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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Rays continue to mine West Coast in draft’s second day

Posted Jun 8, 2010 by Tribune Sports

Updated Jun 8, 2010 at 09:29 PM

UPDATED

By TONY FABRIZIO

ST. PETERSBURG The Rays added a hard-throwing RHP from Long Beach State and two infielders, including yet another high school player from Washington State with their remaining three picks among the top 100 in the draft Tuesday.

On the second day of the first-year-players draft, the Rays took Long Beach State pitcher Jake Thompson at No. 66, Georgia Tech shortstop Derek Dietrich at No. 79 and Highline (Wash.) High shortstop Ryan Brett at No. 98.

Thompson didn’t have great numbers as a junior this year – he was 5-4 with a 5.16 ERA in 14 starts – but Rays scouting director R.J. Harrison said the Rays believe he has a chance to be a starter in the major leagues.

“He’s a guy that’s not just a hard thrower; he has a good delivery, good arm action,” Harrison said. “He’s got four pitches to work with. He has the kind of assortment you’re looking for in a major league starter.”

Dietrich hit .350 with 17 home runs as a junior this year and started all 182 games during his three seasons at Georgia Tech. He was a third round pick of the Astros in 2007 after being named the Ohio Player of the Year.

Brett is the third high school player the Rays took from Washington over the first two days of the draft, following OF Josh Sale of Seattle Bishop Blanchet High (17th overall) and OF Drew Vettleson of Central Kitsap High (42nd) Monday night. He projects as a 2B.

“Our scout up there, Paul Kirsch, takes a lot of pride in dominating that region,” Harrison said. “And we’ve done well out of the Northwest. We’ve got a lot of players out of the Northwest in our organization.”

Rays executive vice president for baseball Andrew Friedman spoke glowingly of the diverse mix of 30 players the Rays chose through Tuesday and predicted the Rays will “look back on this draft very fondly” in a few years.