For the remainder of Spring Training, Project Prospect will be taking notes on how top pitching prospect are faring in their spring appearances.
Friday
In a very busy day for prospects, two hard-throwing Texas high-school
products took the mound against one another for their respective clubs
– one impressed, one got rocked.
Adam Miller – Miller
started against the Reds and dazzled, throwing three scoreless innings
and limiting the Reds first-string team to just two hits. Miller did
not register any strikeouts but did record seven groundball outs.
Spring Totals: 5.0 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 2 K’s, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP
Homer Bailey – The
national league’s foremost pitching prospect entered in the fourth
inning and failed to finish it. Two Indians took Bailey out of the
yard, another two drew walks, and the right-hander also hit a batter.
Bailey managed just two thirds of an inning, giving up five earned runs
on three hits.
Spring Totals: 2.2 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks, 2 K’s, 26.97 ERA, 3.37 WHIP
Scott Elbert – The
6-foot-3 lefthander faced five batters – three hit home runs. Elbert
began the sixth inning but recorded just one out, a strikeout. He wound
up allowing four runs on four hits.
Spring Line: 2.1 innings, 6 hits, 4 walks, 4 K’s, 19.29 ERA, 3.86 WHIP
Nick Adenhart – The
Angels’ righthander had little trouble against the Royals in his
scoreless, 3.0 inning start. Adenhart allowed just two walks, although
– unusually for him – seven of his outs came via fly ball and none via
strikeout.
Spring Line: 5.2 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 0 K’s, 1.59 ERA, 0.53 WHIP
John Danks – The
newly acquired top pitching prospect came on in the fourth inning to
pitch three scoreless frames against the Diamondbacks. The lefthander
gave up two hits, walked none, and recorded seven groundball outs.
Spring Line: 6.0 innings, 5 hits, 0 walks, 3 K’s, 1.50 ERA, .83 WHIP
Phil Humber – The
2004 No. 3 overall pick has yet to have a good outing this spring.
While he struck out two batters and recorded another three outs via
ground balls in his two innings of work, Humber gave up three runs.
Spring Line: 5.0 innings, 8 hits, 4 walks, 2 K’s, 16.20 ERA, 2.40 WHIP
Note: Following their appearances, Elbert and Adenhart were reassigned to minor-league camp.
Saturday
Struggling to find his velocity, Colorado’s new acquisition was hammered.
Jason Hirsh – The
6-foot-8 righthander had no problem with the White Sox last week but he
got lit up this time around (7 ER, 7 hits, 4 BB in 3.2 innings). Making
matters worse, outside of Darin Erstad and Jim Thome, the White Sox
were mostly reserves.
Spring Line: 6.2 innings, 8 hits, 4 walks, 9.45 ERA, 1.80 WHIP
Sunday
The
two AL East giants both saw their pitching stars struggle, while the
Giants’ prized prospect rebounded from a rough spring debut.
Daisuke Matsuzaka – In
the final inning of his 4.0 inning start against the Orioles, the
Japanese import ran into difficult for the first time this spring, He
finished having given up four runs (three earned) on six hits, while
walking none and striking out three.
Spring Line: 7.0 innings, 8 hits, 1 walk, 6 K’s, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
Phil Hughes – A
poor relief outing once again confirmed that the American League’s top
pitching prospect needs more time in Triple-A. Hughes had major control
problems and gave up three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. He also
walked three.
Spring Line: 4.2 innings, 6 hits, 6 walks, 7.71 ERA, 2.57 WHIP
Andrew Miller –
Coming on for two relief innings, the young lefthander had his roughest
outing of the spring. Miller allowed two runs on three hits and two
walks, bringing his ERA up to 4.50. He struck out two batters in the
outing.
Spring Line: 6.0 innings, 7 hits, 4 walks, 7 K’s, 4.50 ERA, 1.83 WHIP
Tim Lincecum – Recovering
from a shaky start last week, Lincecum excelled in a 3.0 inning relief
appearance, striking out four while allowing two hits and no runs. The
2006 10th overall selection also recorded five outs via groundout – though he faced a mostly second-string Seattle team.
Spring Line: 5.0- innings, 6 hits, 0 walks, 6 K’s, 5.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
Note: Hughes and Andrew Miller have since been sent to minor league camp.
Monday
Good performances all-around except for a wild outing from Milwaukee’s normally accurate star prospect.
Yovani Gallardo – Like
Hughes a day earlier, Gallardo lost his command. The righty yielded
four runs on three hits and three walks in 1.2 relief innings. Perhaps
the cause of his sudden loss of control, Gallardo hit Nelson Cruz in
the head during the outing.
