Meet A Prospect : Clay Rapada

Clayton Anthony Rapada was born on March 9th, 1981 in Portsmouth, VA where he went to High School at Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, VA. With his 6'5" 200 lb frame he took him and his left handed throwing arm to Virginia State University for his college days. The Chicago Cubs can be credited with finding Rapada as they signed him as an amateur free agent in 2002. After a strong and somewhat unlikely season in 2012 for the Yankees allow me to reintroduce to you Mr. Clay Rapada.

Clay would spend parts of six seasons in the minor leagues with the Cubs before making it to the majors. It was not until the 2004 season that the Cubs suggested he try his now custom side arm delivery that has worked so well for him. In June of 2007 Rapada would make it all the way to the Majors with the Cubs facing former Yankee and teammate Raul Ibanez, inducing a line out to Cliff Floyd. He would be sent down after that one batter and would not make another appearance for the Cubs in the majors.

In August of 2007 the Cubs traded Clay to the Detroit Tigers for Craig Monroe as a player to be named later. On September 9th of 2007 Clay would be called up and once again would only face one batter and once again that batter was Raul Ibanez. This time Raul would get the best of him by hitting a three run home run and ending Clay's season in the majors with the Tigers. He would spend time in and out of the minors with the Tigers until he was traded before the 2010 to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations. Rapada would be called up to the majors as a September call up that season and was even listed as an alternate during the Postseason and the World Series, the first one in the teams history, that the Rangers would eventually lose to the San Francisco Giants.  The Rangers released Rapada before the 2011 season and he stuck on with the Baltimore Orioles and essentially won a job off of a Spring Training invite. He would be designated for assignment twice by the Orioles before leaving Baltimore.

The New York Yankees signed him in February of 2012 with another invite to Spring Training and this time Rapada would win the job and be on the Opening Day roster as the Yankees second left handed reliever and LOOGY. Rapada looks to be written in ink for the 2013 Yankees bullpen once again as a second left handed reliever and LOOGY.