60ft6in – Pitcher Scouting Reports

Felix Hernandez / RHP / starter

It may seem like Felix has been around forever, but he’s just 25 years old, and only beginning to hit his prime. His success starts with his fastball that can touch 100 mph. Felix will typically pitch in the low to mid-90s however, getting some amazing sinking action with his 2-seamer. He likes pitching inside to right-handed hitters, burying that 2-seamer under their bats. Felix has been improving his secondary pitches and can snap off two different breaking balls. His slider is very hard, and usually much sharper than the curve, but they both get nasty downward movement. Over the last two seasons, Hernandez has made the biggest strides with his changeup. The Venezuelan will throw this pitch to RHs or LHs, often preferring it over his slider or curve.

King Felix is now the proud owner of his first Cy Young Award, which he took home after leading the American League in ERA, Innings, and Games Started in 2010. 8/12/11

[fastball(91-99), changeup(84-90), slider(85-87), curve(78-84)]



David Aardsma / RHP / closer

Aardsma, a former 1st round draft pick out of Rice University, is finally producing at the major league level. His career took him through five organizations before he finally figured out how to pitch in the big leagues.

Now with the Mariners, Aardsma has simplified his approach, is trusting his fastball, and trying to throw more strikes. He can bring his fastball upwards of 96 mph, using it to set up his sinking splitter and diving slider. He is successfully closing games nowadays, and may be removed from the days when I described him like this.... "It's appropriate that David has three A's in his last name, because that's where he belongs, AAA". 9/6/10 CSJ

[fastball(92-97), slider(82-86), splitter(86-89)]

Jason Vargas / LHP / starter

Jason Vargas reminds some people of Dallas Braden. They both lack velocity, but somehow successfully pitch their way through ballgames. Vargas starts most at-bats with a 2-seam fastball. He pounds the inner half of home plate most of the time, despite only throwing 85-87 mph. His best pitch is likely the changeup, a pitch he keeps away, away, away. Jason also owns a poor slider that has no depth and a standard curveball.

Vargas must have been a piece of work in college, following his ego from school to school before finishing up at Long Beach State. He has also transformed from amateur flame-thrower to professional soft-tosser. 8/18/11

[2-seam fastball(84-89), changeup(77-80), slider(82-84), curve(73-76)]

Brandon League / RHP / closer

League looks like he should be dominant. He has a powerful, low-angle delivery, and can sling 100 mph heat with movement. His secondary pitches have always been a work in progress. He has an inconsistent slider that gets decent drop and clocks in in the upper-80s. He has thrown both a changeup and splitter for an off-speed pitch during his career, but in 2011 it looks like he has settled on his split-finger as his primary weapon. 6/9/11

[fastball(94-100), splitter(86-88), slider(85-89)]

Tom Wilhelmsen / RHP / reliever

Wilhelmsen is a hard-throwing, back-packing, beer-pouring right-hander from Arizona. He can bruise the catcher's hand with his 95 mph gas and miss bats with his plus curveball. However, Wilhelmsen also has bouts of wildness and appears best suited for short stints out of the bullpen. 9/7/11

[4-seam fastball(94-97), curve(77-79)]

Chance Ruffin / RHP / reliever

Son of former major leaguer, Bruce Ruffin, Chance followed a similar path to the show. Both pitched at the University of Texas, where they became high draft picks. Chance is a right-hander however, and slings his pitches to the mitt. His fastball gets some tailing action, while his slider sweeps across the hitting zone. Chance was a closer in college and was drafted to fill that role in the future. 9/7/11

[fastball(90-94), slider(79-84)]

Jamey Wright / RHP / reliever

Jamey Wright has always shown a good arm, but mixes in too many walks and not enough results. He throws a moving fastball to go along with a biting curveball. His splitter looks like a slow version of his fastball, tailing and sinking. Wright also throws a cutter that he is fairly successful at busting LHs inside with. 6/9/11

[fastball(91-93), curve(77-81), cutter(88-91), splitter(87-88)]

Shawn Kelley / RHP / reliever

Kelley completed a full collegiate career at Austin Peay, pitching in parts of five seasons, and even rebounded from TJ surgery. He was drafted in 2007, placed in the bullpen, and shot through the Mariners' system by striking out 89 batters in just 80 minor league innings.

