Blackburn Turns It Around For Giants - BaseballAmerica.com

Clayton Blackburn (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

I honestly think, based on Chris Heston's performance last year, that Clayton could definitely sneak his way into the Giants rotation in 2016 and post even better numbers as a back of the rotation starter. Unfortunately, this means an injury or poor performance from Peavy, Cain or one of the "Big Three"
(Bumgarner, Cueto, Samardzjia).

from Baseball America:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/blackburn-turns-around-giants/

Blackburn Turns It Around For Giants

SAN FRANCISCO—It was beginning to look like a lost year for righthander Clayton Blackburn.
He didn't get much of an opportunity to impress Giants coaches in major league camp because of shoulder tendinitis. Then he stayed in Arizona when the minor league seasons began. When he reported to Triple-A Sacramento, he was 2-3, 4.50 in his first seven starts—including a nine-run blasting at Albuquerque that served as a rude introduction to the Pacific Coast League.
...
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The FREE CLAYTON BLACKBURN!!! movement gains momentum

This is either a tragically sad case of confirmation bias rearing its ugly head or a wonderful example of great minds thinking alike. FREE CLAYTON BLACKBURN!!

from Baseball America:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospect-hot-sheet-sept-4-end-line/

14. Clayton Blackburn, rhp, Giants

Team: Triple-A Sacramento (Pacific Coast)
Age: 22
Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO

The Scoop: After Blackburn missed the first month and then endured a rough May, he has rebuilt his stock unlike any pitcher in the Giants organization. Scouts were perplexed when Blackburn's stuff backed up early in the season, perhaps because he was rehabbing a shoulder injury. Whatever the case, he had a tremendous second half, finishing with a 1.98 ERA in August.

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Giants sending seven prospects to Arizona Fall League and the blogs go wild!!

Subject: Tweet by GIANT Potential on Twitter

	GIANT Potential (@giant_potential)
9/1/15, 2:37 PM #SFGiants heading to Fall League: Black, Blackburn, Rogers, Mejia, Slania, Arroyo, Williamson, Slater. Full team here milb.com/roster/index.j…

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The Twitter-sphere and the blog-o-sphere both lit up once the Arizona Fall League rosters were announced and with good reason.

I liked the comments from Baseball America about Arroyo being a hitting machine in the Panik and Duffy mode. Ray Black at 103 MPH bears watching if for no other reason than to see if he has the potential to join Hunter Strickland in future Giants bullpen that does not include the Fab Four of Affeldt, Romo, Casilla and Lopez. Mejia's left-handedness makes him important. Future starter of reliever? Stay off the PED's so we can find out, please. This is big for Mac Williamson and Austin Slater, especially Williamson. His development may determine what happens with Bird and/or Aoki.

And Clayton Blackburn. Oh, Clayton Blackburn!! I hope this doesn't mean he doesn't show in September for the big club. I'm afraid that is exactly what it means, meaning more Ty Blach, less Clayton Blackburn. FREE CLAYTON BLACKBURN!!!


from McCovey Chronicles:
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2015/9/1/9241813/afl-rosters-sf-giants-arizona-fall-league

Mejia and Blackburn are both AFL vets, with Arroyo, Slater, Williamson, Black, and Slania going for the first time. Of the seven, Arroyo is probably the best prospect, coming straight out of the GIants' factory of high-contact middle infielders, but with a better draft pedigree than any of them. He's hitting .308/.348/.471 for the San Jose Giants*, even though he's just 20 years old.

*For contrast, Matt Duffy is hitting .302/.342/.445 for the Giants this year, so picture a shortstop in Class-A doing exactly what Duffy has done for the Giants this year, and you have a very rough idea of how impressive Arroyo has looked. Even the K/BB numbers are similar.

When it comes to the most intriguing prospects, it's kind of a toss-up. At this time last year, Mejia was a better bet to be the Chris Heston of the 2015 Giants, but then he was suspended 50 games for a stimulant to start this season. Clayton Blackburn could contribute to the rotation as soon as next year, and Mac Williamson has an outside shot to pair with Norichika Aoki in the outfield.

Ray Black, though, throws 103 MPH.

