blocked he is in CF, but if not, he may finish the year in Colorado Springs. Or he may stay in Biloxi and start 2019 in Colorado Springs. It's been encouraging, but he still has things to work on.

[clancyphile]

Prior to today's game, one of these was Corey Ray and one of these was Troy Stokes:

 

Player A - 386 PA, 82 H, 21 2B, 6 3B, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 21 SB, 44 BB, 105 K, .243 BA, .337 OBP, .792 OPS

Player B - 383 PA, 82 H, 18 2B, 6 3B, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 14 SB, 45 BB, 106 K, .253 BA, .360 OBP, .826 OPS

 

Kind of eerie, huh? Troy Stokes should get some love too.

 

And Stokes is a year younger.

 

I like Stokes a lot, but it seems like his only position is left field, which significantly lowers his value compared to Ray.

 

Stokes has played some center and a little right.

 

A lot of the reason he's in left?

 

2014: Monte Harrison was a teammate and took most of the starts in CF and RF along with Carlos Belonis

2015: Harrison and Belonis took most of CF and RF, and someone named Trent Grisham was also in center a little.

2016: Belonis, Grisham, and Harrison crowded Stokes out of CR and RF.

2017: Between Biloxi and Carolina, Harrison, Grisham, Ray, Johnny Davis, and Coulter crowded him out of CF and RF

2018: In Biloxi, Grisham/Coulter in right and Ray in center took most of those starts.

 

Both Ray and Stokes are very good. I want to keep both on the 40-man.

 

Ray could be a dynamic bat in right, Stokes a good platoon partner/4th OF (think Brady Clark with more power) at worst.

 

The Brewers would be smart to move Broxton and Santana this off-season, get a few lottery tickets for them, and ride with Ray and Stokes. Both are gonna be good. If the DH comes to the NL, move Aguilar to DH, Yelich to first, and have a Stokes-Cain-Ray OF in 2021.

[Humans Need Water]

Stokes has played some center and a little right.

 

A lot of the reason he's in left?

 

2014: Monte Harrison was a teammate and took most of the starts in CF and RF along with Carlos Belonis

2015: Harrison and Belonis took most of CF and RF, and someone named Trent Grisham was also in center a little.

2016: Belonis, Grisham, and Harrison crowded Stokes out of CR and RF.

2017: Between Biloxi and Carolina, Harrison, Grisham, Ray, Johnny Davis, and Coulter crowded him out of CF and RF

2018: In Biloxi, Grisham/Coulter in right and Ray in center took most of those starts.

 

Both Ray and Stokes are very good. I want to keep both on the 40-man.

 

Ray could be a dynamic bat in right, Stokes a good platoon partner/4th OF (think Brady Clark with more power) at worst.

 

The Brewers would be smart to move Broxton and Santana this off-season, get a few lottery tickets for them, and ride with Ray and Stokes. Both are gonna be good. If the DH comes to the NL, move Aguilar to DH, Yelich to first, and have a Stokes-Cain-Ray OF in 2021.

His defense is *significantly* worse than Harrison, Ray, Grisham and his arm is even worse. He's not blocked from playing CF/RF.

 

Stokes is nothing more than a 4th OF and I think he could reach that. Don't think it's happening with us though.

[And That]

Stokes has improved his defense and throwing from '17 to '18, from what I've seen. His arm isn't good (not Khris Davis bad, but not good), but in terms out of outfield play outside of arm strength, I'd put him defensively on about the same level as Grisham at the moment. Although part of that is that Grisham has gone backward defensively.

[OldHeidelberg]

I haven't paid too close attention the last couple of weeks but just checked Ray's stats and all those HR's and stolen bases are pretty impressive. It looks like the strikeouts still need to come down a bit but he looks to have regained hist top prospects status. It wouldn't shock me to see him traded but he doesn't seem nearly as blocked as he did 6 months ago. Phillips bat appears more and more to only play as a starter in CF in the majors just like Broxton, Santana will probably be traded, Braun is only part time and Thames really doesn't belong in the OF. If Ray can keep up this power he should be just fine at a corner spot until Cain winds down. I am pretty excited about this kids promise now, for some reason I thought he projected as a 15 HR guy but with all his tools he has a really high ceiling, I certainly wouldn't throw him as a 3rd player in a package as was speculated somewhere recently.

[mattyo]

 

The Brewers would be smart to move Broxton and Santana this off-season, get a few lottery tickets for them, and ride with Ray and Stokes. Both are gonna be good. If the DH comes to the NL, move Aguilar to DH, Yelich to first, and have a Stokes-Cain-Ray OF in 2021.

 

Ah yes, the ol' "move your gold glove outfielder to 1st base to make room for questionable minor league talent" play. Love that one!

[A Swing and A Drive]

Corey's offense profile is starting to remind me of a left-handed hitting Mike Cameron!

[Humans Need Water]

Stokes has improved his defense and throwing from '17 to '18, from what I've seen. His arm isn't good (not Khris Davis bad, but not good), but in terms out of outfield play outside of arm strength, I'd put him defensively on about the same level as Grisham at the moment. Although part of that is that Grisham has gone backward defensively.

