60ft6in – Pitcher Scouting Reports

Johan Santana / LHP / starter

Santana brings three excellent pitches to the mound. He has a hard fastball in the low-90s which he can spot on both sides of the plate. His changeup is known as one of the best pitches in the game; a soft pitch, floating, then sinking under bats as it reaches the plate. Santana’s third pitch is his slider, which gets sharp, late, sweeping action. Santana does not bother to experiment with any other offerings.

From 2004 to 2008, Johan had a five year run as the best starting pitcher in baseball. Since then he has begun to lose velocity on all his pitches, finally making him hittable. In 2010, the Mets sent Santana under the knife after finding a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder. With this surgery, Johan’s 2011 season and his career are in jeopardy. 12/21/10 CSJ

[fastball(88-94), change(77-83), slider(80-84)]



Mike Pelfrey / RHP / starter

Pelfrey has been a strange case so far. He has a great arm and his sinking fastball appears to be a plus pitch, but he has trouble missing bats. He throws moving 2-seamers around 92 mph and can pump in a 4-seam fastball at 95 mph. The 2-seamer really dives when it's thrown low and to his arm side. As a top prospect at Wichita State, he was known as having a hammer of a curveball. Somewhere along the way he lost that pitch, until halfway through the 2008 season, when he started mixing in a few per game. The pitch seems to be back again, but he's still just tinkering with it. His slider is hard, but fails to get the necessary movement to be a strikeout pitch. His changeup actually looked like it regressed in '08 and '09, as Mike began to slow down his motion when he delivered it. In 2010, Big Pelf introduced a split-finger pitch that baffled hitters through the first two months of the season. Unfortunately, once everyone caught on, Pelfrey regressed to his previous (in)effectiveness. Pelfrey's strategy is simple. He pounds the 2-seamer low in the zone to try and get groundouts and strikeouts. All his other pitches are still just for show. 5/17/11

[2-seam fastball(87-92), 4-seam fastball(92-95), slider(79-86), curve(71-76), splitter(81-86)]

R.A. Dickey / RHP / starter

Born without an ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm, Dickey has never worried about TJ surgery. However, after being selected 18th overall in 1996, the Texas Rangers discovered the missing ligament and Dickey lost out on over $700,000 in bonus money based on the fear that his arm wouldn't hold up. The Rangers then mixed Dickey between starter and closer. R.A. piled up 38 saves in high-A ball in 1998 before converting to starting pitcher full-time over the next couple of seasons. Dickey never became overly successful at either pitching role, and became quite the journeyman.

At this point in his career, he has remade himself into a knuckleball pitcher, and a very successful one at that. Dickey used to call his knuckleball "The Thing", when it was an unpredictable low-80s pitch that complemented a "normal" repertoire. Now the knuckleball is his first option over 75% of the time, with a mid-80s fastball as option two. He may also mix in a rare straight changeup or standard slider. 4/26/12 CSJ

[knuckleball(71-81), fastball(81-84), changeup(72-75), slider(81-82)]

Jonathan Niese / LHP / starter

Niese's signature pitch is his huge curveball. It's a big breaker, dropping from 11 to 5, and buckles LHs knees. He has good command of it and often likes to use it as his first pitch of an at-bat to get ahead in the count. In 2009 Niese introduced a cutter, and he's using it often. He'll throw it to either side of the plate, to any hitter. Jon's fastball gets some decent movement and he seems to do a decent job of working the corners with it. His fourth pitch is his changeup, a pitch that seemed to be improving until he filed it away during the second half of 2010.

Niese grew up in Defiance, Ohio, and was born on the same night the Mets won Game Seven of the 1986 World Series. The Mets drafted Niese in the 7th round of the 2005 draft, and he quickly climbed through the minor league system, succeeding at every level. 5/14/11

[fastball(87-94), cutter(84-91), curve(71-77), changeup(79-84)]

Dillon Gee / RHP / starter

Gee is a strike thrower, primarily working with a sinking fastball and changeup. He pounds the bottom of the strikezone to try and induce groundballs. Gee has a good curveball that he can get a strikeout with. In the middle of 2011, Gee scrapped his below average slider and figured out a cutter while warming up before one of his starts. The cutter has been inconsistent, but can be a real weapon when he's throwing it well.