Spring Line: 6.2 innings, 5 hits, 3 walks, 5 K’s, 5.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
Matt Garza – A
persistent neck injury which forced a mid-game removal and resulted in
multiple visits to specialists appears to have improved, as Garza
pitched 2.0 scoreless innings against the Marlins. The 23-year-old gave
up two walks and hit. Minnesota may keep him in the minors for a month
to ensure a full recovery and smooth start to the season.
Spring Line: 4.0 innings, 2 hits, 3 walks, 1 K, 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
Jeff Niemann – The
Devil Rays have already decided to keep the 6-foot-9 right-hander in
the minors for a few months, but they’ve let him pitch in many
different situations this spring. Niemann came on in the eighth to get
the last five outs, allowing one walk while striking out two.
Spring Line: 4.2 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 K’s, 3.86 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
Jeff Samardzija – Currently
a controversial figure in the prospect world – opinions vary on whether
the Cubs overpaid for his services and how good a prospect he is – the
former football All-American looked very good in two scoreless innings
against the Giants’ regulars. He showed off a nice slider, good sinker,
and hit 97 with his fastball. Despite allowing four hits and a walk the
6-foot-5 righty emerged unscathed, striking out two and recording three
other outs via the ground ball.
Spring Line: 5.0 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 3 K’s, 1.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
Note: Niemann and Samardzija have been reassigned to minor league camp.
Tuesday
Gavin Floyd’s odds of a revival shrunk as his primary competition for the 5th spot White Sox’s rotation took a big step forward.
John Danks – Danks went head-to-head with Floyd for the 5th
spot in the White Sox’s rotation and came out victorious. While Texas
knocked around Floyd for six runs in 3.2 innings, Danks entered in the 5th
inning and allowed just one earned run in his 3.0 inning appearance. He
gave up two hits and a walk while striking out three batters.
Spring Line: 9.0 innings, 7 hits, 1 walk, 6 K’s, 2.00 ERA, .89 WHIP
Wednesday
With
Cliff Lee out for a few weeks with an oblique injury, Cleveland’s best
prospect stepped up and shut down a talented lineup. Another
strong-armed prospect could not keep his own scoreless streak alive but
still impressed.
Adam Miller – In
his best performance of the spring, Miller shut down the regular
Toronto lineup, throwing 4.0 shutout innings. The 22-year-old allowed
three hits, walked two, and struck out two. The Indians will almost
certainly still start him in Triple-A, but Miller has now pitched nine
scoreless innings and allowed just seven base runners.
Spring Line: 9.0 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 K’s, 0.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP
Mike Pelfrey – Pelfrey came on in the 5th
to pitch 4.0 solid innings against the Tigers and continued to impress
in his push to open the season in the Mets’ rotation. The 6-foot-7
right-hander allowed six hits and a walk, but the only damage came from
a solo home run. Even though he had trouble locating his fastball,
Pelfrey’s slider and change-up were both effective. The 23-year-old has
allowed just one earned run in nine innings this spring.
Spring Line: 9.0 innings, 10 hits, 1 walk, 2 K’s, 1.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP
Homer Bailey – The
20-year-old had a smooth outing against Tampa Bay’s quiet bats,
recording two ground outs and punching out a batter in a near-perfect
inning of work – he hit a batter as well.
Spring Line: 3.2 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 K’s, 19.64 ERA, 2.45 WHIP
Kevin Slowey – The
command specialist continues to sparkle this spring. Slowey held the
Yankees scoreless in two relief innings, yielding one hit while
striking out three. The Yankees made large-scale substitutions as
Slowey entered the game in the sixth – Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano
were the only regulars he faced – but the young right-hander’s spring
ERA of 0.00 is still impressive.
Spring Line: 7.0 innings, 5 hits, 3 walks, 8 K’s, 0.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP
Note: Bailey has been reassigned to minor league camp.
Thursday
The
other Japanese pitcher finally stood up and showed his potential, while
Seattle’s top pitching prospect arm continues to look very promising.
Kei Igawa – The
Japanese righthander was practically unhittable in his 3.1 inning start
against the Braves. He allowed a lone double and struck out five,
although he walked four batters. Stuff-wise, Igawa made a statement.
Spring Line: 7.0 innings, 8 hits, 7 walks, 12 K’s, 5.14 ERA, 2.14 WHIP
Brandon Morrow – Coming on in the fourth to pitch two innings against the Cubs’ regulars, the 5th
overall selection of the 2006 draft looked dominant. Morrow struck out
three and limited the Cubs to a hit and a walk over his two shutout
innings.
Spring Lines: 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 6 K’s, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP
Jason Hirsh – Hirsh
rebounded from an awful outing to throw 5.0 strong innings in a start
against Oakland. The 25-year-old yielded just one run on three hits and
three walks, striking out three in the process.
Spring Line: 11.2 innings, 11 hits, 7 walks, 6.17 ERA, 1.54 WHIP
Nick Christie can be reached at nickchristie@gmail.com.