The point was he was being blocked from playing CF/RF when he actually wasn't. His arm is garbage and there's only so much one can do to improve upon that. He has LF written all over him. If Stokes and Grisham were on the same level defensively then it would make sense the Brewers would flip flop them so both can get experience playing both corner spots. There's a reason that's not happening.

[homer]

 

The Brewers would be smart to move Broxton and Santana this off-season, get a few lottery tickets for them, and ride with Ray and Stokes. Both are gonna be good. If the DH comes to the NL, move Aguilar to DH, Yelich to first, and have a Stokes-Cain-Ray OF in 2021.

 

Ah yes, the ol' "move your gold glove outfielder to 1st base to make room for questionable minor league talent" play. Love that one!

 

I don't necessarily disagree with your point but Yelich does have negative defensive WAR this year. Per Fangraphs anyway.

[And That]

If Stokes and Grisham were on the same level defensively then it would make sense the Brewers would flip flop them so both can get experience playing both corner spots. There's a reason that's not happening.

Yes, the reason is Stokes' arm. Doesn't play in RF. Like I said though, in terms of defense outside of arm strength, they're pretty similar. Grisham has really backed up in terms of routes he takes on flyballs. There have been some pretty embarrassing defensive displays by Trent tracking balls in the air this year. Which sucks, because I still believe in him wholeheartedly as a big league prospect.

[TooLiveBrew]

Love to see Ray making big strides. Since June, he's slashed .256/.347/.541/.888. July so far is .295/.375/.705/1.080. And neither stretch is inflated by a crazy BABIP.

 

I agree with others here - hoping he can develop into a .270-ish hitter in MLB. He'd be extremely valuable at that rate. Anything better would just be awesome.

 

Definitely 30-30 potential talent here.

[Austin Tatious]

From what I saw of Ray in college, I think he's got the arm for right field. You could go Yelich-Cain-Ray from left to right. Personally, I hope we hang on to Brett Phillips as I think he can be a heck of a fourth OF. A competent Logan Schaefer.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

If I'm the Brewers he is THE trade chip I'm selling high on.

 

If I learned anything following the minors the past 4 years (22 now) it's to not scout the stat line. Numerous scouts have rated his hit tool as low as 30-35 maybe that progresses to a 40-45 FV if he continues shortening up his swing, but I don't see him making enough consistent contact to tap into his above average power. His K rate is another reason for concern. Right now I think his ceiling is about a Keon Broxton 4th OF role with a little worse defense. A guy that can also come in a game late and swipe bags with ease. That can change, but that has value! I just think his value is gonna be highest now as he's approaching a 25-40 season in AA.

[markedman5]

He just hit another homer........this is pretty amazing

[Fear The Chorizo]

If I'm the Brewers he is THE trade chip I'm selling high on.

 

If I learned anything following the minors the past 4 years (22 now) it's to not scout the stat line. Numerous scouts have rated his hit tool as low as 30-35 maybe that progresses to a 40-45 FV if he continues shortening up his swing, but I don't see him making enough consistent contact to tap into his above average power. His K rate is another reason for concern. Right now I think his ceiling is about a Keon Broxton 4th OF role with a little worse defense. A guy that can also come in a game late and swipe bags with ease. That can change, but that has value! I just think his value is gonna be highest now as he's approaching a 25-40 season in AA.

 

Even with the k rate concerns, that is extremely undervaluing Ray as a player, and I'm glad DS doesn't share your opinion. His actual ceiling is closer to starling marte.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

If I'm the Brewers he is THE trade chip I'm selling high on.

 

If I learned anything following the minors the past 4 years (22 now) it's to not scout the stat line. Numerous scouts have rated his hit tool as low as 30-35 maybe that progresses to a 40-45 FV if he continues shortening up his swing, but I don't see him making enough consistent contact to tap into his above average power. His K rate is another reason for concern. Right now I think his ceiling is about a Keon Broxton 4th OF role with a little worse defense. A guy that can also come in a game late and swipe bags with ease. That can change, but that has value! I just think his value is gonna be highest now as he's approaching a 25-40 season in AA.

 

Even with the k rate concerns, that is extremely undervaluing Ray as a player, and I'm glad DS doesn't share your opinion. His actual ceiling is closer to starling marte.

I absolutely am not talking about trading him for a marginal upgrade. He’d be going for a difference maker because Ray still has tantalizing tools. I’m just scared we’ll wait too long, when we have an already crowded outfield, and his value will drop again. If he hits .260 or so, cuts down the K%, and improves approach he could be a big time contributor in the ML. However, I don't think that is a very likely outcome to happen. When someone has tools like Ray does they can always make you look foolish. Which I'd be more than happy to have happen. The lack of contact and park factor frightens me with a player of his profile.

[JohnBriggs12]

I have to assume his name is coming up more and more in trade talks as scouts from all over are seeing him during this hot streak. He may not have same value as Hiura, but he's closing the gap. Fast.