Gee came to the Mets as an unheralded starter out of UT-Arlington but steadily climbed the Mets minor league ladder. 7/29/11

[2-seam fastball(85-93), changeup(79-84), curve(70-78), cutter(85-90), slider]

Frank Francisco / RHP / closer

Francisco throws a fastball, splitter, and curveball. He has good velocity on his fastball, though it's very straight. His curve is a powerful 12 to 6 breaking ball, usually thrown hard in the upper-70s. The splitter, Francisco's out pitch, can be very inconsistent. When going well, the splitter is diving out of the strike zone and getting batters to chase it. When thrown poorly, it flies fairly straight and acts like a changeup. The Dominican right-hander has become a fringy MLB closer, producing saves for the Rangers, Blue Jays and Mets, while giving his managers plenty of headaches along the way. 4/26/12 CSJ

[fastball(91-95), splitter(82-83), curve(75-79)]

Jon Rauch / RHP / setup reliever

Rauch still has his full starter's repertoire, even though he has been pitching out of the bullpen for years. The 6' 10"" right-hander has an average fastball in the 88-91 mph range that he controls well. He'll use a tight slider to both RHs and LHs as his clear second pitch. Rauch also throws both a 12 to 6 curveball and a hard changeup.

Rauch was Baseball America's minor league player of the year in 2000, and started his major league career by being the starting pitcher against which Mike Cameron began his four home run game. He has since made himself into one of the more reliable relief pitchers in baseball. 4/26/12 CSJ

[fastball(88-91), slider(80-85), change(82-83), curve]

Ramon Ramirez / RHP / reliever

Ramon Ramirez is a hard throwing right-hander that has surprisingly bounced around between teams throughout his career. He can bring low to mid-90s heat and uses two pitches off of the fastball. His changeup is an upper-80s pitch that dives under bats. Then he'll mix in sliders that duck away from RHs. It looks like the Giants figured out how to use Ramirez properly and are getting consistent, quality results out of him. Ramirez is currently pitching in his sixth consecutive one-year contract. 8/14/11

[fastball(91-95), changeup(86-90), slider(85-89)]

Bobby Parnell / RHP / reliever

Parnell is a hard thrower that seems to sling his pitches across his body. His fastball gets some sinking action in the low-90s or can rise up the ladder in the mid-90s, even touching 100 at times. In 2012, Bobby isn't trying to throw the ball through the backstop anymore. Instead, he's simply trying to hit the catcher's mitt with his moving 2-seamer. Bobby has also ditched his average slider in favor of a low-80s curveball in 2012. The curve is a better change of pace than his old slider, which never produced results anyway. Parnell has shown a changeup as his third pitch. Bobby P. can dominate some days, but other days he has trouble throwing strikes and missing bats. 4/25/11 CSJ

[fastball(91-95), curve(79-83), changeup]

Tim Byrdak / LHP / reliever

Byrdak is fastball/slider LOOGY. His fastball is fairly straight, while his slider sweeps across the hitting zone. In the increasingly rare times he faces RHs, Byrdak uses the standard strategy of throwing a fastball/changeup combination. 5/15/11

[fastball(86-92), slider(80-86), changeup(79-83)]

Manny Acosta / RHP / reliever

Acosta is a hard throwing Panamanian. He has a high velocity fastball, however it flies very straight. He also throws plenty of curveballs, which break sharply at times. His third pitch is a fairly straight changeup to LHs. Acosta's biggest problem is his overall lack of control. 7/29/11

[fastball(93-97), curve(80-85), changeup(83-87)]