Kelley's fastball, which sits in the low-90s and flies fairly straight, looks hittable. However, he seems to have good control of the pitch and can hit the edges of the plate with it. He'll mix the standard relief pitcher combination of slider and changeup as his secondary pitches. What isn't standard, is the rating that Kelley's slider has gotten by most scouts. He may have the best slider in the entire organization, and the fact that Kelley appears to be in control on the mound, dictating the at-bats, will only increase his potential at a late inning reliever. 8/17/09 CSJ

[fastball(90-94), slider(82-85), changeup(81)]

George Sherrill / LHP / reliever

George uses a naturally cutting fastball and sweeping curveball as his main weapons. He's been known to try a rare changeup, but has basically phased that pitch out. Sherrill has had random bouts with wildness, and his stuff is too hittable to be a dominant reliever.

Sherrill reached the majors at age 27 after a full college career at Austin Peay and five years of pitching independent leagues. 4/15/11

[fastball(86-90), curve(73-77), changeup(80)]

Nate Robertson / LHP / starter - reliever

Robertson used to bring 94 mph heat occasionally, but in recent seasons he can barely touch 90 mph. He throws tons of fastballs and goes inside with them often. His control can be suspect, but he can still pile up innings. Robertson twists a hard slider, throwing it almost exclusively to his glove side of the plate. Nate and his rec-specs also have a hard changeup that he'll throw away from RHs and has added a slow curve in 2010. In the past, he has tried some split-finger pitches.

Robertson a couple of decent seasons for the Tigers, culminating in their World Series appearance of 2006. Since then however, his career has taken a nosedive. 1/21/11 CSJ

[fastball(85-90), slider(80-85), changeup(79-82), curve(75-77)]

Kevin Millwood / RHP / starter

Millwood has lost much of the velocity that he had during his successful years in Atlanta. His goatee is still grotesque, but his fastball only sits around 90 mph with some natural cut. Kevin's slider is fairly standard in the low to mid-80s and his curve is slow in the 70s. Kevin has tried throwing a splitter and/or a changeup at different times in his career. 4/5/11

[fastball(87-91), slider(81-86), curve(69-72), changeup(83-85), splitter]

Scott Patterson / RHP / reliever

Scott Patterson has one of the ugliest deliveries in baseball. However, he seems to spot his fastball well and drops in a slow curveball. His jerky delivery may also give batters an uncomfortable look at his pitches. Patterson played five years of independent league baseball before making a full-time switch to relief pitcher, where he has consistently put up dominant numbers in affiliated ball. 6/2/08 CSJ

[fastball(87-91), curve(69-73)]

Aaron Heilman / RHP / reliever

Heilman features his changeup as his out pitch. The changeup tails and sinks towards his arm side, getting similar movement to his fastball. Heilman threw a slider when he was a starter, and brought back a tight version of that pitch in 2008. He sweeps the slider away from RHs or tightens it up inside to LHs like a cutter. Heilman's fastball may be his best pitch. He can bring it in the mid-90s with tons of movement. With the sinking changeup in the back of their minds, hitters are often blown away by the heater.

Heilman is an Indiana kid. He grew up in Logansport and pitched for Notre Dame. The Mets drafted him in the first round in 2001 and brought him to the big city. Heilman became a force when the Mets converted him to a setup reliever. Heilman pitched a few effective seasons before losing command of his repertoire and becoming susceptible to the home run. 6/9/10 CSJ

[fastball(91-95), changeup(80-85), slider(80-85)]

Oliver Perez / LHP / starter

Oliver's stuff always looks good, starting with a fastball around 90 mph from a 3/4 arm angle. Perez varies the velocities on his breaking stuff a lot. He uses a sweeping slider between 75-81 mph to get Ks. When thrown well, the slider will either dive towards the ankles of RHs, or break away from LHs bats. Oliver has a very slow curveball that he started to use in 2007, dropping that pitch in to mix things up. Perez' off-speed pitch is a splitter, a good change of pace that dives under RHs bats. Oliver has begun to use the split-joint more often to keep hitters guessing. Late in 2009, Perez added a cutter to the mix, and he started throwing it about five to ten times per game.

Ultimately, Oliver's success has always depended on his suspect control. In 2010, Perez was so pathetic that the Mets placed him in the bullpen and let him rot for weeks between appearances. Consider Perez' status, and repertoire, subject to change. 12/21/10 CSJ

[fastball(87-92), slider(74-81), splitter(78-85), cutter(84-87), curve(63-71)]