Drabek is a prospect I've been extremely high on from the beginning of the year. One of my bold predictions coming into the year was Drabek leading the minors in K's. Well...

By May it looked like a legit possibility. He was averaging 6+ innings a start, averaging 10.8 K/9. His K total projected if he stayed that same rate over the entire season would be 189 K's, which would have led to him winning the K title. Instead he got promoted to AA as a 21 year old in his first full season back from TJ surgery. From there, his K total plummeted, which worried many observers. But as stated in the line above, he was a 21 year old in his first season back from TJ surgery. These results should have pleased many people. Instead, he's being drastically underrated. He still kept very good control as well. The only concern is that along with the loss of K's, his hit rate went drastically up, a concern with his lower BABIP in AA. He did not allow a single homer in high A, surprising with him not being a groundball pitcher. Coming into the year his stuff was as followed as reported by BA:

Strengths: Drabek is on his way to having three average-to-plus pitches. His fastball has reached 95 mph during his comeback and sits in the low 90s, though he hasn't had to carry it deep into games yet. His hard curveball is rounding into above-average shape more consistently. The work he did in instructional league improved both his mechanics and his changeup.

His A+ Ball report at the end of the season:

Between his 93-94 mph fastball that touched 96 mph whenever he needed and a promising changeup and curveball that both project to be plus pitches, Drabek had the three-pitch repertoire to be a future No. 2 starter.

He also has excellent athleticism for a pitcher, no surprise for someone who could have been a top-three-rounds pick as a shortstop. He fields his position well, holds runners and has the ability to make adjustments to his delivery on the fly.

Drabek's biggest flaws are mainly minor issues. He sometimes relies too much on his secondary stuff instead of blowing hitters away with his fastball. Some managers believed he struggled to maintain his composure when he got into jams, but others thought his fiery mound presence worked to his advantage.

His AA report at the end of the season:

The Phillies threw Drabek's name around in midseason trade talks but kept him as he emerged as their top pitching prospect. The son of 1990 Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, Kyle overcame Tommy John surgery and threw a career-best 158 innings this season. He tired late as the workload caught up to him, but at his best he showed a tantalizing mix of three plus pitches to go with athleticism that makes him a dangerous hitter and adept fielder.

Drabek's fastball sits in the 90-93 mph range with life, and his curveball and changeup are inconsistent but both have flashed above-average, particularly his breaker. His curveball is sharp and late, but he needs to command both the fastball and curve better. He made great strides with his changeup while going through his Tommy John rehab, as well as with his maturity.

Scouts and managers generally lauded Drabek's competitiveness and fiery mound presence. They also admitted that it gets him in trouble at times. "He loves to compete," Reading manager Steve Roadcap said, "but he will have to learn to dial it back a bit."

He's easily a top 25 prospect, and a top 7 pitching prospect, if not higher.