Da Clip Show: Keeping an Eye on the Tribe’s AAA Squad – 6/8/2010
June 8, 2010While We’re Waiting… Tribe Fans, LeBron vs Strasburg, and 2011 Recruiting
June 9, 2010With the fifth selection in the 2010 MLB, the Cleveland Indians were drafting higher than they had in any other season since 1992. In said year, they drafted second overall and came away with right-handed pitcher Paul Shuey. With many drafts in between and not much first-round talent to show for it, the Indians made the pick of left-hander Drew Pomeranz – a guy that they hope will be a staple in their starting rotation within a few seasons.
“Its a great honor to be picked by the Cleveland Indians,” said Pomeranz during a late Tuesday conference call. “I have a friend in the organization and he has good things to say about them.”
The friend Drew was speaking of is Jordan Henry, current Kinston Indians outfielder and last season’s seventh-round selection. The two have exchanged text messages since Pomeranz was selected and they both have hopes of playing together again in the near future.
But looking at Pomeranz, one could easily mistake him for a professional tight end or shooting guard just as much as they could a starting pitcher. Standing at six-foot-five-inches tall and weighing north of 230 pounds, Pomeranz hails from Collierville, Tennessee where he earned recognition in both baseball and basketball. When asked by WFNY about his choice to take on the twine instead of the hardwood, the freshly selected pitcher stated that it came down to size.
“I started on the varsity [basketball team] my freshman and sophomore year of high school,” said Pomeranz. “But being a center and guarding seven footers wasn’t too much fun. I decided to focus on the sport that I was better at.”
The move worked in Pomeranz’s advantage. Drew would be drafted in the 12th round by the Texas Rangers out of high school, but opted to attend college at Ole Miss. It is a move that he claimed came down to money, but one that he would ultimately be happy with.
“[I was] very close [to signing],” he said. “But the Rangers came just short of what I was asking for. It wasn’t even that much. I think I made the right choice, but I think that number grew a little bit.”
Last season’s first-round draft selection Alex White was not signed until the mid-August deadline, something that is common among first-round selections. There were some deliberations about the guarnateed amount as White’s representation felt that he should have been drafted sooner than he was. But with all of that autonomous of this year’s selection, Pomeranz claims that he has no set negotiation plan in mind just yet.
Thankfully, the big left-hander feels that the Indians appreciate his work and value what he can bring to the organization based on how much they visited Ole Miss games when he was starting.
“They followed me closely all season,” he said. “A lot of teams did but the Indians stood out more than the others.”
Aside from the upcoming payday, Pomeranz does not regret his decision to attend college instead of going straight to the pros out of high school. Not only did he earn 2010 SEC Pitcher of the Year honors for 2010 while being named one of the finalists of the soon-to-be awarded “Golden Spikes” honors, Pomeranz feels that his time spent with the Runnin’ Rebels helped him grow as a person.
“I think its important for kids in my situation to attend college and mature,” said Pomeranz. Pitching in a conference in the SEC, you realize that you may not have been as ready as you thought. It’s all about refining everything and growing as a person – it’s a big part of maturing.”
And mature he did. With a record of 9-2 and a 2.24 ERA in 16 starts for Ole Miss this season, Pomeranz proceeded to strike out 139 and walk 49 in 100.2 innings. The opposition was held to a .195 average against the lefty as he led the league in all three metrics.
Scouting reports tag Pomeranz with a fastball in the low-to-mid-90s, two different variations of a curve ball and a change-up that has been deemed “improving.”
The Indians are currently among the MLB’s worst in terms of team ERA and WHIP while coming in dead last in strikeouts. With the addition of North Carolina’s White a season ago, the Indians have now used two straight first-round selections on starting pitching with hopes of addressing the glaring weakness.
The down side is that the Indians front office has long attempted to revive the pitching staff with first-round draft selections since the pick of Shuey in 1992. Daron Kirkreit (1993), Jaret Wright (1994), CC Sabathia (1998), Dan Denham (2001), Jeremy Guthrie (2002), and Jeremy Sowers (sixth overall in 2004) have all been selected in the top-25 in the stretch between Shuey and White, likely contributing some to the poor numbers listed above.
