Welcome to “Minors Only,” a new weekly column at Project Prospect. You will see the column every Wednesday and it will highlight various players from around the minor leagues.
Third time for charm for Lofgren?
It was only two short years ago that Cleveland Indians' southpaw Chuck Lofgren was considered one of the premier lefthanded pitching prospects in baseball by some.
Back then, Baseball America ranked Lofgren, now 23, as the 54th best prospect in baseball and only six left handed pitchers were slotted higher. Lofgren's stock slowly dropped thereafter and he bottomed out by posting a 5.00 FIP during a second stint with Double-A Akron last year. The Indians left Lofgren unprotected in last winter's Rule V draft and he was not selected.
The Indians should be glad he wasn't.
Back with Akron for the third consecutive season, Lofgren has breathed new life into what was a dying career – he's put a 3.53 FIP through three starts (61 TBF), with each one a little better than the one before it, and he's struck out 19.7%, up nearly two percent from last year. His walk rate is down 3.1% , though his .122 BABIP will be next-to-impossible to sustain.
After Lofgren's last outing, Akron manager Mike Sarbaugh told the Akron Beacon Journal “that was the best I have seen him throw, this year for sure and, I think, even through last year.”
If Lofgren can continue his revival, he could be bound for the majors before too long. The Indians pitching staff has left much to be desired so far this year.
Valdez in closing mix?
With current closer Mike Gonzalez and his set-up man, Rafael Soriano, both in their walk-years, the Atlanta Braves could be in the market for a closer next winter.
Luckily for them, they might already have their next stopper. Luis Valdez, signed as a minor league free agent in 2007, made a name for himself at Double-A Mississippi last year.
Using a 90-94 MPH fastball, a plus splitter, and a slider the native of the Dominican Republic collected 28 saves while fanning 27.3% and posting a 3.40 FIP. His walk rate was higher than ideal – 12.8% – but the Braves moved him up to their new Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett to open the season and he's continued to pitch well, striking out 27.9% while lowering his walk rate (9.3%) and increasing his ground ball rate by seven percent (43 TBF).
The soon-to-be 25-year-old will likely arrive in Atlanta this summer.
If he can build upon his recent minor league success, he could position himself well for the closer competition in 2010, especially considering that Gonzalez and Soriano could be pitching elsewhere.
Don't forget about me!
Say “Baltimore Orioles pitching prospects,” and you'll hear names like Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, and Brandon Erbe.
But don't forget about David Hernandez, who has a chance to get to Baltimore before any of them and has considerable upside as well.
Hernandez, who turns 24 in May, had an impressive season with Double-A Bowie last year.
The righty struck out 27.7%, the top rate among pitchers who had at least 90 innings in the Eastern League. His 3.48 FIP placed ninth in the league, though his BB% (11.9) was up there and he was not exactly a ground ball specialist (37%).
Still, it was a successful season, and the success has carried over into 2009.
Now with Triple-A Norfolk, Hernandez has opened the season firing on all cylinders, fanning 39.0% (59 TBF) while showing improved walk rates (8.5%) and ground ball tendencies (42%).
According to Tommy Thomson, who managed Hernandez in Frederick a couple of years ago, “He’s got three pitches. He can pitch inside. He can throw a breaking ball. He can throw a fastball away and he can throw a change up at anytime in any count. He just needs to locate his pitches better and, I think, pitch with a little more confidence at times. I don’t know if he realizes how good of stuff and pitches he has.”
Considering that the Orioles rotation resembles a slice of swiss cheese, Hernandez could be in line for a second half call-up as long as he continues to progress for Norfolk.
Discuss this article in our minor league forum. Contact Ryan Fay at rfay8585@yahoo.com.