Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---
I think that a lot of the Minnesota Twins' fans have been frustrated with the way the Twins have been performing this and the last season. Some of us have been frustrated even longer, since the Twins have last won a World Series in 1991. That was 21 seasons ago. Kids who were born then they can now buy booze. Not good.
Anecdotally, there have been a lot of remarks and thoughts about the Twins trying to create cookie cutter pitchers, about Ron Anderson (who was named the pitching coach when Ron Gardenhire was named the manager i 2001) wanted everyone in the whole organization to throw the 2 seamerand pitch to contact.
But gut feelings and all, this blog is about substantiated evidence and numbers. So here is what I did, and here is what I am presenting: I looked at all pitchers who wore a Twins' uniform this Millennium and compared how they did while with the Twins vs. how they did after they lft the Twins. I went as far as 2009-10 (but some of the latest losses have inconclusive numbers).
And here is the honor roll. A list of 20 pitchers who did better after tey left the Twins, when they were older, when they were past their prime. Not one or two (like Jose Reyes who did phenomenally while with the Twins) but 20. It cannot be a coincidence. And I am not even including pitchers like Sergio Santos and Peter Moylan on whom the Twinsgave up before they ever gave them a chance.
Here is Rick Anderson's (ok a couple are before his time) Honor Roll:
That is a lot of opportunity lost. A lot of adverse results. And this does not even include the current pitchers. It is not one or two or 3. Twenty. The Twins can just not ignore this any more...
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---
Here is this week's installment; and it is going to be slight, because of the Draft today and tomorrow:
The Twins selected Byron Buxton (OF, HS), Jose Berrios (RHP, HS) and Luke Bard (RHB, College) in the 1st and supplemental rounds of the 2012 Rule 4 Draft. Today will be the second day of live-blogging the Twins Draft. You can find all coverage, including mini-profiles of the draftees here The Twins are now 13-7 in their last 20 games. This is good news. Former Twins' OF Lew Ford, 35, is hitting .397/.441/.619 with 3 HRs in 68 PAs with Baltimore's AAA club Norfolk Tides A few Minor league transaction notes: Daryl Thompson and Brad Thompson (AAA and AA) have been released. Bruce Pugh was promoted to AA New Britain from Fort Myers and newly signed St Paul Saints' closer Dan Sattler has been assigned to Fort Myers. The Twins' Dominican Summer League team saw action last Saturday. So this gives a fifth Twins' minor league team to pay attention to. Also, I updated the the Twins organization birthday list with the newest Twins who are playing the the DSL. Beloit's AJ Achter, Jhon Goncalves, Tyler Grimes, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Michael Tonkin and Jason Wheeler made the Midwest League All Star game Ben Badler of Baseball America is writing of high profile arrests in Dominican because of trafficing of Baseball players Tom Veducci wrote this very interesting article on steroid use by Fort Myers Miracle players in the mid 90s, when current Twins' third base coach, Steve Liddle was the manager there. The Twins' product of the week is the Minnesota Twins Beach Towelhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=biowriters&l=as2&o=1&a=B004SQIUW2 The parting shot today is of Twins' number one draft pick of the 2012 MLB Draft, Byron Buxton:
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
It has been pretty much a tradition at The Tenth Inning Stretch to live blog the MLB rule 4 Draft from the Twins' perspective. I will cover every single pick all 3 days of the draft
I will follow what I did in 2010, which is:
Live draft coverage on each day of the draft, both with live blogging and on twitter. I will tweet each pick as happens, then I will blog details about the player including scouting reports, projections, videos etc, in this space. You can follow me on twitter @thrylos98, or you can come here and refresh the page often. My tweets will appear on the left hand side of the page, as always. I will do a single post with the details of each draftee.
At the end of the draft, I will have the reactions of the players drafted, about being drafted by the Twins and also have more detailed profiles of the new Twins, as they sign. These profiles would be very similar to my top 22 pitcher profiles I did before the draft.
To see the individual profiles in 2010 (and the reactions piece on top) so you have an idea of what the coverage will be like, they are all at this link.
All the 2012 MLB Draft picks, profiles and related posts (including this one) will be at this link . Not that I will be blogging much else during the draft, but that link is 2012 Draft exclusive content.
A reminder about what this draft includes: The Rule 4 Draft, or the First-Year Player Draft (all those 3 things are synonyms), includes players who are residents of the U.S., Canada and U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and Minor Outlying Islands. Residents of other countries are not subject to the Rule 4 Draft, but are signed as free agents either when they are young (the majority of Latin American, European, African and Australian players) or when are established (the majority of Japanese players.) Free agents have the ability to negotiate with each team and actually, depending on the perceived value of a player, induce a bidding war for their services. Thus, a lot of Cuban refugees do not take residence in the U.S. or a territory, so they will not be subjected to the amateur draft, but take residence in a Latin American country like Bolivia or Mexico. The minor league draft is a way for organizations to restock their systems.