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from Baseball America:

baseballamerica.com

THE STARS: A year ago, scouts who watched Indians outfielder Clint Frazier came away expecting to see more from the No. 5 overall pick in the 2013 draft. This season, Frazier rebounded with a strong season for high Class A Lynchburg and an outstanding second half. The 20-year-old Frazier will share an outfield with fellow Indians outfielder Bradley Zimmer, the team's 2014 first-rounder and Lynchburg teammate for most of the season until Zimmer, 22, earned a promotion to Double-A Akron in July . . . Giants shortstop Christian Arroyo hits everywhere he goes. Batting .308/.348/.471 in 84 games this season for high Class A San Jose, the 20-year-old Arroyo is an aggressive hitter with a knack for barreling the baseball.

INTERESTING: The Red Sox didn't send Yoan Moncada to the AFL, but first baseman Sam Travis will be there after splitting the regular season between high Class A Salem and Double-A Portland . . . Twins Double-A outfielder Adam Brett Walker swings and misses a ton, which is a major red flag, but he also brings outstanding power, which should play well in the hitter-friendly AFL . . . Tigers outfielder Mike Gerber doesn't have Walker's power, but his simple, efficient swing stays in the hitting zone a long time. The Tigers conservatively sent Gerber, 22, to the low Class A Midwest League, where he batted .296/.357/.469 in 129 games, so the better pitching he'll see in the AFL will give a better gauge of the Tigers' 15th-round pick from a year ago . . . Ray Black missed his first two pro seasons due to a shoulder injury, so he's a 25-year-old reliever who only pitched in the high Class A California League this year. He walked 22 batters in 23 innings, but he also struck out 48 (a ridiculous 18.8 K/9) with a triple-digits fastball . . . Joining Black in the big velo, where-is-the-ball-going camp is Twins righthand reliever Nick Burdi, who pitched well in high Class A Fort Myers before running into trouble upon his Double-A promotion.

REHABBING: Giants lefthander Adalberto Mejiaisn't rehabbing from an injury, but he is building up innings after sitting out until June because he tested positive for the stimulant sibutramine. After throwing 108 innings in 2014, Mejia has pitched 47 1/3 innings with a 2.47 ERA in Double-A Richmond this year. While Mejia might be a candidate to help the Giants next season, it would be a big jump in workload if he did it as a starter, even with the AFL exposure.

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Kershaw dominates, Giants stay close (seriously?)

I watched the entire excruciating three-game series because that's just how I roll. If indeed the Giants did lose all three games by only one run each in reality, the games were never that close from my vantage point. The games were never as close as the scoreboard indicated.



At no point during last nights debacle did I ever expect the Giants were going to score enough runs to win that game, Kershaw was that much in control,

from Yahoo Sports:
Clayton Kershaw's 132-pitch masterpiece closes out Dodgers' sweep of Giants - Yahoo Sports:

Don Mattingly had dodged questions all week about these Los Angeles Dodgers against those San Francisco Giants, about the long (and possibly naïve) view of burying the Giants and winning a division a full month before the season would end, and then Wednesday night happened. He went to the mound in the ninth inning to see Clayton Kershaw, to see if 127 pitches in a one-run game weren't quite enough for his ace, what with two Giants on the bases and one out still undone. "How am I doing. I'm good. That was about it," Kershaw recalled of a meeting he had little use for.

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I must truly love torture to have sat through all of that. I must be the Dick Cheney of baseball fan-dom to have sat through all of that.  The Giants only chance was when Mattingly came out and decided to exercise his managerial discretion. It looked like the entire infield would have wrestled him into submission if he extended his hand and tried to take the ball from Kershaw. Once they talked some sense into him, it was GAME OVER!!

If people want to hang their hat on the fact that the last four games are against these same Dodgers in AT&T Park and therefore the Giants only need to stay within four games of the Dodgers to have some hope, well they can hang it up. Ain't going to happen. That just means that the Giants could theoretically finish eight games behind the Dodgers this season.

Maybe there is something to this even year thing. Sheesh!! Free Clayton Blackburn!!!

Extra Baggs: Bobby Evans calls Alejandro De Aza an important addition, and a 14-inning loss underscored the Giants' need - Giants Extra

Another lower tier pitching prospect is moved. A LHP to boot. Kendry Flores, who was moved earlier in the year may get some innings with the big club before the year is out, so perhaps this will accelerate Ysla's arrival in the bigs. De Aza gives the bench a little more length. Bird has worked out well so far, so maybe we're scouting bats better on the professional level than we do on the amateur level.

from Giants Extra:
Extra Baggs: Bobby Evans calls Alejandro De Aza an important addition, and a 14-inning loss underscored the Giants' need - Giants Extra:

In case you missed it earlier, minor league lefty Luis Ysla is the player going to Boston for De Aza. And outfielder Ryan Lollis was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man space.

