Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Kyle Drabek: A Star In The Making?

Kyle Drabek is just 21 years of age and currently pitching in Single-A Clearwater but he has all the makings of a possible future star. He possesses 2 plus pitches and a decent third pitch. You could argue which is his better pitch: A 92-95 mph fastball that can touch 97 mph on occasion with good movement or a strong hammer curve (upper 70s mph) that buckles the knees of most batters. Both pitches are out pitches and he is able to mix and match with them to keep hitters off-balance in the box. He also throws a decent change and appears to have just begun to discover his potential after a long road back following Tommy John surgery. Originally, Drabek fell to the Phillies in the 2006 draft due to major concerns about his maturity and work ethic. Thankfully, Drabek appears to have been transformed by his surgery and its subsequent long recovery and has recommitted himself to baseball. Because of that new found maturity, Drabek could be a # 1 starter in the Majors if he fulfills his vast potential. Hopefully he will join a rotation anchored by World Series MVP Cole Hamels in the next couple years and provide the Phillies with a very solid duo of young, dominating starters at the major league level. Either way, it should be exciting to follow his progress through the minor leagues. So far in 2009, he's made two starts and dominated in both outings. His combined numbers so far? 2 GS, 2-0, 12 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 16 K, .150 BAA. Hopefully, he keeps up his early domination of the Florida State League and is promoted to Reading by mid-season. That would put him on path to be either a September call-up (a long-shot in a playoff race) or a 2nd half of 2010 arrival in the Majors.

Either way, the Drabek bandwagon is pulling out of the station and I'm fully in the driver's seat.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know it's only been two games, but there is certainly some serious cause for excitement with Drabek. I think someone mentioned over at Phuture Phillies that they expect him to finish at Lehigh Valley, so a 2010 MLB debut (as Myer's replacement, probably) seems likely.

Now how about a post about the guy whose Bandwagon I'm driving? Travis "The Walking Man" Mattair. 8^)

NE Phillies Phan said...

Mattair has been very impressive early on. Perhaps he has finally found the keys to his toolshed and has put it all together. Or it could be a small sample size.

I personally hope its the former and not the latter.

Anonymous said...

Mattair's season so far has been really bizarre: 13 walks in 8 games. I just checked his last three games (10 walks) and I think that the team drew 19 walks in that time period, so I don't think that he's facing ridiculously wild pitching (unless if they're just ridiculously wild when facing him). However, if you take away the walks, he's hitting almost .350 and is producing runs - knocking in 6, scoring 7.

Given that I heard he looked really sharp in spring training, and that he has been playing high caliber defense, I think that it's coming together. I've been following him closely since they drafted him, and I don't recall him ever really being a streaky player. Hopefully he's the real deal.

NE Phillies Phan said...

Mattair is repeating a level so that explains some of his success. The absurd BB rate is hopefully a sign that he has finally put something together at the plate and will be able to build on that newfound plate recognition and regain his status as a good prospect. Still, its ridiculous in just how many walks he's taking. I'll be interested to see where he's at when he gets to 100 ABs, 200 ABs, and 300 ABs in the year. If he continues at even remotely this pace, he's got a shot.

Precision Resistors said...

He is so talented especially for his young age!