With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, each pick in the draft hasa bonus ceiling. The sum of those bonus ceilings is the maximum a team can spend in the draft (bonus allotment). There are severe penalties for surpassing their bonus allotment, including fines and losses of future 1st round draft picks. So most teams will stay tight within their allotment. However, a team like the Twins can sign their first round pick to a $5.7 million bonus instead of the allotted $6.2 and have an extra $500K to spend in another pick. Because of all the supplemental picks and the fact that are picking second in every round (but the second where they are picking third because of the Willingham signing), the Twins have the highest bonus allotment in the draft with $12,368,200.
Another housekeeping item: I have been re-posting a lot of the content here at the Twins Dailysite also, a great site, btw, make sure you join and participate. A can't miss for every Twins' fan. Because of the time urgency (and because I do not want to clutter their site with 25 posts a day), I will be live blogging the Twins 2012 MLB Draft only at The Tenth Inning Stretch. Might post some summary posts there after all is settled later next week.
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I have been presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile will contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos. Because Mitch Brown is local, and the Twins have been linked with him, and there is a good possibility that they might select him in the supplementary or second round, I am presenting his profile, in addition to the other 22.
Profile 23: Mitch Brown Profile/Stats:
Mitchell Brown is a senior at Century High School in Rochester, MN. He committed to play for the University of San Diego. He is listed at 6'2" and 210 lbs. He was born on April 13, 1994 . He throws right-handed. Mitch is also playing the infield, but will be drafted as a pitcher. His father is a former Korean power lifter. You can find a web page with a lot of information on Mitch here. In 2012 he is 7-1 with 0.91 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 58 innings. Here is a recent 'CCO story and a video by Mark Rosen on Mitch Brown. He was recently named Minnesota Gatorade player of the year and this is a great story on him, by Tyler Mason.
Mini Scouting Report:
Mitch Brown throws an above average Fastball that sits in the low nineties and reportedly jumps to 95. He has excellent command and control of that pitch. He also throws a plus cut fastball in the low 90s that has good movement and deception. His breaking ball and changeup are works in progress. His delivery is nice and easy and his mechanics are good. Very coachable. Good strikeout to ball ratio at the high school level, but his breaking ball and change up need to improve to make the leap and they will improve with professional coaching.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Mitch Brown pitching
Since this finishes the presentation of profiles of the top pitchers in the 2012 MLB Draft, here is a list of the pitchers presented with links to their profiles at Twins Daily:
RJ Alvarez Mark Appel Jake Barrett Chris Beck Ryan Burr Zach Eflin Max Fried Kevin Gausman Lucas Giolito Andrew Heaney Brian Johnson Pat Light Lance McCullers Clate Schmidt Lucas Sims Matt Smoral Chris Stratton Marcus Stromen Hunter Virant Michael Wacha Walker Weickel Kyle Zimmer
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
This profile completes the top 22 profiles. However, due to recent developments with the Twins, I will present have a bonus profile of another pitcher (number 23) this weekend.
Profile 22: Kyle Zimmer
Profile/Stats:
Kyle Zimmer is a Junior at the University of San Francisco. He throws right handed. He was born on . He grew up in La Jolla, CA and went to La Jolla High Schoool. He is listed at 6'4" and 220 lbs. He was not previously drafted. He pitched 5 games (all in relief) in his freshman year and was turned into a starter his sophomore year. He was also a position player (mainly third baseman) and has been making the transition to pitcher. This season he started 12 games (83.1 IP) walked 15 and struck out 96. His record is 5-3 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Was a honor roll student and Cum Laude Society member in High School.
Mini Scouting Report: Kyle Zimmer has three pitches: a fastball, a slider and a change up. His fastball averages 92-94 and gets up to 96-98. It is a plus pitch with good movement and life. His curve ball is a plus 12-6 curve ball that he throws at high 70s with excellent movement. His changeup is a low 80s pitch and is an average pitch with not much movement. This pitch needs work at the next level. Very good consistent delivery with the ball jumping off his hand. Excellent control of both his fastball and curveball, can improve the command of both pitches. In addition to the main 3 pitches he has been experimenting with a slider that he still has to master.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Kyle Zimmer pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 21: Walker Weickel
Profile/Stats:
Walker Weickel is a senior at Olympia High School in Orlando, FL. He committed to play for Miami University. He is listed at 6'6" and 200 lbs. He was born on November 14, 1993 . He throws righthanded. This season he went 10-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 55 innings.
