John

Raynor

Raynor, 26, was selected with the second pick in last December’s Rule 5 Draft. He was designated for an assignment by the Pirates last week after starting the season 2-for-10 with a run scored. He’s a bit old for a prospect as this point, but with his elite speed, he makes for a fine piece of organizational depth.

Raynor should have been bumped up to Jupiter by now. The 23-year-old is batting .307/.412/.471 with 29 steals in 32 attempts in the Sally League. He might prove to be a better long-term prospect than Alejandro De Aza, but the Marlins need to test him.

In case there was any doubt, the Marlins made it clear they were going with Ronny Paulino as their backup by getting rid of everyone else who could have possibly done the job. Owens, who is making his way back from shoulder surgery, pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Raynor was 7-for-21 with a homer and three steals.

Raynor, a 25-year-old speedster, has a chance to actually hang on with Pittsburgh. He had a down year with Triple-A New Orleans in 2009, batting .257/.327/.360 with six home runs and 36 RBI, but he has swiped 142 bases in 419 professional games. He has a .299/.383/.452 over four seasons in the minors, mostly as a left fielder.

Raynor hit .333/.429/.519 last year, but that was as a 23-year-old in the Sally League. His .298/.395/.477 line this season is more impressive, considering that he skipped high-A ball entirely. While there’s been talk that Jacque Jones’ departure will open the door for Cameron Maybin to jump to the majors later this month, Raynor would probably be at least as good of a bet as Maybin offensively right now. Unfortunately, he isn’t a great center fielder despite excellent speed. A poor arm makes him better suited for left field, which may make him a long-term backup instead of a regular.

Raynor also stole one base in two tries. He’s 6-for-13 in Arizona after hitting .312/.402/.489 with 13 homers and 48 steals for Double-A Carolina this season. He turns 25 in January and he strikes out a lot, so he’s not a top prospect. Still, he will be a sleeper next year if the Marlins fail to bring in another regular outfielder.

It happened at the Arizona Fall League’s Rising Stars game. Raynor has hit .364 with four stolen bases in the AFL this year, but may be done for the rest of the fall. That could hurt his chances of making the Marlins next spring.

The Marlins weren’t sure there was a break at first, but the injury will end his year. Raynor was 12-for-33 with four steals before getting hurt. He’ll likely open next year in Triple-A, but he’ll be a sleeper to have some fantasy value as the season goes on.

Raynor will probably have to beat out both Delwyn Young and Brandon Moss to claim a spot on Pittsburgh’s roster. He might actually be better off back in Florida. While the Marlins didn’t think it was worth adding him to their 40-man roster in November, they’re lack of outfield depth would seem to present him with a better opportunity than what’s being offered in Pittsburgh.

Raynor, 26, was selected in this winter’s Rule 5 Draft and the Pirates are hoping to keep him in the organization with a trade. The speedy outfielder went 2-for-10 as a backup in the big leagues this season.