[MrTPlush]

 

The Brewers would be smart to move Broxton and Santana this off-season, get a few lottery tickets for them, and ride with Ray and Stokes. Both are gonna be good. If the DH comes to the NL, move Aguilar to DH, Yelich to first, and have a Stokes-Cain-Ray OF in 2021.

 

Ah yes, the ol' "move your gold glove outfielder to 1st base to make room for questionable minor league talent" play. Love that one!

 

Christian Yelich is not a gold glove OFer. His arm is a liability and while he can get to some balls he doesn’t have blazing quick speed to get to a lot of balls others can’t.

 

That being said he is a solid defender with a great bat. I doubt we ever have a situation where it’s a good idea to put him at 1B.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I have to assume his name is coming up more and more in trade talks as scouts from all over are seeing him during this hot streak. He may not have same value as Hiura, but he's closing the gap. Fast.

 

Considering both Jake Gatewood and Zach Brown went down with potential long-term injuries last night, I imagine even more teams are going to be asking for Ray in deals. Both those guys were prime trade candidates.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I’m just scared we’ll wait too long, when we have an already crowded outfield, and his value will drop again. If he hits .260 or so, cuts down the K%, and improves approach he could be a big time contributor in the ML.

 

The Brewer OF isn't crowded, when it's very likely for a guy like Phillips to be either traded or cemented in as a 4th OF, and Ray could wind up being the everyday RF option in 2020 (or sooner) - guys like Thames, who shouldn't be in the OF, and a rapidly declining Braun shouldn't block a prospect like Ray when he's ready. Santana is the wild card - if he goes back to his 2017 level of production then Ray would become a 4th OF to start his MLB career and still get plenty of ABs playing in CF and RF to spell Cain/Santana and work a platoon advantage against RHP.

 

Looking at his 2018 stat line, Ray's two cold months (April and June) were both still better than his season-long 2017 stat line. His two hot months of May and July have been elite for the Southern League. So even when he's slumped this season, his production has been better than what he's done earlier in his development - and his hot streaks are anything but BABIP-driven luck. We've got to remember that despite his high draft pick status as a collegiate player, Ray was still a bit of a development project as a hitter - it was his physical tools that had scouts drooling. With a full offseason for a healthy Ray to work on his craft this past winter, it seems like we're seeing very positive results.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I have to assume his name is coming up more and more in trade talks as scouts from all over are seeing him during this hot streak. He may not have same value as Hiura, but he's closing the gap. Fast.

 

Considering both Jake Gatewood and Zach Brown went down with potential long-term injuries last night, I imagine even more teams are going to be asking for Ray in deals. Both those guys were prime trade candidates.

 

I think Brown's injury happened a couple days ago, and the timetable for his rehab was just announced. I doubt Brown was a trade chip anyways, and his injury not being arm-related at all shouldn't impact his development - if he needs innings later this season he could easily get some in the AFL. Seems that Ortiz may be able to take over Brown's innings workload from now through end of this season and AA playoffs.

 

Gatewood on the other hand, would've most certainly been a trade candidate. Hoping for him that there's some silver lining in the news on his ankle.

[mattyo]

 

The Brewers would be smart to move Broxton and Santana this off-season, get a few lottery tickets for them, and ride with Ray and Stokes. Both are gonna be good. If the DH comes to the NL, move Aguilar to DH, Yelich to first, and have a Stokes-Cain-Ray OF in 2021.

 

Ah yes, the ol' "move your gold glove outfielder to 1st base to make room for questionable minor league talent" play. Love that one!

 

Christian Yelich is not a gold glove OFer. His arm is a liability and while he can get to some balls he doesn’t have blazing quick speed to get to a lot of balls others can’t.

 

That being said he is a solid defender with a great bat. I doubt we ever have a situation where it’s a good idea to put him at 1B.

 

Well I mean, he is quite literally a gold glove outfielder as evidenced by his...gold glove award. I get what you're saying though, and agree for the most part.

[Lathund]

 

The Brewers would be smart to move Broxton and Santana this off-season, get a few lottery tickets for them, and ride with Ray and Stokes. Both are gonna be good. If the DH comes to the NL, move Aguilar to DH, Yelich to first, and have a Stokes-Cain-Ray OF in 2021.

 

Ah yes, the ol' "move your gold glove outfielder to 1st base to make room for questionable minor league talent" play. Love that one!

 

Christian Yelich is not a gold glove OFer. His arm is a liability and while he can get to some balls he doesn’t have blazing quick speed to get to a lot of balls others can’t.

 

That being said he is a solid defender with a great bat. I doubt we ever have a situation where it’s a good idea to put him at 1B.

 

Zack Brown seemingly had an uncomplicated ankle sprain. Means he's out for maybe 6 weeks, 8 at most, but not the kind of injury that would scare someone off a prospect the same way it would an MLB player. Look at the A's return for Sonny Gray, those were a lot more serious injuries.