Mini Scouting Report:
Weikel has 3 pitches: a Fastball, a curve and a change. His fastball is an above average pitch that averages in the low 90s and jumps up to 94. His 12-6 curve is above average and potential plus pitch. Throws it at low 70s. His low 80s changeup is an average pitch that needs work. He has a long frame and a 3/4 to over the top tall delivery that is inconsistent at times and affects his command and control. A lot of potential and a big frame, but will be a work in progress for a team for a while.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Walker Weickel pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 20: Michael Wacha Profile/Stats: Michael Joseph Wacha is a Junior at Texas A&M University. He throws right handed. He was born on July 1st, 1991 in Iowa City, IA. He grew up in Texarkana, TX and went to Pleasant Grove High School. He is listed at 6'6" and 200 lbs. He was not previously drafted. He has been a starter for 3 season. This season he is 8-0 in 14 Games Started (99 innings) allowing 16 Bases on Balls and accumulating 99 strike outs. Hepitched 2 complete game shutouts, has a 2.09 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Was a member of the National Honor Society in High School.
Mini Scouting Report: Michael Wacha has three pitches: a fastball, a slider and a change up. Regarded by some the most polished pitcher in the draft and a typical Twins'-type selection because he's close to being ready and throwing strikes. His fastball is a two-seamer with good movement sitting at 90-92 and up to 93-94. His changeup is a plus pitch with good deception and late movement. Good command and control of both his sinker and change. His slider is a work in progress that has shown some promise, but he has not been using it much. Tall and lanky with lots of arms and legs and deception in his delivery. Good mechanics and good angle to the plate.
Videos/Photos: Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Michael Wacha pitching
Originally Published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---
Here is this week's installment; and it is heavily influenced by the upcoming MLB Amateur Draft:
This is great evidence to reinforce my position to a. not believe in "mock drafts" and b. not attempt one. That mock draft had the Twins not taking a P until their 6th pick (3rd round) and taking 3 catchers with their first 4 picks. The chance of this happening is smaller than me winning the lottery (and I do not play the lottery.) This year, like I did in 2010 and 2009, I will live-blog the Twins' draft. More details about the coverage of the Twins' 2012 Draft at The Tenth Inning Stretch will be coming later this week, but it will be a lot like the 2010 coverage. Speaking of the Twins' draft, unless they feel strongly about a particular pitcher (Appel?, Gausman? Zimmer? Wacha? - yes, Wacha, he is a "Twins' kind of a pitcher") for the number 2 spot and Houston does not pick him before them, I think that they might go with highest upside healthy guy (and I mean healthy, because I think that Lucas Giolito has the highest upside of everyone in the draft) for his position, and this would probably be Carlos Correa, the 17 year old High School Senior SS from Puerto Rico. Since they have plenty of picks in the supplemental round, they could use those to pick good arms who might fall there like Matt Smoral (because of injury) or Chris Stratton or Pat Light or Rochester's Mitch Brown. A future infield of Sano, Rosario and Correa sounds pretty interesting; but let's not put the carriage in front of the horse... Lots of possible things the Twins can do with that second pick and I can see them take any of seven players. Speaking of him, he did not make my top 22 pitchers of the MLB draft list, but this is a great story on Rochester's (MN) Mitch Brown, by Tyler Mason. And his father is a former Korean power-lifter. Good blood lines. It appears that the player who the Twins will pick at #2, will be a Boras client. No word about who that might be yet. Appel is a Boras client. And if someone does not realize why the Twins should promote the best people from the minors and should be fair about it, here is a reminder Speaking off promoting the best players and being fair, sad to read about the miss-trust that Ron Gardenhire and this organization shows to Anthony Slama. And when the Twins promoted another pitcher for their pen last Sunday, it was Jeff Manship who has been OK, but not exactly as good as Slama. The online voting for the 2012 AAA All-Star Game is open. Maybe voting early and often for Anthony Slama might open the Twins' eyes. I was not surprised with the practical release of Erik Komatsu. He was overmatched in the majors and the presense of Ben Revere lessened the need for another lighter hitting and slower lefty outfielder. Mastroianni bats right-handed. And I do not foresee the Twins making a deal with Washington to keep him (if he passes waivers.) They just have too many outfielders in the minors at this point. Also, to fill Manship's spot in the Rochester rotation, David Bromberg has been promoted from New Britain to Rochester. I suspect Aaron Thomspon who is to be able to return from his suspension today or tomorrow, will take Bromberg's spot for the Rock Cats. I wouldn't be surprised if Levi Michael, the Twins' 2011 1st round draft pick, gets demoted to Beloit one of these days. Unfortunately, I think that the Twins pushed him too high for his first pro season by assigning him to Fort Myers. The problem was that Tyler Grimes (who is not playing at Beloit-level also) was assigned to Beloit and they both need playing time. The Twins' product of the week is one of the best books about the Twins and fairly appropriate these dark times: We're Gonna Win, Twins!http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=biowriters&l=as2&o=1&a=0816656215 The parting shot today is of Jeff Manship, the latest player to join the Twins from AAA Rochester:
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 19: Hunter Virant
Profile/Stats:
Hunter Virant is a senior at Camarillo High School in Camarillo, CA, and has committed to play for the same college, UCLA, as other pitching prospects, Max Fried and Lucas Giolito. He is listed at 6'3" and 175 lbs. He was born on January 24, 1994. He throws left-handed. Virant is athletic and also plays as a Center Fielder. He threw a no-hitter in April over Oxnard.
