60ft6in – Pitcher Scouting Reports

Joel Hanrahan / RHP / closer

Hanrahan is a big man and throws the baseball hard. He has a low to mid-90s fastball that can run onto the hands of righties. Joel mixes in sliders and a soft changeup to go with it. Hanrahan made the transition from starter to reliever in 2008, and began punching out batters in bunches. 6/26/09 CSJ

[fastball(92-98), slider(82-88), changeup(83-85)]



Kevin Correia / RHP / starter

Correia's best offering appears to be his fastball, a pitch that he tinkers with often. He can make it sink and tail, cut to his glove side, or fly in with a 4-seam "rise". As a starter, he'll mix in two different breaking pitches; a downward breaking slider and a big 12 to 6 curve. When relieving, Correia seems to ditch the curveball. Kevin's fourth pitch is his changeup. 4/16/09 CSJ

[fastball(88-92), slider(81-86), changeup(81-84), curve(74-77)]

James McDonald / RHP / starter

McDonald is a hard throwing right-hander from Long Beach. He throws over-the-top with all his pitches, giving him a "rising" 4-seamer and a very soft changeup. McDonald uses a slow curveball for his breaking pitch. 10/13/08 CSJ

[fastball(90-95), changeup(74-79), curve(71-77)]

Erik Bedard / LHP / starter

Bedard is a hard thrower. He can touch 95 mph at times, which is dominant velocity from the left side. He tweaks his fastball by throwing a cut variety to either side of the plate. The cut fastball is subtle, but can be just enough to break a bat. Bedard owns a filthy Canadian Hammer; a curveball that breaks down and hard. His fourth pitch, a very distant fourth, is a changeup, a soft pitch that he'll show to RHs. 8/14/11

[fastball(89-94), curveball(75-81), cutter(88-93), changeup(77-81)]

Chris Resop / RHP / reliever

Resop shows great velocity on his fastball, but it flies very straight. His curveball is hard, gets good bite, and looks like a great pitch. Resop has also shown a low-80s changeup that gets some sink. 4/29/08 CSJ

[fastball(92-97), curve(78-82), changeup(81-82)]

Charlie Morton / RHP / starter

Morton has evolved from being a 4-seam guy that regularly got smoked, to a Roy Halladay look-alike that is somehow able to keep his ERA under 4.00. His ratios are still nothing special, but Morton is giving himself a fighting chance by getting some movement on a 2-seamer and trying to throw more strikes. Charlie, a right-hander from the state of Connecticut, didn't just copy Halladay's windup, but he copied his entire repertoire as well. Morton now works from a high 3/4 arm slot and mixes in a good amount of cutters to go with the 2-seam fastball. He spins 12 to 6 curves and uses a splitter to try and get Ks.

Morton's metamorphosis is a huge part of the Pittsburgh Pirates' resugence in 2011. 7/23/11

[fastball(89-94), splitter(83-86), curve(75-79), cutter(88-91)]

Jeff Karstens / RHP / starter

Karstens will rarely touch 90 mph with his fastball, but shows the batter multiple arm angles and degrees of movement. His sinking 2-seamer will vary from 85-89 mph and he'll throw a 4-seamer that can touch 93. Karstens uses two breaking balls; a 77-82 mph slider and a 66-72 mph curve. Jeff's off-speed pitch is a sinking changeup. Ironically, after watching his last few starts, I noticed that Karstens threw about 15-20 cutters (I didn’t count them) at 85-87 mph in his shutout performance against the Astros. However, he did not throw the pitch in his previous three outings and I’ve never noticed Karstens throw a cutter at any time in his previous years in the league. It’s hard to believe that he’d break out a new pitch when he was going so well, but that’s what he did. Karstens also rarely walks a batter, which is helping him stay consistent. 7/18/11

[2-seam fastball(85-89), 4-seam fastball(88-93), cutter(85-88), slider(76-82), curve(66-72), changeup(78-83)]

Evan Meek / RHP / setup reliever

Meek really bounced around the minor leagues, pitching for three other organizations before the Pirates picked him up from the Rays. I'm sure Meek was considered nothing more than organizational depth at that point. However, Evan has since been able to harness some control and his career as a relief pitcher has taken off in 2010.

Meek throws a cutter as his only fastball pitch. It varies in velocity, sitting around 90 mph, but touching 95 mph at times. Meek has shown me a curveball as his second offering. 9/27/10 CSJ

[cut fastball(89-95), curve(77-83)]

Daniel McCutchen / RHP / reliever

McCutchen works with a full repertoire. He has a straight low-90s fastball and sharp slider. DMC also owns a splitter and hard curve. He short-arms the ball to home plate and his stuff isn't good enough to miss many bats just yet. McCutchen pitched collegiately at the University of Oklahoma. 8/6/11

[fastball(90-95), slider(85-86), splitter(82-85), curve(78-82)]

Jason Grilli / RHP / reliever

Jason Grilli, nicknamed "Cheese Man" by Gene Lamont, has a good arm but hasn't produced much at the major league level. He was the 4th overall pick in 1997 after a dominant career at Seton Hall. Grilli throws a hard, low-90s fastball and a slider that gets a lot of break. He'll also mix in a sinking changeup to LHs. Grilli has the look of a dorky mid-1980s reliever but has the fire of a Mitch Williams. 8/6/11

[fastball(90-93), slider(79-84), changeup(82-85)]

Ryota Igarashi / RHP / reliever

Igarashi is a longtime veteran of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He put together nine solid seasons of relief there, including a 37 save season in 2004.