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One of my personal prospect favorites, RHP Clayton Blackburn is making a push for some starts with the Giants and seriously, can he be any worse than the back half of Madison and The Broken Down Boys? 

Sorry, but you could see Peavy's breakdown coming even while he was pitching pretty well in the first five. Some loud outs plus the fatigue of an aging veteran was just enough to ignite the Dodgers rally that took the lead from the Gigantes.

Step 1 ) Bring up Blackburn Step 2) Give Blackburn some of the starts we're burning on all these automatic L's. What have you got to lose?

Giants' Pence homers, Blackburn dominates | MiLB

Clayton Blackburn made his second Pacific Coast League start after missing all of April. (Brian McLeod/Arizona Fall League)

Double dose of good news for the Gigantes who can use the bat of Pence and the starting pitching depth and backup that Blackburn will provide. It is obvious that Blackburn may not be the prettiest horse in the barn, but he has proven to be a solid workhorse at every stop in the minors. The addition of a new weapon in the slider should help Blackburn's development. 

from milb.com

http://m.milb.com/news/article/20150515124506348/

After allowing some hard contact in the fourth, Blackburn changed gears for the fifth. The right-hander found a groove with his slider, using it to induce multiple swings-and-misses while getting four of his final six outs via the strikeout.

The slider is a relatively new pitch for Blackburn -- he only began throwing it in the Arizona Fall League last year. After being shut down almost all spring with the shoulder issue, Blackburn resumed throwing the slider while working with Class A Short Season Salem-Keizer pitching coach Matt Yourkin in extended spring training.

WINTER MEETINGS NOTES: Giants chase Shields; Panda's move was no surprise - Giants Extra

Some good news for the Giants out of the Winter Meetings, hopefully they hold on to Blach and fellow prospect Clayton Blackburn. They could help solidify the back end of the starting rotation beginning as early as 2015. Kyle Crick still worries me a bit with his wildness, I don't seem to recall the same issue with Zack Wheeler at the same point in his development. If Crick comes around, he has top of the rotation stuff. No other Giants pitching prospect brings a higher ceiling to the table than Kyle Crick.

from Giants Extra:
WINTER MEETINGS NOTES: Giants chase Shields; Panda's move was no surprise; #ThreeBelt; Giants add two minor leaguers - Giants Extra:

"— On a brighter note, here’s another thing I heard all week: The Giants think Ty Blach is very underrated on prospect lists. The 24-year-old left-hander has had two good seasons since getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, posting a 3.02 ERA over 47 appearances. Blach has pulled away from some of the other pitching prospects in that vaunted 2013 San Jose Giants class, and there are people in the front office who believe he can contribute to the back end of the rotation at some point next season."

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As far as chances to be a major league contributor, I still like Blach the best although he fell a little bit off last years performance mainly due to his hitting too many bats. He is a pitch to contact guy, but the thinking is that guys are getting too much hard contact which will only get greater as he advances. Blackburn has no such worries attached to him that I have seen. He seems to be able to grind through lineups and get outs efficiently. LHP prospect Adalberto Mejia throws up a red flag with his PED suspension.

P.S. - Although I am partial to LHP's, I like Blackburn / Blach in that order. And before I get crushed by others, I have not seen enough of Tyler Beede outside of Vanderbilt to rank him yet, but he is 1-1A with Crick in terms of ceiling, with a little more consistency it seems in terms of performance. His age helps in that regard. Blackburn, Blach and Beede, the Killer B's of Giants pitching prospects. 

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2267984-giants-prospect-adalberto-mejia-suspended-latest-details-reaction-and-analysis

As Pavlovic mentions, Mejia is regarded as one of San Francisco's best prospects. He was ranked as the Giants' No. 4 prospect coming into the 2014 season by Baseball America and MLB.com, and spent all year playing for Double-A Richmond. 

Just 21 years old, Mejia was signed by the Giants as an international free agent in 2011. In the scouting report for him coming into 2014 onMLB.com, the left-hander was described as having the total package of what scouts look for in a young southpaw:

He had no problem handling high Class A hitters at age 19, as the only thing that slowed him down was a strained lat muscle that sidelined him for seven weeks.