Mini Scouting Report:
Virant has a fastball, a curve and a changeup. His fastball is an above average pitch with good movement. It averages 92-93 and occasionally gets to 95-96. His curve is a plus pitch with a good bite, thrown at the upper 70s. His changeup at low 80s is an average pitch. Very polished and athletic player. Good mechanics and smooth Delivery. Size might be an issue but he will bulk up.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Hunter Virant pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 18: Marcus Stromen
Profile/Stats:
Marcus Stromen is a Junior at Duke University. He throws right handed. He was born on May 1st, 1991. He is from Medford, NY and went to the Patchogue-Medford High School. He is listed at 5'9" and 180 lbs. In his previous 2 seasons he was a swing man, and even served as the closer for Team USA in 2011 converting all 4 save opportunities, but this season he has been exclusively a starter. In 14 games started (98 innings) he is 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA, walking 26 and striking out 136, allowing a .231 opponents batting average. Also plays at the outfieldand second base between starts but he has no future in the pros as a position player (.252/.324/.362 career slash line in 336 Plate Appearances) He was drafted in the 18th round of the 2009 draft by the Washington Nationals but did not sign.
Mini Scouting Report: Marcus Stromen has three pitches: a fastball, a slider and a change up and occasionally throws a cutter. The fastball is a plus pitch, It sits in the mid 90s with bursts up to 96-97 and has excellent command and control of it. His slider is better than an average pitch sitting at the mid 80s. His changeup and cutter are works in progress. Given his statute and the fact that right now he has only 2 pitches, he is projected by some teams as a dominating reliever instead of a mid-rotation starter. There are a lot of comparisons with Tom (Flash) Gordon.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Marcus Stromen pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 17: Chris Stratton
Profile/Stats:
Christopher Lee Stratton is a Junior at Mississippi State University. He went to Tupelo High School in Tupelo, MS. He was born on August 8th, 1990. He is listed at 6'3" and 198 lbs. He throws right-handed. He was not previously drafted. Stratton has been a starter all 3 season in his NCAA career starting 14 games each the past 2 seasons. This season he started 9 and came from the pen in 4 (a practice common for high level prospects.) He pitched 89.1 innings, allowing 19 bases on balls and striking out 107. He has pitched a complete game shutout, his ERA is 2.22 and his WHIP 0.960.
Mini Scouting Report:
Stratton's fastball is his greatest weapon. It sits at 94-95 and bursts up to 96-97. He has great command and control, even though his fastball at the highest speeds occasionally flattens out. He has a hard slider that sits at 84-85 mph, which is an average pitch, and an above average 12-6 curve at high 70s, which is his out pitch. His mechanics and arm action are not consistent but will benefit by professional coaching. Here is a piece on Chris Stratton by ESPN.
Videos/Photos: Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Chris Stratton pitching
Originally Published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 16: Matt Smoral
Profile/Stats:
Matt Smoral is a senior at Solon High School in Solon, OH. He throws left handed and is listed at 6'8" and 225 lbs. He was born on Last season he went 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched. This season 3 games in, he had a metatarsal fraction on his landing foot. He had surgery and is out for the season. The recovery is said to be 12 weeks. Here is a good article about his injury and recovery. He is committed to attend the University of North Carolina.
Mini Scouting Report:
Matt Smoral is throwing a fastball and a slider and is developing a change up. His fastball sits at 91-92 and touches 94-95. His slider is a hard slider and is a plus pitch with plus plus potential. His changeup is a work in process. His delivery is nice and easy and almost side arm. A lot of similarities with White Sox' pitcher Chris Sale, but Smoral is taller. Good command of his fastball. Very injury prone, maybe because of his size. His latest foot injury is his 3rd injury in 3 years, but nothing major.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Matt Smoral pitching
Originally Published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 15: Lucas Sims
Profile/Stats:
Lucas Sims is a senior at Brookwood High School in Lawrenceville, GA. He throws right handed and is listed at 6'2" and 185 lbs. He was born on May 10, 1994. Sims is also playing at shortstop but will be drafted as a pitcher. He is committed to attend Clemson University.
