Post by ericmvan on Sept 2, 2013 10:31:37 GMT -5
Folks loved this pick at the time (7th round 2009, 228th overall, but ranked 45 by BA and given 31 slot money, a $1,062,750 bonus adjusted for inflation). Although I can't find it in my back issues, I could have sworn that BA did a mock re-draft, and the staffer who picked Younginer got praise from the others. And yet coming into this season, he looked to be joining classmate David Renfroe and 2010's Kolbrin Vitek as the most expensive total busts since Mike Rozier ('04) and Jason Place ('06).
This season started no differently. His first 8 games in Greenville (April 6 to May 7):
12.0 16 11 11 13 20.
8.25 ERA from a 4.20 FIP and .484 BABIP; .308 / .446 / .423 allowed.
Something then happened. 5 games, May 11 to May 27:
7.1 3 1 1 1 10.
1.23 ERA from an 0.88 FIP and .200 BABIP. .120 / .154 / .160 allowed.
A SSS fluke? The Sox didn't think so, because they promoted him to Salem despite his overall 5.59 ERA and .154 BB%.
He got hit hard in two games (2 5 5 5 2 3) and then went on the DL; someone with a better memory or the secret to accessing older News items might want to provide the details. Can we dismiss these two outings as nursing an injury? If not, than as an adjustment ...
He rehabbed in the GCL on 7/16 and 7/19, and had a 2 1 1 1 2 1 line in his first outing back at Salem, which we can dismiss as rust. (Hooray for cherry-picking!) In 10 games since then:
19 16 3 3 7 21.
1.42 ERA from a 2.25 FIP and a .320 BABIP. .225 / .304 / .282 allowed.
What's even better is that in this good stretch, he has a .580 GB%, while in the Greenville good one, it was .333.
Given that he has always had the live arm that his pedigree suggested, this new-found solid command makes him a very legitimate bullpen prospect. The projected 2014 rosters have him as being on the bubble for a roster spot at Portland, but he actually belongs in the top 60 prospects somewhere. He's a year younger than Noe Ramirez and Matt Price (the latter's missing season is offset by his July birthdate in terms of years of amateur experience) and the only thing preventing him from being ranked as the best of the trio is that we're basing this on just 15 games, and because guys who suddenly make their key adjustment mid-season sometimes seem to lose it over the winter. (It would be good to know what he's doing differently; the more tangible that is, the more we can trust the change.) But for now, he's certainly in their class, and he's part of our deep, deep, depth.
This season started no differently. His first 8 games in Greenville (April 6 to May 7):
12.0 16 11 11 13 20.
8.25 ERA from a 4.20 FIP and .484 BABIP; .308 / .446 / .423 allowed.
Something then happened. 5 games, May 11 to May 27:
7.1 3 1 1 1 10.
1.23 ERA from an 0.88 FIP and .200 BABIP. .120 / .154 / .160 allowed.
A SSS fluke? The Sox didn't think so, because they promoted him to Salem despite his overall 5.59 ERA and .154 BB%.
He got hit hard in two games (2 5 5 5 2 3) and then went on the DL; someone with a better memory or the secret to accessing older News items might want to provide the details. Can we dismiss these two outings as nursing an injury? If not, than as an adjustment ...
He rehabbed in the GCL on 7/16 and 7/19, and had a 2 1 1 1 2 1 line in his first outing back at Salem, which we can dismiss as rust. (Hooray for cherry-picking!) In 10 games since then:
19 16 3 3 7 21.
1.42 ERA from a 2.25 FIP and a .320 BABIP. .225 / .304 / .282 allowed.
What's even better is that in this good stretch, he has a .580 GB%, while in the Greenville good one, it was .333.
Given that he has always had the live arm that his pedigree suggested, this new-found solid command makes him a very legitimate bullpen prospect. The projected 2014 rosters have him as being on the bubble for a roster spot at Portland, but he actually belongs in the top 60 prospects somewhere. He's a year younger than Noe Ramirez and Matt Price (the latter's missing season is offset by his July birthdate in terms of years of amateur experience) and the only thing preventing him from being ranked as the best of the trio is that we're basing this on just 15 games, and because guys who suddenly make their key adjustment mid-season sometimes seem to lose it over the winter. (It would be good to know what he's doing differently; the more tangible that is, the more we can trust the change.) But for now, he's certainly in their class, and he's part of our deep, deep, depth.