Mejia has everything scouts look for in a pitcher -- stuff, size and command -- and as a bonus, he's left-handed. Mejia throws a low-90s two-seam fastball with minimal effort, getting the ball to cut or sink and locating it where he wants.

Losing Mejia for 50 games certainly delays his path to the big leagues next season. He still had work to do, as evidenced by a 4.67 ERA and 119 hits allowed in 108 innings, via MiLB.com, but the ceiling is bright for this young pitcher. This is just a bad speed bump on the road to what will hopefully be a long and prosperous career for a talented hurler. 

So in order, I guess my Giants pitching prospect list would be:

• Clayton Blackburn
• Derek Law
• Kendry Flores
• Keury Mella
• Ty Blach
• Adalberto Mejia
• Steven Okert
• Joan Gregorio
• Kyle Crick
• Chris Stratton
• Martin Agosta

The bottom three could really turn this list around in a hurry. Especially if Crick and Stratton start pitching in a more consistently dominant fashion.  Agosta may start falling from lists in this coming year. A major disappointment given where he was drafted. Flores and Mella are still a couple of years away from contributing.

from mlb.com
http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/100152666/clayton-blackburn-among-giants-prospects-in-arizona-fall-league

For someone who has breezed through pro ball, Giants right-hander Clayton Blackburn has a lengthy to-do list in the Arizona Fall League. He's trying to add two new pitches while replacing innings lost to a rib-cage injury during the season.

"I got hurt a little bit this year and missed about a month, so making up some innings, but also I'm trying to learn more of a true slider," said Blackburn, ranked as the Giants' No. 7 prospect. "I already have a big curveball, so I need a little bit of a true slider. And I'm going from a changeup to a splitter. So working on those, just perfecting my craft and getting better overall."

 In four pro seasons, Blackburn has gone 23-17 with a 2.98 ERA and a 405/76 K/BB ratio in 395 2/3 innings, thanks more to advanced pitchability than overpowering stuff. Though he has a burly 6-foot-2, 260-pound frame, he also has the athleticism to repeat his delivery. Blackburn throws with such little effort that his fastball appears quicker than its 89-93 mph velocity, he has the ability to manipulate the shape of his curveball, and he owns a sinking changeup to keep left-handers in check.

Blackburn went to big league camp with the Giants this spring and saw Hunter Strickland, his roommate at Double-A Richmond this year, become a key part of San Francisco's bullpen during the postseason. As the organization's most advanced starting-pitching prospect, he could make his Major League debut as a 22-year-old next season.

Giants Sending Seven to Arizona Fall League

This is an interesting group for the Giants.

Carbonell is currently in High-A and quickly showing the hit tool he needs to advance at that level. If he performs well here in Arizona it would not be too surprising to see him open next year in AA ball.

from Bleacher Report:
Giants Sending Seven to Arizona Fall League:

The Giants will send seven players to the Arizona Fall League this year, all of them intriguing in their own unique, snowflakey way. The list:

• Clayton Blackburn
• Steven Okert
• Erik Cordier
• Hunter Strickland
• Daniel Carbonell
• Matt Duffy
• Blake Miller

We talked about Cordier, Strickland, and Carbonell over over here while talking about potential September call-ups. I'm not sure how their AFL selections affect their chances of joining the Giants in September, but it hasn't hurt players in the past.

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Matt Duffy needs the work against advanced pitching and can provide the type of versatility that should give him plenty of AB's down there.

Blake Miller, like Duffy is possibly a bigger, stronger utility IF type with a good bat. At 6-3, 195 you'd like to see more power, especially given the K-rate, but .300 hitters don't come around very often. Miller has shown the hit tool in AA and is another collegiate bat so it's nearing put up or shut up time for him as well IMO.

Clayton Blackburn and Hunter Strickland are the highest impact guys among the pitchers. Blackburn needs the work as he will likely not get any September big-league starts. Strickland at least may get some opportunities to assist at the big league level.

Okert and Cordier also show potential to be solid bullpen contributors. Okert shows a bit more polish and Cordier more stuff.

Giants post a Baseball America Pitcher of the Day!!!

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Clayton Blackburn, rhp — Double-A Richmond (Giants)
Blackburn, who ranked ninth on the Giants' Midseason Prospect Update, set a career high with 11 strikeouts and gave up only three hits over eight innings, although he got a no-decision as Portland ended up beating Richmond 1-0 in 10 innings. In a season that's gone sideways for several Giants prospects, especially pitchers, Blackburn's has a solid season (3-5, 2.87 at Richmond). He's not striking out as many batters as previous seasons, but his control has been better. With a relative lack of velocity—he can touch 93, but sits 87-90—Blackburn needs command to succeed.

