posted 7/5/12 12:50 PM PST
by Jim Brown
*MLBDepthCharts.com considers any player not on a team's 40-man roster, in AAA, or ranked as a top 10 prospect by Baseball America or top 11 prospect by Baseball Prospectus before the 2012 season as an 'under the radar' player.
Under the Radar Minor League NL Pitching Performance of the Week
RHP Nathan Karns, Hi-A Potomac (WAS)
season stats: 2.31 ERA, 78 IP, 45 H, 35 BB, 109 K in 17 games (11 starts) between Hi-A/Lo-A
June 27-July 3: 7 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 11 K in 1 start
The rookie leagues are in full swing and after seeing the rotations go through their second starts, it won’t be long before we see some of those young pitchers named in future UTR installments. When this week’s top performer was a newbie, he never got the chance to be named as a UTR pick after being selected in the 12th round of the 2009 draft. Nathan Karns’ first action as a pro didn’t come until the 2011 season, due to an illness shortly after being drafted and then missing all of 2010 with a shoulder injury. When Karns finally took the hill in 2011 with the GCL Nationals, he absolutely dominated hitters. He allowed only two hits over 18.2 scoreless innings in five starts. This is Karns' first full season and the 24 year-old is making up for lost time. This past week, the right-hander gave up one run over seven innings while surrendering three hits, one walk, and striking out eleven. It was his third straight win and third consecutive game where he's had double-digit strikeouts.
Karns has had the stigma of having command issues since being drafted. A lot of that stemmed from the two horrible seasons he spent at Texas Tech, where coaches tweaked his mechanics and had him throwing from a different arm slot. While pitching in the Texas Collegiate League the following summer, Karns seemed to quell those doubts about his command, earning him Baseball America’s top prospect honors out of the TCL. The 6-foot-5 right-hander does have a plus fastball that has the potential to top out in the mid-90's. He also displays a devastating slider and a good feel on his change-up, both pitches that will improve as he logs more innings. Karns has struggled with issuing walks (4.2 BB/9), but that can be overlooked with him only giving up 39 hits over 72.1 innings with just one home run. I like the fact that Karns is throwing strikes and issuing groundballs, a deadly combination that will ensure future success. Hopefully, we will hear from Karns again later this season, but while pitching for Double-A Harrisburg. You wont be hearing from Marc and I next week, as we take our mid-season hiatus. Look for us to return on July 18th and maybe I’ll have one of those promising pitchers from the rookie leagues as the next UTR.
Relief Pitcher of the Week
RHP Aaron Barrett, Lo-A Hagerstown (WAS): 2.87 ERA, 31.1 IP, 21 H, 10 BB, 48 K, 13 Sv in 27 appearances; 2.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 Sv in three appearances last week.
Click HERE to follow Jim Brown on Twitter.
UTR Minor League NL Hitting Performance of the Week
Under the Radar 2012 Archive
Tweet
Posts
0 comments :
Post a Comment