By: RiverDogs Media
With 30 games remaining in the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays made significant changes to the Charleston RiverDogs roster on Tuesday morning. Outfielder Chandler Simpson, the Minor League Baseball leader in stolen bases, and pitcher Yoniel Curet, who was named Carolina Pitcher of the Month in June and July, were both promoted to High-A Bowling Green. Catcher Mario Fernandez was also promoted to Bowling Green, while pitcher Kikito Severino and outfielder Estanli Castillo were released. The Rays helped fill out the RiverDogs roster by sending catcher Bryan Broecker, outfielder Colton Ledbetter and pitcher Neraldo Catalina to the Holy City. Broecker and Ledbetter are the first members of Tampa Bay's 2023 draft class to join a full-season affiliate.
Simpson departs Charleston as one of the most impactful players in the Carolina League this season. A staple at the top of the RiverDogs lineup all year, he heads to Bowling Green as the league leader in both hits and runs scored. He also was among the circuit's top 10 hitters in batting average. Most notably, Simpson leads all of Minor League Baseball with 81 stolen bases. That number places him in a tie for second place in franchise history for stolen bases in a single campaign. In 91 games with the RiverDogs, the 2022 draft pick hit .285 with 13 extra-base hits and scored 66 runs.
Curet rebounded from an inconsistent start to become one of the most dominant pitchers in the Carolina League. Among pitchers in the league, he was tied for first in strikeouts and tied for sixth with 80.1 innings pitched. The native of the Dominican Republic pitched 20 times for the RiverDogs this season, collecting 111 strikeouts and limiting opposing hitters to a meager .132 batting average. Featuring a fastball that reaches into the upper 90s, Curet was also part of last season's championship team in the Lowcountry.
Fernandez began the year in Bowling Green, before joining the RiverDogs in late June. The 22-year-old played in 11 games behind the plate with the team, .139 with three runs batted in. He caught three of 11 runners trying to steal against him.
Broecker will make his full-season debut after playing in four games with the FCL Rays. He was selected by the Rays in the 13th round of this year's draft out of Michigan State.
Broecker posted a .316 batting average with eight home runs and 36 RBI this spring as a redshirt sophomore. He also led the Big 10 in runners caught stealing with 20. The native of Chicago was the Spartans primary catcher for each of the last two seasons.
Ledbetter was drafted in the second round of this year's draft out of Mississippi State. He played in three games with the FCL Rays, blasting a home run in his first professional game on August 3. This spring, Ledbetter hit .320 with 12 doubles, 12 home runs and 52 RBI for the Bulldogs. He reached base at a .452 clip including 47 walks with just 36 strikeouts. Prior to Mississippi State, the outfielder played two seasons at Samford University in his home state of Alabama.
Catalina has pitched for the RiverDogs in each of the last two seasons. He was injured at the outset of this campaign and recently resumed throwing for the FCL Rays. In total, the native of the Dominican Republic with a 100-mph fastball has pitched in 55 games with the RiverDogs. Last season, he worked in 31 games in the Holy City, finishing with a 4.33 earned run average and 57 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.
The RiverDogs hit the road for a crucial six-game series against the Columbia Fireflies that begins on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. The RiverDogs currently lead Columbia and Kannapolis by 5.0 games at the top of the Carolina League South Division standings.
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