Kickham looked good in his first outing. He throws across his body a bit, maybe adds a little deceptiveness there, but the stat line was good 5IP 4H 3BB 6K 1R. Not too shabby. It looks like they may be settling in on him more as a starter. Heath Hembree added 2 IP of work giving up 1H and 1BB to get the save. That's two Giants who can be making some noise in the near future, especially Hembree who has all the makings of a future closer.
from the Fresno Bee:
San Francisco Giants prospect shows stuff with Fresno Grizzlies - Fresno Grizzlies - fresnobee.com:
Baseball America had Kickham ranked the fifth-best prospect overall in the Giants' farm system and with the best slider in the organization.
Kickham showed that wicked slider Sunday while using it often as his knockout pitch for strikeouts.
"I tried not to let the level jump creep into my mind, even though it did a little bit," Kickham said. "It's just baseball. (The mound) is still 60 feet, 6 inches away. The hitters are more selective here, but they'll still chase. It's all about getting ahead. I'm always going to pitch to my strengths. The slider was working well for me today, got me out of trouble.
'via Blog this'
I've noticed you refer to Mike Kickham as a closer. His twin brother Dan was a closer. Mike has been a starting pitcher throughout his college career and so far in the Giants system.
ReplyDeleteYour right, in this article I'm referring to Hembree as future closer, but below I indicated that Kickham had closed, so I stand corrected. I could swear I read reports that he was being considered for either role at one time. To date, he has not. After what I saw, I like him as starter material much, much better. With the number of pitches he has at his disposal, he's better suited and more valuable in that role IMO. If his command didn't come around enough, with his stuff and the number of guys he makes swing and miss, you could spot him in a relief role, perhaps as a closer, more likely set-up or the dreaded LOOGY. But the manager would need a discount on Rolaids no doubt. Thanks for the details.
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