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Ty Blach getting noticed

Good to see Ty Blach getting his due. Like Clayton Blackburn, he is not flashy, just effective. That part about not missing the strike zone gets some attention eventually. The Tom Glavine comps are looking better and better. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the bigs this year, except that means the Giants are likely out of the playoff hunt.

Expect Blach to make some noise in camp next year and possibly be a solid contributor by 2016.

from Bleacher Report:
Ty Blach, LHP:

2014 Season Stats: 18 GS, 7-4, 2.95 ERA, 22 BB, 63 K, 97.2 IP 

 The left-hander pitched another gem for Triple-A Richmond, going a full seven innings and allowing two earned runs.  Blach added seven strikeouts and no walks and was truly dominant on the mound.  It's the first time in 11 starts that Blach has lasted at least seven innings.

Among the Giants' top pitching prospects, Blach possesses the most control, as demonstrated by his last start.  Unlike many minor leaguers, Blach simply doesn't miss the strike zone.

Blach has plenty of competition but plenty of upside.  

Stock: Up

'via Blog this'

John Sickels ranks six Giants prospects in his top 150 - McCovey Chronicles

from McCovey Chronicles:
John Sickels ranks six Giants prospects in his top 150 - McCovey Chronicles:

Plus, he's kind of bullish on Giants prospects. He gave the Giants six of the top prospects in his 150-player list on Thursday, including four in the top 100. Those players:

#36, Kyle Crick, RHP
#79, Edwin Escobar, LHP
#83, Andrew Susac, C
#97, Clayton Blackburn, RHP
#115, Chris Stratton, RHP
#126 Adalberto Mejia, LHP

'via Blog this'

My list at this point would be somewhat different:

Among the pitchers, as of today, I would rank them :

1. Ty Blach
2. Clayton Blackburn
3. Derek Law
4. Kendry Flores
5. Aldaberto Mejia
6. Kyle Crick
7. Heath Hembree
8. Jose Casilla
9. Joan Gregorio
10. Keury Mella

That's just based on how efficiently they are pitching, based on their level and age.

Edwin Escobar scares me, not so much for anything he has done, but for what it is that people see in him that elevates him up so many of these lists. His stats are decidedly mediocre.

Chris Stratton is an enigma in that some love his stuff, but I can't seem to get past his age and the level he is currently struggling at. His stats are decidedly unimpressive.

Same with Martin Agosta. His stats are also showing signs of struggle at a low level. Not good. Both Agosta and Stratton should both be competing at the AA level by now, where they would likely be struggling even more, which leads me to believe the Giants are protecting them somewhat. Have to swim in the deep end of the pool at some point or you go from prospect to suspect.

Hembree and Crick are going to determine how well or poorly we talk about this group of prospects. Both are flashing warning signs, mainly in the command and control area. How each one irons out this area determines how high they fly or how quickly they crash. If the Giants go 2 for 2 here, they should be able to paste together a good rotation and bullpen. One for two probably doesn't work, given the organizational emphasis on pitching and the age of both the current starters and some in the bullpen. Oh for two is going to be an unmitigated disaster. 

---

Among the hitters, it's probably Panik and Susac and then not much else. The power hitters were led by Mac Williamson, but now he's down due to Tommy John surgery. It could be worse, TJ surgery does not keep hitters down as long as pitchers, and it could have been one of the pitchers, so I consider the organization fortunate at this point. 

We lose Roger Kieschnick to the D-Backs, but he joins the growing line of ex-Giants fringe OF's patrolling the majors, a la Nate Schierholtz, Francisco Peguero, etc. Ricky Oroposa, Jarrett Parker seem headed down that path. 

I'm still not sure what to make of Adam Duvall at 3B in AA or Chuckie Jones OF in Lo-A. Maybe Duvall gets a shot if Panda's AVG stays lower than his weight and his contract demands don't exceed Scott Boras' wildest imagination. 

We shall see....

Giants pitching prospects giving mixed signals

Clayton Blackburn continues to pitch well at AA. He won't WOW!! anybody, but he is a very efficient pitcher with what he has and does his job better than some of his more highly touted brethren. Edwin Escobar, who both scouts and the "prospect-razzi" seem to love, continues to struggle at the AAA level. Escobar scares me at this point. He seems to be a bit of a tease in terms of display of talent. The kind of guys who pitches just well enough to not win. He may be destined to be a prospect-razzi heart-breaker.