Problem is, this is 2011, and Igarashi has struggled with his command in the Major Leagues. He has a live arm that can bring upwards of 95 mph heat. Ryota will spin a 12 to 6 curveball that doesn't seem like an effective pitch at this time. The "Big R-Ig" will also drop a split-finger that looks like a decent finishing pitch. 5/14/11

[fastball(90-95), curve(77-81), splitter(84-88), slider(84-85)]

Ross Ohlendorf / RHP / starter

Yankees castoff, Ross Ohlendorf, has been given 55 starts in just over two seasons with the Pirates. Results have been mixed. In 2009, Ross dealt to a 3.92 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. However, his WHIP ballooned to 1.38 in 2010 and he garnered just one victory in his 21 starts.

There is no wasted motion in his delivery, just a small kick and a short hesitation before he pours in his low-90s heater. He owns a curveball that gets good downward break and is hard for batters to lay off. Ross will show a sinking changeup that he is using more often as a starter. Stuff wise, Ohlendorf looks like an MLB pitcher. 1/11/11 CSJ

[fastball(88-94), curve(76-82), changeup(80-82)]

Kevin Hart / RHP / starter - reliever

Hart deals a quick fastball in the low to mid-90s to get ahead. As a Cubs reliever, Hart used to bust LHs inside with his sharp cutter and throw a hard curve to RHs. However, as a starting pitcher with the Pirates, Hart has changed his approach. Now he's dealing his hard breaking curveball much more often, and mixing in an obvious 2-seamer and changeup. The cutter is still there too, but it has lost a bit of velocity, making it look more like a slider nowadays. Hart spent a good chunk of his childhood living in Bangkok. 9/10/09 CSJ

[4-seam fastball(90-95), 2-seam fastball(86-91), curve(75-82), changeup(83-87), slider(85-86)]

Tyler Yates / RHP / reliever

Yates is a hard thrower with suspect control. He has a mid-90s fastball and a hard slider that can also touch 90 mph at times. His stuff looks dominant, but he hasn't been able to harness it in the majors as of yet. He may show a rare changeup to LHs. 5/14/08 CSJ

[fastball(93-96), slider(88-89), changeup]

Joe Beimel / LHP / reliever

Beimel hit the height of his popularity as a baseball player while with the Dodgers. He was a cult hero there, winning the fan voting for a bobblehead night, and was the subject of numerous fan YouTube videos that he even appeared in.

He throws an average fastball, a hard changeup, and a big slider. Joe was extraordinarily successful in his numerous outings against Barry Bonds. 8/6/11

[fastball(85-91), slider(73-77), changeup(77-80)]

Dan Meyer / LHP / reliever

Meyer is a former top prospect, the main piece in Billy Beane's Tim Hudson trade. Meyer was mostly awful in the A's organization, but pitched himself into a bullpen job with the Marlins. He deals a 90 mph fastball and an 80 mph changeup. Then he'll mix in some sharp sliders to both RHs and LHs. He still has a chance to make an impact in the major leagues, but it won't be at the level was once expected of him. 8/1/09 CSJ

[fastball(88-92), changeup(78-81), slider(83-87), curve]

Shairon Martis / RHP / starter

Martis has progressed nicely through the Nationals' system, making his major league debut in '08. He throws a decent fastball and has shown good control of his repertoire at every level. Martis' changeup is an average floater, and he deals two breaking pitches. His breaking balls, a slider and curve, look the same, but vary in velocity. 6/4/09 CSJ

[fastball(88-93), changeup(78-82), curve(76-80), slider(82-86)]

Jo-Jo Reyes / LHP / starter

Jo-Jo owns a full repertoire. He uses his straight fastball inside and outside to hitters, backing it up with a standard slider. His changeup is hard, often only 5 mph slower than his fastball. I've noticed Reyes employ a cutter in 2011. He seems to throw it to his glove side only. Jo-Jo also mixes in a few slow curveballs.

Reyes rocketed through the Braves' minor league system but has struggled mightily with all of his big league opportunities. In 2011, he infamously halted his 28 start winless streak, falling one start shy of the record. Yo Jo. 8/4/11

[fastball(88-94), slider(82-86), changeup(81-86), cutter(87-90), curve(76-80)]

Logan Kensing / RHP / reliever

Logan still throws hard, maybe even harder now after TJ surgery. His fastball can pop the mitt in the low-mid-90s. His slider is his bread and butter pitch though, sweeping off the plate. Kensing likely offers a changeup to LHs on occasion. 5/14/09 CSJ

[fastball(91-94), slider(78-80), changeup]

Doug Slaten / LHP / reliever

Slaten's slider looks like his best pitch. It flies in the low-80s with good sweeping action. Against LH batters he will use this pitch off the outside corner to get them to chase. Doug's fastball looks very straight, but has decent velocity. When facing RHs, Slaten will bring out his straight changeup. In the past he has also shown a very slow curveball. 5/18/11

[fastball(89-92), slider(79-83), changeup(81-85), curve]

Juan Cruz / RHP / reliever

Cruz is a hard thrower and always has been, slinging his pitches toward home plate out of a 3/4 arm angle. He has trouble locating his pitches and that has been his downfall in the majors. His Dominican fastball is in the mid-90s and moves a ton. He throws a big breaking slider that could end up anywhere. When he feels it's necessary, the right-hander will also mix in a changeup or two. In recent seasons, he's added a cutter, and has begun to use it regularly. Even with his more than occasional bouts of wildness, he seems to have settled into a major league bullpen role. 8/12/11

[fastball(90-95), cutter(87-90), slider(79-83), changeup(81-85)]

Danny Moskos / LHP / reliever

[fastball(92-93), slider(83), splitter(86)]