Kevin Goldstein's top LHP

[Mephistopheles]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5434

 

Again, don't know if I can post what he said on Pawly and Veal.

 

1. Scott Elbert

2. Clayton Kershaw

3. Andrew Miller

4. Donald Veal

5. John Danks

6. Franklin Morales

7. Jacob McGee

8. Troy Patton

9. Gio Gonzalez

10. Chuck Lofgren

11. Mark Pawelek

12. Jaime Garcia

13. Jonathan Sanchez

14. Travis Wood

15. Sean West

 

Honorable Mentions:

Dana Eveland

Kasey Kiker

Scott Lrwis

Greg Olsen

Alexander Smit

 

I think this sums it up on Pawly: "I just thought he'd be better than this."

 

And on Veal: "Veal is a classic power pitcher--at 6-foot-4 and roughly 225 pounds and he unleashes 92-94 mph fastballs with sink and run and compliments the pitch with a plus changeup that can make hitters look foolish. He's still refining his slurvy breaking ball, and his control is spotty."

 

KG has a chat scheduled for 1:00 CST. If you have anything you want me to ask him, post away.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Again, don't know if I can post what he said on Pawly and Veal.

 

It should be fine to post it since it's not premium material.

 

4. Donald Veal, Cubs

 

Age: 21.9 H/9: 5.47 BB/9: 4.78 K/9: 9.77

 

While the Cubs used their first round pick in 2005 to select the best high school lefty available in Mark Pawelek (below), 48 picks later they selected Veal, who has developed (at least for now) into the better prospect. Veal is a classic power pitcher--at 6-foot-4 and roughly 225 pounds and he unleashes 92-94 mph fastballs with sink and run and compliments the pitch with a plus changeup that can make hitters look foolish. He's still refining his slurvy breaking ball, and his control is spotty, but he's allowed so few hits that the walks have rarely hurt him in games. Beyond his raw numbers, Veal's consistency also stands out, as in 11 Florida State League starts, he's allowed one or zero runs eight times, and never more than three runs. Size, great numbers, plenty of room for improvement--what's not to like?

 

11. Mark Pawelek, Cubs

 

Age: 20.0 H/9: 7.62 BB/9: 3.70 K/9: 8.06

 

Call me crazy, but I just thought he'd be better than this. The 2005 first-round pick pitched very well in his pro debut, and it was somewhat of a surprise to see the Cubs have him start the year in extended spring training, although they also had highly-regarded first-round pick Ryan Harvey do the same after his pro debut. So now he's in his second year as a pro, he's yet to pitch in a full-season league, and while he's been dominant at times, he's also been highly inconsistent and hasn't missed bats like many expected. Already in the low-to-mid 90s and expected to gain velocity as his skinny frame fills out, Pawelek shows plus secondary stuff at times, but like his performances, all of his pitches other than the fastball are inconsistent. His ceiling is very high, but there's not enough performance yet to place him higher.

 

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised Kershaw is that high after 36 GCL innings.

[Mephistopheles]

It's supposed to be premium, but the cutoff that they did is at the very end of the article. Someone made a mistake. Yeah Kershaw seems a bit high. He's definitely up there, but I'd still rank at least Miller ahead of him.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Pawelek's season has been disappointing, but he's still a solid prospect with high upside (as Goldstein has mentioned) and has turned it around the past month.

 

He was supposed to start the season in Peoria but ended up in extended because he showed up out of shape and didn't impress in ST. Then, he starts his Boise season with Rick Ankiel-like control and gets sent to the bullpen in favor of the likes of Billy Muldowney. But he's worked closely with his pitching coach in Boise (David Rosario) on repeating his deliver and mechanics (what was he working on in Mesa?) and his control has improved greatly. He's been great since returning to the rotation (28.1 IP, 1.59 ERA, 27 Ks, 8 BBs). If he keeps that up the rest of the way, I can't really be disappointed.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

It's supposed to be premium, but the cutoff that they did is at the very end of the article. Someone made a mistake. Yeah Kershaw seems a bit high. He's definitely up there, but I'd still rank at least Miller ahead of him.

 

Oh, gotcha. I say leave it for now since Veal and Pawelek made the cutoff. What you did is good for premium material that is below the cutoff.

[RyCubsFan]

No O'Malley?! :wink:

 

I wonder if Marshall or Hill would have made any part of the list, had they less service time.

 

I agree that Veal is ahead of Pawelek at this point. He's just more polished at the moment.

[Laura]

He was supposed to start the season in Peoria but ended up in extended because he showed up out of shape and didn't impress in ST.

 

That doesn't sound good. Hopefully a lesson learned for next season.

[Mephistopheles]

Ryan O'Malley (Floating on a Cloud): Where did I come from? Was I even in the book? 8 shutout innings against Houston?! Can I continue to pitch well, or was it my Field of Dreams moment?

 

Kevin Goldstein: It was your turn at Iowa, so you were available. I watched that game, and even as a White Sox fan, I enjoyed it at the post game thoroughly. If that's not cool to you, then something is wrong with you.

 

That said, I predict that Ryan O'Malley's major league career will end with less than 10 wins.