pitching prospects poll- what we like most about them

by bk11 on Jan 16, 2008 3:54 AM EST

hey guys, i was talking with some of my league mates about pitching prospects and we started discussing what type of pitching traits/characteristics jump out at us when we look at prospects. obviously an all-around package is ideal like david price. but what about the hundreds of other pitchers? when you have a farm draft, what makes you pick one pitcher over another when they seem almost identical? basically what's your pitching prospect fettish?

Poll

what's your pitching prospect fettish?

change up

10 votes

command

34 votes

projection

26 votes

intelligence

5 votes

maturity

1 votes

work ethic

1 votes

fastball

32 votes

slider/curevball

8 votes

117 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

It Varies

Age and level make a big difference. The younger the prospect and the lower his level, the more important the pure stuff and projectability. As the prospect gets older and climbs the ladder, the skills carry more weight. If I had to pick one thing, it would be command. More specifically K:BB ratio. Really, I'm looking for the best balance of all that stuff.

by rwperu34 on Jan 16, 2008 7:10 AM EST reply actions

Fastball

Not saying the other factors aren't important too, but to be a top pitching prospect, you gotta bring the heat.

by DrBGiantsfan on Jan 16, 2008 8:34 AM EST reply actions

I would actually

vote for an option that isn't there: Results.

Manny Parra is my favorite pitcher.

by PujolsJunkie on Jan 16, 2008 9:40 AM EST reply actions

+1

If you don't put up the numbers and you're not damn young for your level, there's something wrong. This applies even moreso to hitters.

When asked why I was a Mets fan, I responded, "pain is my lifeblood."

by wrightHOF on Jan 16, 2008 5:22 PM EST up reply actions

Rather have the brains...

A pitcher that can only throw 85 and has average command, but can fool a hitter with pitch selection and locations is more of a big deal.
In current player speak, my fav. would be a mold of Chris Young. Not overpowering, but smarter than the hitter.

by team name deleted on Jan 16, 2008 10:17 AM EST reply actions

other

knuckleball!

by jpahk on Jan 16, 2008 10:33 AM EST reply actions

not stuff

when i'm "scouting" (i.e. reading reports/articles while i eat cheetoes in my boxers), i actually do look for coaches' praise of the non-statistical intangibles. If he's a prospect being talked about, chances are he's got potential from his stuff; but for some reason i enjoy reading that a very young pitching prospect is more mature than his age. Obviously this is a very flawed notion. I'd imagine in, say, Don Zimmer's eyes, an asparagus has "poise" and is "mature," but for some reason I sometimes gravitate to that. And now that I think about it, I wish I didn't.

by waka25 on Jan 16, 2008 10:53 AM EST reply actions