60ft6in – Pitcher Scouting Reports

Roy Halladay / RHP / starter

Halladay has a great fastball that considerably runs in to RHs and away from LHs. His best pitch is a cutter that gets subtle movement, but enough variation to consistently jam LHs and induce weak hits off the end of RHs bats. He’ll use his cutter as often, or more often than he uses his 2-seamer. ‘Doc’ Halladay’s breaking ball is a curve that he can spot well. His fourth pitch switched in 2010 from a changeup to a split-finger that he throws with equally great control and command.

Halladay is known as a great ‘finesse’ pitcher that will pile up quality innings, but he does have four consecutive seasons of 200+ strikeouts. ‘Doc’ has also thrown over 200 innings eight times in his career, including the last six seasons. The gunslinger has rightly become known as the best pitcher in baseball, overtaking Johan Santana for that title. 9/29/11

[2-seam fastball(89-95), cutter(87-92), curve(74-80), splitter(80-85)]



Cliff Lee / LHP / starter

Clifton was drafted three separate times before he finally decided to sign with the Montreal Expos in 2000. As an amateur, Lee pitched for Meridian Community College in Mississippi and the University of Arkansas. In 2002, he was part of the famous trade involving himself, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Sizemore for Bartolo Colon. Lee has been part of three more trades since then, despite putting up some excellent numbers since 2008.

Lee has made himself into the best control pitcher since Greg Maddux. He works extremely fast and isn't afraid to pitch inside. When he has his excellent control going, he can be a real force on the mound, painting corners with all his pitches and freezing hitters.

His fastball is fairly straight, but he is smart with it. He'll then use his cutter in the mid-80s as his #1 pitch. Lee will bust bats with it, backdoor RHs, or frontdoor LHs. Cliff flips a good curveball, preferring to use it against LHs, dropping it down and away. He also throws a straight changeup that can sail on him. 10/19/11

[fastball(87-93), cutter(84-89), curve(73-78), changeup(82-85)]

Cole Hamels / LHP / starter

Hamels has become one of the top pitchers in baseball, with his changeup rated as one of the best single pitches in the game. He has great arm action on the pitch, and it dies as it reaches home plate. Colbert usually throws his fastball around 90-92 mph, however he can pump it up to 95 mph when he wants to. This fastball/changeup combination can be devastating enough, but in 2010, Hamels added a cutter to his repertoire and found immediate results with it. Hamels' fourth pitch is a curveball that he'll drop in on the unsuspecting haters in the box.

Hamels went through all kinds of drama as an injured high school player and bar brawling minor leaguer. However, he seems to have settled down enough to compete with, and now dominate National League hitters. 7/21/11

[fastball(87-96), changeup(77-85), cutter(86-91), curve(73-80)]

Jonathan Papelbon / RHP / closer

Papelbon has dominant stuff. He has an explosive fastball that can be unhittable and he'll mix in diving splitters that miss bats. He reportedly calls his sharp breaking pitch a 'slutter', a mix between a cutter and slider. Papelbon's warmup theatrics, which pull Fenway into a fervor, cannot be beat.

Papelbon was a college closer at Mississippi State, but became an effective minor league starter after being drafted by the Red Sox. Despite that success and the Boston front office's attempts at pushing him into being a starting pitcher, he inevitably found himself dominating the ninth inning for the Red Sox. 8/14/11

[fastball(93-98), splitter(89-91), slider(86-87)]

Antonio Bastardo / LHP / setup reliever

Bastardo has racked up strikeouts in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, he also issued plenty of walks to go with them. As a left-hander who owns a low to mid-90s fastball, he has plenty of promise, but it looks like he will make his career out of the bullpen at this point.

Bastardo, from the Dominican Republic, topped out around 96 mph before his sore shoulder of 2009. In 2011, he's back to throwing in the low to mid-90s with a hard slider and firm changeup. Antonio is close to an over-the-top delivery and has proven to be a real weapon. 8/5/11

[fastball(90-94), slider(82-86), changeup(86)]

Joe Blanton / RHP / starter

Blanton began his career with the expectation of being one of the next great A's pitchers. After his rookie year, it looked like he would live up to the hype. Since then he has proven to be very hittable and rarely helps himself out with Ks.

Blanton throws the basic four pitches. His round frame delivers a straight fastball at 88-92 mph. To LHs, Blanton prefers to work with his changeup as his second pitch. To RHs, Blanton uses a fastball/slider combo. He will deviate from this, but not often. Blanton's fourth pitch is a slow 12 to 6 curveball. None of his offerings miss many bats, but he helps himself out by not issuing many walks. He prefers to work quickly and not shake off his catchers. 12/28/10 CSJ

[fastball(86-91), slider(80-84), changeup(80-83), curve(73-76)]

Kyle Kendrick / RHP / starter - reliever

Kendrick relies on movement to get outs. His fastball sinks and tails around 90 mph and he has a cutter that he can spot well. Kyle breaks off a hard curve when going for a strikeout, but he rarely gets a swing and miss. Kendrick's changeup isn't located very well. He often bounces the pitch and doesn't give it a chance to succeed. Kendrick made a big splash with Philly in 2007, but has since failed to follow up that success. 8/13/11

[2-seam fastball(88-90), cutter(85-87), curve(80-81), changeup(82-85)]

Vance Worley / RHP / starter

[fastball(86-93), slider(81-87), changeup(84-86), curve(73-75)]

Michael Stutes / RHP / reliever

Stutes short arms the ball to home plate and has TJ surgery written all over him. Stutes comes over-the-top with a successful fastball/slider combination. I haven't seen an off-speed pitch from Stutes yet.