Miguel Batista / RHP / reliever

Batista continues to rely on his slider. His fastball tails and sinks, while his slider moves sharply to his glove side as it nears home plate. He'll throw the slider inside or outside at any count, to LHs and RHs. As he gets deep into starts, his slider can start to slow up and resemble more of a curveball. He also throws a splitter and a rare changeup. He'll throw a curveball as his second breaking pitch. As Batista continues to struggle at this point in his career, he is beginning to become more known for his novels than his pitching prowess. 9/16/11

[fastball(87-94), slider(81-88), splitter(82), curve(76-77), changeup]

Jenrry Mejia / RHP / starter

Mejia throws a naturally cutting 95 mph fastball, a dropping curveball, and a straight changeup. Mejia is only 20 years old, with a throwing arm that's even younger. Jenrry did not start playing baseball until he was fifteen years old. Before that, he carried his wooden shoeshine box around Santo Domingo, making a few pesos a day to help his family. Now, he's the Mets' top prospect and earning $400,000 a year. 6/6/10 CSJ

[fastball(95-97), curve(83-86), changeup(86-88)]

Pedro Beato / RHP / setup reliever

Beato is a converted starter and Rule 5 pick from the Orioles. Pedro owns two distinct, and good, fastballs. He throws a sinking 2-seamer in the low-90s and can pump straight 4-seamers up in the strike zone. Beato also spins a sharp slider, biting curve, and changeup. The former 1st round pick was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in Brooklyn. 7/4/11

[2-seam fastball(90-93), 4-seam fastball(93-95), curve(77-83), slider(85-88), changeup(84-86)]

Chris Young / RHP / starter

Chris Young is tall and throws lots of fastballs. In fact, he throws a ridiculous amount of fastballs while very rarely breaking 90 mph. Then he occasionally will throw some sliders that seem to get average movement. Young shows a straight changeup at times and will also throw a couple slow curveballs per game. Chris Young was also the first male athlete to win the Ivy League Rookie of the Year Award in two different sports. 5/18/11

[fastball(81-89), slider(75-80), curve(67-70), changeup(74-80)]

D.J. Carrasco / RHP / reliever

Carrasco has converted to a sidearm pitcher late in 2011. D.J. is now dropping down to sink a mid-80s fastball and sweep his slider. I haven't seen him try a submarine changeup, but anything is possible at this point. D.J. has really lit up the transaction wire during his career, having been released three different times and also selected in the Rule 5 draft once. 9/16/11

[sidearm fastball(84-86), slider(72-73), changeup]

Danny Herrera / LHP / reliever

Herrera can barely break 80 mph with his fastball, and can't break 5' 8" with his cleats on. However, he owns a true trick pitch that can get major league hitters out. He's known for his "screwball", a slow pitch that pops out of his hand and drops under bats. Herrera can spot his fastball on the outside corner and throw a short slider. 9/16/11

[fastball(82-84), slider(82), screwball(64-67)]

Garrett Olson / LHP / starter - reliever

Olson relies on his curveball often, throwing it to both LHs and RHs. His fastball sits around 88 mph and is very hittable. The lefty's third pitch is his changeup that he'll show to RHs. Olson was a very late first round (48th overall) selection in the 2005 draft out of Cal Poly. 9/27/10 CSJ

[fastball(87-91), curve(78-82), changeup(79-83)]

Chuck James / LHP / starter

James is a pitcher. He's got a legit 2-seam piece and a slide-joint. His main pitch is the changeup, which baffles and befuddles. 10/8/05 CSJ

[fastball, changeup, slider]

Fernando Cabrera / RHP / reliever

Cabrera is a fastball/slider reliever. He has decent velocity on his moving fastball but he doesn't know where it's going. His slider sweeps off the plate, but hitters don't seem to chase it. Fernando will use a split-finger pitch as his third option. Cabrera was a decent prospect with Cleveland before injury, hype, and overall ineffectiveness did him in. 8/19/09 CSJ

[fastball(89-93), slider(79-86), splitter(83-85)]