Rayl Is One To Keep An Eye On

Photo Credit: Lianna Holub

If you are looking for a good sleeper candidate to breakout as a prospect next year for the Cleveland Indians, left-handed pitcher Mike Rayl is someone you may want to consider.

Rayl, who turns 22 years old in less than two weeks, has spent most of his first one and a half seasons in the lower levels of the Indians organization since being drafted in the 15th round of the 2009 Draft out of Palm Beach Community College (FL). He decided to forgo his final two years of college eligibility where he was set to pitch for the University of Florida to instead chase the dream of pitching in the major leagues.

So far, the decision to go pro early has worked out for Rayl. In his debut at rookie-level Arizona in 2009 he went 1-2 with a 3.74 ERA (33.2 IP, 36 H, 10 BB, 41 K) in 10 appearances (8 starts). This past season he moved up to short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley and in 14 starts went 2-4 with a 2.81 ERA (67.1 IP, 57 H, 21 BB, 56 K) before moving up to Lake County the final weekend of the season where he made one appearance out of the bullpen (3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R/ER, 4 BB, 4 K).

"Things went pretty good,” Rayl said in a recent interview. “It gave me a lot of energy and enthusiasm to go out and pitch in front of a lot of people [this year]. For the most part I was pretty satisfied with how things went.”

Rayl features a fastball that usually sits at 87-90 MPH and has reached up to 92 MPH, and complements it with a curveball and changeup. During his brief minor league career he has shown a good strikeout to walk ratio (2.89) and has limited home runs with just four in 104.1 innings pitched (0.3 HR/9). He also has a good frame at 6”5” 180 pounds which as he continues to fill out should help him be able to handle the wear and tear of pitching professionally.

“He's definitely interesting,” said Indians Minor League Pitching Coordinator Dave Miller in an interview earlier this year. “He throws in the lower 90s guy and is just a big, athletic left-handed guy that has a chance to get stronger and is already throwing [well].”

Coming into the draft and in Instructional League last year Rayl’s velocity was only at 86-87 MPH. He was healthy, so the drop in velocity was mostly attributed to him suffering through a tired arm.

"My velocity was up since last year,” said Rayl. “I was very disappointed with the draft, but my velocity has definitely gone up from where it was last year in college."

During his time in extended spring training and then at Mahoning Valley this year he felt he really grew as a pitcher, especially with the two months he got to work with Mahoning Valley pitching coach Ken Rowe. Rowe, who is 76 years old, is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the Indians system because of his vast knowledge about pitching and 50+ years of experience in the game as a player, coach, instructor, and manager.

"I worked a lot with Kenny just learning about staying back with my delivery and just keeping with the same things over and over again,” said Rayl. “That's what helped me with my success. I also added a new pitch [near the end of the season]. I call it a sinker. It has worked, but sometimes it does whatever.”

After a very nice showing in Mahoning Valley, the Indians rewarded Rayl with a very late season promotion to Lake County. He pitched in the one regular season game and then was with the team all the way through their Midwest League Championship and pitched in three playoff games (3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K). The experience will help serve as a springboard for next year and to also help get him acquainted with the league he very likely will pitch in next season.

"That's kind of my take,” said Rayl. “[It was] just to see what the environment is like, what the hitters are like, and see how much of a difference there is. I think it was great for me."

At the conclusion of the season, Rayl was shut down and went home for the duration of the offseason. The Indians had actually invited him to their strength and conditioning program in Instructional League, but due to some personal reasons he could not attend. Instead, he will work twice as hard back at home in Lake Worth, FL to come into the 2011 season stronger than ever, one where it appears up in the air on whether he will be a starter or reliever.

"Yeah, it is still wide open,” said Rayl. “As of right now I guess I am still a starter, though I was there in Lake County for long relief. I am going to bust my butt at home and try to put on at least 10 pounds and come in ready to go for spring training."

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI.  His latest book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on his site for a special year end closeout sale of $10.00 (including shipping and handling).

Posted in: Michael Rayl