Stutes was a starter for Oregon State, where he won back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007. 8/5/11

[fastball(90-94), slider(78-84)]

David Herndon / RHP / reliever

Herndon is a strike thrower. He carries average stuff but pounds the plate with it. His 2-seamer induces plenty of groundballs, which should keep him around the big leagues for a while. He backs that up with a slider and sinking changeup. Herndon attended high school in Panama City, Florida, and also chose to pitch at Gulf Coast CC, in Panama City. 8/5/11

[2-seam fastball(89-94), slider(79-84), changeup(83-85)]

Jose Contreras / RHP / setup reliever

Contreras has an amazing forkball that he heavily relies on. He throws it with the widest split grip in the game. It's an unmistakable pitch that gets unpredictable movement, diving down in either direction due to the lack of spin on the ball. Unfortunately for Contreras, his fastball isn't what it used to be, and his slider is garbage. In order to be effective against RHs, Contreras will now lower his arm angle to throw both his fastball and hanging slider. Lastly, Contreras will throw a straight changeup away to LHs. 7/21/11

[fastball(88-94), forkball(74-79), slider(82-88), change(78-80)]

Dave Bush / RHP / starter - reliever

Bush is a right-hander that pitches like a left-hander. He deals an upper-80s, moving fastball that he spots well. He backs that up with a slider that he can vary. He'll tighten the slider when coming inside to LHs, and sweep it more when throwing it away from RHs. Bush throws a good curveball and mixes in lots of changeups to LHs. His stuff has deteriorated badly, and it doesn't look like he has much of a career left at this point.

Bush pitched collegiately at Wake Forest, where he was a dominant closer. 7/21/11

[fastball(84-89), slider(79-84), changeup(79-83), curve(65-70)]

Pat Misch / LHP / starter - reliever

Misch is a soft-tossing, junk-balling lefty. He throws his fastball in the upper-80s with some movement, and follows it with a sweeping curve and straight changeup. He added a tight slider in 2009 and will use it often. 5/14/11

[fastball(85-89), slider(80-85), changeup(78-82), curve(75-79)]

Brian Sanches / RHP / reliever

Sanches' signature pitch is his splitter. It can dance all over the place like a forkball, and/or dive under bats like a standard split-finger. Sanches uses a 2-seam fastball to both sides of the plate and a standard slider. Sanches is from Texas and pitched at Lamar University. 8/14/11

[2-seam fastball(85-90), slider(80-83), splitter(76-80)]

Chad Qualls / RHP / reliever

Qualls is a strict fastball/slider pitcher. He has a great sinking fastball that is difficult to hit squarely. His delivery looks stiff and awkward, but produces a sharp slider that can duck under LHs bats like a cutter. He can also change planes with his slider, giving it more downward break and bury it below the strike zone. I don't think I've ever seen Qualls throw a changeup.

Chad has been a significant bullpen producer for the Astros and DBacks, and now joins the Padres loaded relief corps. 6/9/11

[fastball(90-96), slider(85-90)]

David Purcey / LHP / reliever

After being selected as a first round draft choice in 2004, Purcey was a high WHIP starting pitcher throughout the minor leagues thanks to his high walk totals. However, Purcey moved to the bullpen in 2010, and finally put up some decent numbers in the bigs.

He works primarily with his fastball and slider. He'll consistently try and throw his fastball away, rarely coming inside with it. His slider is worked away from LHs and inside on RHs. Purcey has also shown me a few changeups to RHs, and a couple slow curves as well. 4/5/11

[fastball(88-95), slider(83-87), changeup(84-85), curve(72-73)]

Raul Valdes / LHP / reliever

Valdes defected from Cuba in 2003 after spending time on the Cuban National Team. The Cubs quickly scooped him up and immediately sent him back to the Caribbean, to the Dominican Summer League. He dominated in the DSL but struggled in the USA. Valdes was released in 2006, played in the independent Can-Am League, the Mets minor league system, back to the Dominican, the Venezuelan League, the Caribbean Series, and finally back to the Mets again in 2010.

On the mound, Valdes spots his average fastball and follows it up with big, sweeping curves. He has a short-armed delivery that looks like it can be deceptive. When facing RHs, Raul will break out his changeup. 6/4/10 CSJ

[fastball(86-89), curve(75-77), changeup]

Justin De Fratus / RHP / reliever

[2-seam fastball(90-93), slider(81-84)]