Mini Scouting Report:
Lucas Sims is throwing a fastball, a curveball and a change up. His Fastball is averaging 92-94 mph and has been thrown up to 96-97 mph. His stamina needs work because his velocity seems to drop late in the game. His fastball is an above average pitch with some life. His curveball is an above average pitch at 76-78 mph with a late break. His changeup is fairly polished. It sits between 85-87 and has good fade. He has a smooth delivery, even though there have been some concerns with his mechanics, especially his elbow being positioned high.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Lucas Sims pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 14: Clate Schmidt
Profile/Stats:
Clate Schmidt is a senior at Allatoona High School in Acworth, GA. He throws right handed and is listed at 6'2" and 175 lbs. He was born on December 10, 1993. Schmidt is also playing at shortstop very well and enjoys it (and hitting .406/.500/.688 this season), but will be drafted as a pitcher. This season he pitched for 29 innings, allowing 9 hits and striking out 33. His ERA was 1.69 and held opponents to a .222 Bating Average. He is committed to attend Clemson University.
Mini Scouting Report:
Clate Schmidt is throwing a fastball, a curveball and a change up. His Fastball is averaging 92-94 mph and has been thrown up to 96 mph. It is an above average pitch with good motion. His curveball is a plus pitch and is a sharp breaking low 80s curveball. His changeup is a work in progress. He has a 3/4 arm slot and has a fast arm, but his delivery is a maximum effort delivery and his mechanics need to be simplified.
Videos/Photos:
Because of the difficulty of embedding videos here, please visit the original post for videos of Clate Schmidt pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----- This is way overdue. My goal was to get it a. within the few days of theseason (that passed) and then b. before the amateur MLB draft that will bring in a new influx of talent to the Twins. So I am sticking with it. And Seth Stohs already starting his mid-season rankings, really made me want to get this up before it is too obsolete. And before I post my post-draft rankings for 2012
I have not done prospect rankings for a couple of years now, mainly because I did not see the players play. Now that I have spent a good 15 hours or so watching Twins' prospects of all levels live in Spring Training, I feel confident to create a post-draft top prospects list (or 2 really; I like to separate pitchers from position players in these lists; ) this had to come up first as a housekeeping item. Thus, I decided to do a consensus list. What is a consensus list? A consensus (or aggregate or composite) ranking is a ranking based on other rankings calculating averages. This is what this list is.
A bit about methodology: I combined 25 rankings of Twins top prospects. Some of them were top 10, some of them top 50. So I ended up with 71 names. The players were scored from 1 until the last position in the ranking (lets say 10 in a ten prospect list) and the ones who appeared in the master list but did not appear in the individual list were scored as one over the lowest ranking (i.e. prospects in the master list, but not in a top 10 list were scored as 11). The reason that this is required, is to not have artificially highrankings when results were averaged from players omitted in most lists but ranked high in one or 2. After all players in the master list were scored this way, their average scores were calculated and a new consensus ranking was created. This is the consensus list I am presenting here.
What are the 25 sources? They are both national and local to the Twins'area, both professional and bloggers. And they are were weighted the same. My rationale in this is a. several Twins bloggers (Seth Stohs, for one) have a much more intimate view of the Twins' system than Baseball America. and b. Twins' bloggers care more and pay more attention to the Twins' system and get to watch more Twins' MiLB games than Keith Law, Johnathan Mayo or Kevin Goldstein. But the other guys have "professional" opinions. So here every opinion weighs the same. Here is a list of the 25 sources (alphabetically) :
And if you want to have a close look, original size is here (and I did copy and paste a row -Lance Ray- twice; this would not fit in one screen)
There are 71 names in the list, but six of the players listed are no longer with the Twins for various reasons (alphabetically) : Matt Bashore, Philip Chapman, Tony Davis, Terry Doyle and Kane Holbrooks
Without further ado, here is the consensus rankings list of the top Twins' prospects this off-season (one can call it "post 2011 season" ) list :
1 Miguel Sano 3B
2 Eddie Rosario 2B/OF
3 Oswaldo Arcia OF
4 Aaron Hicks OF
5 Joe Benson OF
6 Liam Hendriks P
7 Kyle Gibson P
8 Levi Michael IF
9 Adrian Salcedo P
10 Brian Dozier IF
11 Chris Parmelee 1B/OF
12 Alex Wimmers P
13 Travis Harrison IF
14 Hudson Boyd P
15 Max Kepler OF
16 Madison Boer P
17 Angel Morales OF
18 Chris Herrmann C
19 Manuel Soliman P
20 Niko Goodrum IF
21 Tom Stuifbergen P
22 David Bromberg P
23 Garlos Gutierrez P
24 Nate Roberts IF/OF
25 BJ Hermsen P
26 Matt Hauser P
27 Matt Summers P
28 Pat Dean P
29 JaDamion Williams OF
30 Jairo Perez IF
31 Deolis Guerra P
32 Tyler Robertson P
33 Corey Williams P
34 Logan Darnell P
35 Scott Diamond P
36 Danny Rams C/OF
37 Jorge Polanco IF
38 Lance Ray OF
39 Danny Santana IF
40 Lester Oliveros P
41 Tyler Grimes IF
42 Jose Gonzales P
43 Danny Ortiz IF
44 Angel Mata P
45 Tim Shibuya P
46 James Beresford IF
47 Michael Gonzales 1B
48 Bruce Pugh P
49 Cole DeVries P
50 Michael Tonkin P
51 Dakota Watts P
52 Nelvin Fuentes P
53 Bobby Lanigan P
54 Rory Rhodes 1B/OF
55 Evan Bigley OF
56 Kennys Vargas 1B/OF
57 Andrew Albers P
58 Anthony Slama P
59 Anderson Hidalgo IF/OF
60 Ryan O' Rourke P
61 Hung-yi Chen P
62 Danny Lehmann C
63 Darin Mastroianni OF
64 Derek Rodriguez OF
65 Luis Nunez P
66 Kyle Waldrop P
Just thinking about the 2012 Twins' draft and how they might want to supplement the system, there are way too many OFs and not enough Ps in the top spots (and this is not about to change in the mid-season rankings) and there are not enough infielders in the whole system (other than the top 2 spots).
