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Help from the minor league for Tigers bullpen? Here's one possibility
Jeff Ferrell has been under the radar in the Tigers' farm system - and with good reason.
He was a 26th-round draft pick out of junior college. He was just another OK minor league starter his first years in professional baseball.
But moved into the closer's role at Double-A Erie this season, he thrived with 12 saves in 13 opportunities, a 1.76 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 27 innings. His WHIP was below one.
He was promoted to Triple-A Toledo recently and had a save in his first outing, striking out two, including former major leaguer Nick Franklin, against Durham (he faced the heart of the order). He's 24.
Ferrell has an average fastball, but it's straight over the top and with some tilt (he's 6-foot-3). His calling card, though, is an outstanding changeup. It's a genuine outpitch and should translate well to MLB. He has excellent command of the baseball right now, rarely walking hitters.
I do see where he has the potential to help the Tigers this season as a right-hander, but more in the front end rather than the back end of the bullpen. His experience as a starter would help him well in that regard.
He was a 26th-round draft pick out of junior college. He was just another OK minor league starter his first years in professional baseball.
But moved into the closer's role at Double-A Erie this season, he thrived with 12 saves in 13 opportunities, a 1.76 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 27 innings. His WHIP was below one.
He was promoted to Triple-A Toledo recently and had a save in his first outing, striking out two, including former major leaguer Nick Franklin, against Durham (he faced the heart of the order). He's 24.
Ferrell has an average fastball, but it's straight over the top and with some tilt (he's 6-foot-3). His calling card, though, is an outstanding changeup. It's a genuine outpitch and should translate well to MLB. He has excellent command of the baseball right now, rarely walking hitters.
I do see where he has the potential to help the Tigers this season as a right-hander, but more in the front end rather than the back end of the bullpen. His experience as a starter would help him well in that regard.
posted by Pat Caputo at
2:25 PM
1 Comments:
Pat, I always believe all pitcher should be starter first. You always convert a starter to a reliever with good success rate. No too often you hear a reliever gets converted to a starter except in the case of Simon. I think their success rate is high because they gain valuable experience as a starter by logging extra innings in the minors.
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