Baseball America Prospect Report

Compiled by Baseball America   April 11, 2014

SF		AA		Blackburn, Clayton		4		6		4		2		0		6		3.00		L (0-1)
SF		AAA		Cordier, Erik		1		0		0		0		0		3		9.00
SF		AAA		Escobar, Edwin		4		5		3		3		2		7		7.27
SF		HiA		Gregorio, Joan		5		6		2		1		2		6		1.00		W (1-0)

We see this divergence throughout the organization as far as the pitchers go. The more highly touted guys, like Kyles Crick and Heath Hembree are flashing the control/command red flag. Martin Agosta and Edwin Escobar seem to give up a bunch of hits, the antithesis of getting guys out, Chris Stratton seems to have a higher propensity for giving up the gopher ball than you would like, plus he's a lower level than you would like to see given his age and experience. 

Now if these things are happening to guys at a higher than average level in the minors, you can only imagine what major league hitters will do to them. 

In contrast, guys like Ty Blach, the aforementioned Clayton Blackburn, Derek Law, Kendry Flores, Aldaberto Mejia and Santiago's little brother Jose Casilla seem to fly under the radar as far as generating ink and / or making prospect lists. However, these guys have demonstrated, at least from an advanced metric standpoint, an ability to pitch, get guys out and keep the ball in the yard. Three major components of and predictors for guys who have long / productive big league careers.  

I like this 2012 write up from scout.com generally and the comp to Derek Lowe specifically. 

http://sfgiants.scout.com/2/1176965.html

We see his skillset comparable to an in-his-prime Derek Lowe. While Blackburn is not as big as Lowe, he has a similar style: he is not overpowering, but is able to induce a lot of ground balls while also posting a good strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Lowe has won 176 major league games over his career.  He looks somewhat like Rick Reuschel. "Big Daddy" won 214 games, 44 of them with the Giants late in his career. I think we would take either comparison and win total from Mr. Blackburn.

Fresno Grizzlies' Mike Kickham continues strong audition for Giants call-up - - Fresnobee.com

MARK CROSSE/THE FRESNO BEE

Grizzlies starting pitcher Mike Kickham, after a strong last five starts, could be getting a big-league call-up soon in the wake of the injury to Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/23/3312052/fresno-grizzlies-kickham-continues.html#storylink=cpy

Kickham is in the middle of a turn-around at just the right time it seems. The Vogelsong injury creates am opening in the starting rotation and Kickham may be able to fill it. His K/BB ratio is about 2.5 ( 54K's and 22 BB's) which is not too shabby. Anything over 2.0 is a pretty good marker for success.


from the Fresno Bee:
Fresno Grizzlies' Mike Kickham continues strong audition for Giants call-up - Fresno Grizzlies - fresnobee.com:

But Kickham has come on strong and has won three straight for the first time in his career after Thursday's performance.

In his past five starts, Kickham owns a 1.72 ERA and is holding batters to a .214 average. He also has struck out 29 and allowed just nine walks in that stretch.

 In fact, Kickham's strikeout-to-walk ratio has been solid all year: 54-22 in 54 innings for the season.

'via Blog this'


In fact, Baseball Digest recently published a list of pitchers with the best K/BB ratios with a minimum of 2,000 K's. Granted this is going to give you a list of solid starters by definition. You have to be good to hang around long enough to log 2,000 K's in a career.

Pitcher               Ratio
Curt Schilling        4.38
Pedro Martinez     4.15
Roy Halliday         3.78
Mike Mussina       3.58
Greg Maddux       3.37
Javier Vasquez      3.32
Randy Johnson     3.26
Dennis Eckersley   3.25
Juan Marichal        3.25
Fergie Jenkins       3.20

That would be a pretty solid staff. That's why I like that ratio > 3.0 as a prospect identifier for the minor leaguers. San Jose starter Clayton Blackburn has pretty solid numbers here and Fresno RHP Chris Heston does as well.  It's just a basic, quick and dirty metric that shows a pitchers efficiency in controlling / dominating AB's whether it be via power pitching  (high K's) or control / finesse pitching (low BB's).

As the list above shows, a nice mix of power arms and crafty pitchers.