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one ofthose picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 13: Lance McCullers
Profile/Stats:
Lance McCullers Jr. is a senior at Jesuit High School in Tampla, FL. Hethrows right handed and is listed at 6'3" and 200. He is the son of former MLB relief pitcher Lance McCullers who has a 28-31 record with 3.25 ERA, 252 bases on balls and 442 strike outs in 526.1 innings pitched in seven MLB seasons with the Padres, Yankees, Tigers and Rangers from 1985 to 1992. Lance McCullers Jr is also a shortstop but will be drafted as a pitcher. This season he pitched 77.1 innings, allowed 30 bases on balls and had 140 strikeouts. His ERA is 0.18 and his opponents hit .106 off him. Here is an interview of McCullers with Scout.com, and here is an older article from his hometown newspaper. He is committed to attend the University of Florida.
Mini Scouting Report: McCullers is throwing a four seam and a two seam fastball, a slow and hard breaking ball and is working on a changeup. His Fastball is a plus pitch. It averages 94-95 and sporadically hits up to 97-98 mph and has decent movement. It projects as a plus plus pitch. His slow curve is a weak pitch and will probably be scrapped for his slider that can be a plus pitch. It sits at 85-86 mph and has a hard sharp two-plane break. His changeup is a work in progress. His delivery is inconsistent with varying arm slot and needs work. Because of that, his command and control are lacking. It will be corrected in professional baseball with a pro coach.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see 4 videos of Lance McCullers pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
Here is this week's installment:
Still continuing the presentation of the top 22 arms for the 2012 MLB draft. You can find them all here. For a couple years (2009 and 2010) I live-blogged the Twins' draft, providing profiles and information for each pick, and it looks like I might resume doing it this season again. More information on the MLB draft coverage at The Tenth Inning Stretch next week, as it is getting closer to the draft. No matter what, one has to find humor (and maybe hope, if one is sarcastic enough) in Drew Butera's pitching appearance last Sunday at Milwaukee. He was not half way bad, either. As a matter of fact, his fastball was the fastest of any other Twins' pitcher that day not named Brian. Looks like the Twins want to give Carl Pavano an extra day of rest so they are looking for a spot starter this coming Thursday versus the White Sox at Chicago. I suspect that Anthony Swarzak will be it. Still the Twins need to figure out who Marquis' replacement might be (if you did not hear, he was Designated For Assignment) so this might muddy the waters Congratulations to Tsuyoki Nishioka for hitting his first Professional Home Run in the US last Saturday with the Rochester Red Wings. Here is a first year Twins' player (ok, second, if you count 12 games with Elizabethton after he signed last season) who is not a household name, but has the potential to break the top ten Twins' prospect lists one of these years: 23 year old C Matthew Koch who is hitting .265/.412/.471 in Beloit. This is higher OPS than Eddie Rosario and second only to Miguel Sano (who, btw, leads the Twins' organization with 11 home runs) in that team Speaking of HRs, Justin Morneau is 10 away from career 200 and Josh Willingham 10 away from career 150 HRs Alexi Casilla led the Twins in pretty much any defensive metric, but the manager of the millennium benched him in favor of a 38 year old and a bad fielding, cold hitting Plouffe. Hopefully, this latest accident does not sideline a well-performing Twins' pitcher A couple of Rochester Red Wings players (Anthony Slama and Mike Hollimon) and a whole bunch of Rochester executives (including a woman - don't ask) are growing mustaches for charity. Former Twins' First Baseman Aaron Bates has signed a contract with the Cardinals' organization If you are wondering why the Twins want out of Beloit, these disgraceful numbers might help you understand. The Red Wings are towards the bottom of the International League(but thankfully better than the venue-sharing Yankees) as far as attendance goes, and both the the Rock Cats and Miracle are middle high in their leagues. The aluminum bat "boink" sound will not escape Target Field. It will host the 2013 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Allegedly, a former Twins' player is cruising the NYC subway in his pajamas and harrasing young women. Not sure that I am buying the story (he lives in TX.) but who knows? The Twins' product of the week is perfect for the warm and humid nights at the ballpark:Nike Minnesota Twins Perfect Game Dri-FIT T Shirthttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=biowriters&l=as2&o=1&a=B004VRR3E4 The parting shot today is in honor of Brian Dozier and all the buzz he generated in his rookie season as a Twin. He is not the only Dozier in the organization. Buzz Dozier pitched for 2 games for the Washington Senators in 1947 and for 2 more in 1949. He was born in Waco, TX on August 31, 1928, played in the Senators' organization (from Charlotte Hornets to Chattanooga Lookouts to Augusta Tigers) until 1950 and had a year with 3 Independent League Teams in 1951 (Port Arthur Seahaws, Sherman-Denison Twins and Texarcana Bears.) Afterwards he went to school at Baylor University in Waco TX, lived all his life in Waco, TX and died in Waco, TX on November 24, 2005 at age 77. Here is Buzz Dozier as an 18 year old rookie RHP for the Washington Senators:
And here is a bonus video of Ben Revere singing a popular song:
[please go to the original post for the video, due to the difficulties in embedding videos here] As always you can find all the Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits Posts here, in reverse chronological order.
