BA Daily Dish on Josh Rupe

[Rex Hudler]

Interesting piece on Josh Rupe.......

 

The amount of talent coming out of the Tidewater area of Virginia has earned a lot of attention lately.

 

From one of the majors' newest players (Mets third baseman David Wright) to the minors' top prospect (Wright's good friend B.J. Upton) to Team USA's best hitter (Virginia third baseman Ryan Zimmerman), it's been a great summer for players from the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area.

 

Sometimes, it's hard to remember that Rangers righthander Josh Rupe is part of that group. Rupe spent one year at Liberty before transferring to Louisburg (N.C.) Junior College, where the White Sox saw him and drafted him in the third round. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder came to the Rangers in last July's Carl Everett trade, part of a bounty that included outfielder Anthony Webster and righthander Franklin Francisco.

 

It's a trade-deadline deal where the side that got the prospects appears likely to win out. The White Sox have since re-acquired Everett for two more prospects, while Francisco has emerged as a key member of the Rangers bullpen. Webster has missed a month at high Class A Stockton with a nagging knee injury, but he's hitting a solid .267-7-39 with 17 steals in 20 attempts.

 

Rupe, however, might have the highest ceiling of the trio. He missed nearly two months with a forearm strain, but he's come back strong and is emerging as the ace of a revamped Stockton rotation.

 

While the Ports use the tandem starter system, Rupe has sizzled in his four appearances since earning a promotion from short-season Spokane, where he was on a rehab assignment. His worst outing came last night, when he gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out six and got the victory.

 

He's pitched 18 innings so far, giving up just 12 hits and four walks while striking out 14 to go 2-0, 1.47. Stockton pitching coach Andy Hawkins says he's not far from being ready to contribute in Texas.

 

"He's got an average major league arm and four major league average pitches," Hawkins said. "He's throwing the heck out of the ball right now. The way he goes about getting hitters out is what's most impressive about him. He's not giving in to any hitter.

 

"You can't sit fastball in fastball counts. He's not afraid to go offspeed and pitch you backwards, and he's got quality breaking stuff to do it."

 

Hawkins said Rupe's fastball is sitting in the low 90s and has good life down in the zone. He's also throwing a good downer curveball and an effective changeup, but his hard slider might be his best pitch.

 

"It's probably more of a cutter; it's got true cut fastball action," Hawkins said. "He's throwing his cutter around 87-88 (mph), and when he does that and locates it, it's a really nasty pitch."

 

Rupe's arrival has helped Stockton reel off nine wins in its last 10 games, putting the Ports in a tie with San Jose atop the California League's North Division. He joined a prospect-heavy rotation that includes righthanders Wes Littleton and Nick Massett as well as lefthanders John Danks and Ben Kozlowski; Massett and Kozlowski are both Tommy John surgery alumni. Hawkins is just glad he has excellent arms to work with, pitchers who are working toward lowering the Ports' 4.69 team ERA. In July, the team ERA is just 4.26.

 

"No doubt, it's a staff with some arms that have potential," Hawkins said. "I've been on the other side of that, and this is better."