Thread: Bj hermsen

What kind of a prospect its he? Is he a back of the rotation guy, how hard does he throw? He is only 22 that is pretty young for where he is, at least got the twins

Originally Posted by jwb1226

What kind of a prospect its he? Is he a back of the rotation guy, how hard does he throw? He is only 22 that is pretty young for where he is, at least got the twins

I don't know how hard he throws, but was lights out at Fort Myers and has pitched well at New Britain this year. From what I've heard, he could possibly be a back of the rotation starter, but more likely will end up in the bullpen, maybe doing middle relief? I'd like to see him move up to Rochester and see what he's got against better hitters and those who have major league experience.

He tops out around 87-89, here is an article about him in his local newspaper from a couple of days ago:

http://thegazette.com/2012/06/13/for...e-big-leagues/

At this point I am worried that he will top out as a AAAA player, but perhaps he can be a 4th starter type. I have been surprised by his success at AA this year, I would have thought he would have struggled a bit vs. the better hitters.

Jeff

His profile in the low minors (great control without bat-missing stuff) is typically indicative of someone who's going to struggle in Double-A and Triple-A, so his success thus far as a 22-year-old in New Britain is extremely encouraging. He's not a heavy GB guy so I'm not sure if he's going to have a sustainable model for success in the majors, but he's interesting to follow especially as a semi-local kid.

One could hope that he learns to pitch in the manner of a Greg Maddux rather than a Mike Maddux.

Made just 9 starts in Ft. Myers, and now has 8 starts in New Britain. I really thought he would struggle with the Eastern League, but he's been very good. Would be great to see more strikeouts, but so far so good. Based on numbers produced, he's probably a Top 5-8 Twins prospect. I think in my Top 50, I moved him up to 15 or so...

Originally Posted by old nurse

One could hope that he learns to pitch in the manner of a Greg Maddux rather than a Mike Maddux.

People tend to ignore that Greg had far more than just impeccable control. He had some nasty pitches to go along with that pinpoint command, striking out over 6 per 9 in his career, over 7 per 9 during his quite lengthy prime. He also kept the ball on the ground (over 50% of all balls hit, I believe) and contained homeruns. Early in his career, he threw in the low-90s and spent his prime throwing 89-91 MPH.

In short, Greg Maddux had a lot more going for him than perfect command and the best pitching brain in the majors. He had a hell of a lot of talent to go along with it. I'd hesitate to mention his name when comping him to any other major league pitcher I've ever seen.