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 12: Pat Light
Profile/Stats:
Pat Light is a Junior at Monmouth University. He was born on March 29, 1991 and he is from Colts Neck, NJ. He went to Christian Brothers Academy for High School. He is listed at 6'6" and 210 lbs and throws right handed. Last summer in the Cape Code League, he pitched 12 games (4 starts) and was 0-5 with a 3.77 ERA, 10 bases on balls and 24 strikeouts in 31 games pitched. This season he started in 14 games, pitched 101.1 innings, had 16 bases on balls and 102 strikeouts. His era was 2.40 and allowed a .225 opponents' batting average. He was drafted in the 28th round of the 2009 draft by the Minnesota Twins, so keep an eye for him, as far as the Twins are concerned, on the supplemental round, if he lasts that long.
Mini Scouting Report:
Pat Light's pitching repertoire features three above average pitches: a low to mid 90's fastball four seam, slider and a changeup. His fastball is above average occasionally hits mid 90s, there has been a report that he touched 99 mph. His slider is truly plus and is his out pitch with a tight horizontal break down and away to righties. His changeup is a slit-change that sits in the upper 70s. Good command of the fastball, especially low in the strike zone, he will need to learn to command his secondary pitches better. He throws from an under 3/4 arm slot, almost side arm.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see 4 videos of Pat Light pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- In the age of social media we live in, more and more teams and players are taking opportunity of the available methods to reach out and communicate with the fans. Or just get something off their mind. Or just post some nonsense. Since there is an off-day today, and there is not much else to do (Twins-wise), I decided to present an unofficial Twins at Twitter guide.
I have compiled a list of twitter accounts of players in the Twins' organization, front office personnel, broadcasters, coaches and managers and official minor league teams and presenting them here. There are more than 100 twitter addresses, with 91 players. Some of the players are recently departed, but all of them were with the Twins at the end of the 2011 season. Also, new faces for the 2012 season were added as well. Some are more active than others, but nothing like certain former Vikings' players...
I am not including twitter accounts, like Justin Morneau's, which are run by public relations people or of long gone Twins, such as Chuck Knoblauch's, even though the latter might be an interesting list to compile in the future.
If you have any additional twitter accounts that I may have missed, please comment and I will add them. Thanks!
Here is the list:
For space considerations, please visit the original post for the list of Twins on twitter
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch --- With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 11: Brian Johnson
Profile/Stats:
Brian Johnson is a Junior at University of Florida. He was born December 7, 1990 in Lakeland, Florida and went to Cocoa Beach High School. He is Left hand pitcher and first baseman. He is listed at 6'4" and 225 lbs. This season he starter 14 games, pitched 72 innings allowed 15 bases on balls and 59 strikeouts. He has a 3.88 ERA and his opponents batting average is .256. He has been hitting .313/.351/.469. He is Mike Zunino's teammate. He was drafted in the 27th round of the 2009 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mini Scouting Report: Brian Johnson's pitching repertoire features a low 90's fastball, changeup, and curveball. His fastball averages 90-92 but occasionally jumps to 94. His four seamer has good movement. Overall it is an above average pitch. His curveball is a sharp breaking curveball and has the potential to be a plus pitch once he commands it better. His change up is a work in progress. His delivery and mechanics are very consistent.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see 3 videos of Brian Johnson pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile withcontain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 10: Andrew Heaney
Profile/Stats:
Andrew Heaney is a Junior at Oklahoma State University. He throws left handed. He was born on June 5thof 1991. He is from Oklahoma City, OK and went to Putnam City High School. He is listed at 6'2" and 174 lbs. This season he started in 13 games and he is 8-1 with 1.59 ERA, 19 BB and 120 Ks in 102 IP. He also has 5 complete games. Has been a 3 -year starter but he relieved in a few games in his freshman and sophomore season. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 24th round of the 2009 season but did not sign.
