Rays Blogosphere Reacts to Whitley, Schultz

Last night, Niskayuna standout baseball player Garrett Whitley was selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Whitley, the toolsy OF, went 13th overall. Mock drafts had him pegged anywhere between the early teens and the mid-20s.

Today, we went out to Draysbay.com contributing writer Ian Malinowski to find out how Rays fans -- and the Rays blogosphere -- feels about the pick.

"I think that all of us down in the Rays fandom world are pretty excited about it..," he said. "I think people believe he's the true best player available in our spot."

Furthermore, Malinowski said that the Rays lack of OF depth in the minor league system makes Whitley an ideal selection and good fit for the organization.

As for Whitley may start his professional career (assuming he signs)? He could head to Rookie Ball, but it's also possible we see him playing in the New York - Penn League for the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Furthermore, Malinowski talked about another Capital Region product in the Rays' system in Jaime Schultz.

"He has a really legit fastball...it has a ton of vertical rise. It has as much vertical rise as anybody pitching in the major leagues now," he said.