The preliminary rosters for this years Futures Game have been released. Let's start by taking a look at some of the players on the US team that we haven't talked about yet this year...
Kyle Drabek - Starting Pitcher Philadelphia Philles
Right-hander Kyle Drabek, the Phillies 1st round pick in 2006 (18th overall), is indeed the son of Pirates and Astros star, and 1990 Cy Young Award Winner Doug Drabek.
Kyle may be one pitcher who actually benefited from Tommy John surgery. The Phillies installed a couple of changes into his mechanics while he worked back from the surgery and the combined result was a significant jump in his progression.
Kyle can hit 95 with his plus fastball and cruises in the low 90s. He follows that with a curveball which is great at times but it lacks consistency. Drabek's change is good and improving as well. All three pitches are workable and project to be MLB-viable by the time he's ready.
Drabek has had his personal run-ins and his character is a mild knock against him, but he is said to be coachable and a bit more responsible about baseball.
Kyle bounced back strong and threw 61.2 very good A+ innings this year before being promoted to AA (Reading) when the weather up North warmed up. In 5 starts at AA his K and BB rates have been good although his 2.43 ERA has been enhanced a bit by a favorable 80.8% strand percentage.
Kyle could be ready to be factor in camp next spring. The next 8 to 12 weeks will tell us a lot. Right now he projects as a #3 but we aren't far enough into his post-TJS career to get a full read.
Long Term Fantasy Grade - C+Seas Lvl W L ERA IP K/9 BB/9 HR/9 AVG WHIP 2006 R 1 3 7.71 23.1 5.4 4.2 0.8 .334 1.89 2007 A 5 1 4.33 54.0 7.7 3.8 1.5 .247 1.35 2008 R 0 1 2.25 12.0 4.5 4.5 0.0 .151 1.00 2008 A- 1 2 2.21 20.1 4.4 2.7 0.4 .161 0.84 2009 A+ 4 1 2.48 61.2 10.8 2.8 0.0 .220 1.10 2009 AA 4 0 2.43 33.1 7.0 3.5 0.3 .230 1.23
Trevor Reckling - Starting Pitcher Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels' 8th Round Pick in 2007, Trevor Reckling won 10 games as the Midwest League's youngest regular starter last year. Having just turned 20 this past May, Trevor has made developmental leap this year with 14 outstanding starts between A+ and AA.
Reckling gets your attention with an outstanding drop curve. Right now it's almost too good and he sometimes has trouble taming it. His velocity isn't much to write home about but his fastball plays up because he spots it well on both sides of the plate and he can add and subtract a foot when needed. All of that being said, his change up may be his go-to pitch right now and it's surprising good for his age.
Reckling's .216 OBA in AA this year is sound (a neutral .272 BHIP%) but a 79.4% strand percentage and 1.32 WHIP indicates his 2.52 ERA is a bit better than it should be.
Beyond that Trevor's control issues are worse than even his 4.9/9 BB rate indicates. Over his last month, Reckling's BB rate has been 7.7 /9 in 31.7 IP. That's a concern. So is his youth and his endurance. Last year in the Midwest League he struggled to the finish line and the Angels will need to be wary of his workload.
Trevor will be one of the best takes in this year's Futures Game, if only to see that curve. He has a lot of maturing and seasoning to accomplish and the Angels are deliberate with their young starters.
Reckling probably will not reach AA and striking distance of the majors until sometime next summer. Because his offspeed offerings are his lead pitches, it's unlikely that he has #1 potential. Trevor looks more like a speed and location guy who slots at a #3 or #4
Long Term Fantasy Grade - C+
Seas Lvl W L ERA IP K/9 BB/9 HR/9 AVG WHIP 2007 R 3 1 2.75 36.0 13.8 1.8 0.5 .245 1.11 2008 A 10 7 3.37 152.1 7.6 3.5 0.5 .242 1.29 2009 A+ 1 2 0.95 19.0 7.6 1.4 1.0 .144 0.63 2009 AA 4 2 2.52 64.1 7.0 4.9 0.1 .216 1.32
This is just a small sample of this weeks Prospect Central, Insiderbaseball.com members get over 120+ in depth prospect profiles in Prospect Central and day to day news and analysis of all prospects, and all of Major League Baseball, right in their inbox with our daily e-mail. Get the edge you need for your stretch run by becoming a member today!