Mini Scouting Report:
Andrew Heaney's fastball is a plus pitch averaging 90-91 mph and touching 93 mph. It has a good cut and sink to right hand hitters. He is one of the few pitchers to throw a screwball (high 70s up to 80) and is his best secondary offering. He has a slurve and a change up, both which are average and there is room for improvement, esp. on his change up. He has an easy delivery and a 3/4 arm slot. He is a fast worker on the mound. Has been compared to a young Jamie Moyer.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see 4 videos of Andrew Heaney pitching
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 5: Ryan Burr
Profile/Stats:
Ryan Burr is a senior at Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, CO. He is listed at 6'4" and 190 lbs. He was born on May 28th 1994. He throws right handed. He is a Perfect Game All-American. This season he started in 6 games, pitched 32 innings, had a 3.29 ERA, struck out 55 and walked 17 while holding opponents to a .195 average. He also hit5 batters and threw 2 wild pitches. He committed to play for Arizona State University.
Mini Scouting Report:
He has a plus fastball that sits at 92-93 with good movement. He had good control and command of it and occasionally jumps at 94-95. He has a sharp curveball, which is average and a change up which is a developing pitch. His velocity is projected to increase as he fills up. His delivery mechanics are excellent and his delivery is effortless.
Videos/Photos:
Because of the difficulty in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see 3 videos of Ryan Burr
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 9: Lucas Giolito
Profile/Stats:
Lucas Giolito is a senior at Harvard-Westlake High School in Encino, CA, like another top High School pitching prospect, Max Fried. Both Fried and Giolito have committed to play for the same College, UCLA. He is listed at 6'6" and 220 lbs. He was born on July 14, 1994. He throws right handed. He was shut down for most of 2012 with a strained UCL.
Mini Scouting Report:
His fastball is a plus plus pitch. It sits at 94-95 and occasionally jumps to 99-100 mph. It has good downward movement and he has very good control of it; however the command (especially on the lower part of the zone is developing). His curve ball is above average and potentially can be a plus pitch at 81-82 mph. He is working on his change up which is a work in progress. His delivery is somewhat slow and deliberate. Would need work to improve his time from wind up to the plate.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see 4 videos of Lucas Giolito pitching
This is the second version of the 'who is NOT hot in the Twins' minors' series for 2012. I have been doing the Who is hot in the Minors series for a few years now and I decided that a complimentary list might be in order. I will be updating those every month or so, as well. The current "who IS hot" list can be found here and the former "who is NOT hot" list can be found here. This list is getting smaller, but it is unfortunate to see one of the Twins' top prospects (Adrian Salcedo) in it.
Without further ado, here is the list, going from AAA to A. The clubs represented are AAA Rochester Red Wings, International League, AA New Britain Rock Cats, Eastern League, A+ Fort Myers Miracle, Florida State League, A Beloit Snappers, Midwest League (Note: Yesterday's games are not reflected) :
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---
With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.
I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.
Profile 8: Kevin Gausman
Profile/Stats:
Kevin John Gausman is a draft-eligible sophomore at Louisiana State University. He throws right handed. He was born on January 6th, 1991. He is from Centennial, CO and went to Grandview High School. He is listed at 6'4" and 185 lbs. In his senior season in High School he went 9-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 14 walks and 88 strike outs. In his College Freshman season he went 5-4 in 14 GS (89.2 IP) allowing 23 walks and 85 strike outs with a 3.51 ERA. He made 2 starts for the US Collegiate National team in 2011, pitching for 8.2 innings, allowing 2 runs with 3 walks and 9 strikeouts. In the current season, Gausman is 8-1 in 13 GS. He pitched 91.2 innings, allowing 81 hits and 34 runs, 21 bases on balls and 112 strikeouts, for a 2.95 ERA and a .235 opponent's batting average. He also had 11 wild pitches. Here is an interview of Kevin Gausman by Jeremy Nygaard of ManCenter.com. Gausmann was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft.
Mini Scouting Report:
Gausman has four pitches: a fastball, a curve, a slider and a change up. The fastball is a plus pitch, sometimes a dominating pitch, and is surely his best pitch. It sits in the mid 90s with occasionally hitting 98-99 especially early in games. He has good control and command and he has been throwing it with various arm angles. His slider is better than his curve, with a tight hard break and it may become his primary breaking ball. His curve is a slow 12-6 curve that needs a bit of work. His changeup is a borderine plus pitch and it is his best secondary offering. He needs better consistency with his mechanics to be able to command his pitches a bit better.
Videos/Photos:
Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see 4 videos of Kevin Gausman pitching, including one in which he reveals one of his obsessions when he is pitching.