But how long Indians fans will have to wait for yesterday’s draft selection to make his way to Cleveland remains to be seen.
“I don’t have any set timetable,” said Pomeranz. “I’m just going to get in there and see how it is at first and try and work my way up as fast as possible.”
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(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
17 Comments
doesn’t matter if he can’t play PG for the cavs don’t even mention it!
The MLB draft truly is interesting. Draft a guy you expect to see in 3-5 years, maybe, if at all.
Also, sorry to nitpick, but UNLV is the Runnin’ Rebels. Ole Miss is just the Rebels.
Is there an unofficial time line about bringing Pomeranz to the majors? Any expectations of a debut?
I am also wondering if we reached for him because he is a lefty? I know a lot of lefties don’t deserve to be in the majors and they only make it because they throw southpaw. I heard on “All Bets Are Off” Pomeranz throws only two pitches. A 94 mph fastball and a 80 mph curve. he has a changeup, but he never threw it in college…
My point is, did we draft him because he’s a solid pitcher or because he’s a power lefty? Is he Shin Soo Choo or Russ Branyan?
Chris – yeah I agree. But the great thing about Cleveland’s farm system is that most of the teams are within driving distance so you can see them before they make it here. And at 1/2 the cost
Grudz has been let go…the white flag goes up. How is Valbuena still on the roster???
@Ben, I guess Grudz tweaked his hamstring. I also had no idea he is 39 years old. It’s a shame one of the few guys that could get a hit with runners in scoring position is gone.
And wow, Paul Shuey. You don’t hear that name every day. If I had a clue I’d embed a picture of the awesome handle bar mustache I remember him sporting during his Tribe tenure.
i think we reached a little because he is a lefty (only one other LHP went in the 1st round and Sales was considered a 2nd round prospect by most).
but, he did dominate in the SEC this year. not like we drafted some I-AA guy and trying to sell the fans on his W/L record as some other teams are doing.
we drafted a dominate pitcher from a power conference last year and have done the same this year. i’m more comfortable projecting when they are closer to the majors which our last 2 1st rounders should be (usually still 3 years at least with MLB though)
Is he represented by Scott Boras or William Faulkner?
“Is he represented by Scott Boras or William Faulkner?”
He was asked about his representation on the call, the names he mentioned did not ring a bell. I know that three of the four guys slected ahead of him are Boras clients.
Thanks, Scott. Personally, I’m hoping Faulkner’s Ghost takes the gig.
Rumor has it Drew is in close with some guy named Worldwide Wes.
Did Pomeranz actually *graduate* from college? Or just attend and pitch on the baseball team? I would hope that another minor advantage to going to college is, you know, gettin’ in some learnin’.
In that last paragraph you mentioned the first round selections over the last 18 years on starting pitching. That’s actually a pretty good hit rate considering the volatile nature of predicting MLB success.
CC is great, wright was great, Guthrie and Sowers at least made it into rotations.
If we could have just kept CC and Lee, we’d have the best rotation in the majors. Drafting has not been the problem in this particular area, it has been the unfair salary structure of MLB.
I remember Daron Kirkreit. I got his autograph and a rookie-league game in Massachusetts. Nice guy.
Mattyfos – This is probably too late for you to read it, but to answer your question on Pomeranz being a 2 pitch pitcher, just about all college and high school pitchers are. The reason is the metal bats. You dont have to make good contact as much with a metal bat as you do a wood bat, and it allows hitters to batter slower pitches with less movement a lot more easily than with a wooden bat. Since the changeup usually falls into the category of slower pitches with less movement, very few pitchers even bother throwing one at these levels, and opt for more swing and miss pitchers like sliders or curves. This is just one of the things that makes transitioning from College/HS to the pros so difficult and time consuming.
Pomeranz looks like a good prospect, but he does have his warts. Developing his command and control is first on the list for him, followed by development of a solid changeup. he needs to do both those things in order to stay in the rotation. Best case scenario for him looks like 2 years. Might be quicker if they just move him to the pen, but they wont do that unless they have to.
@Gbwoy
Thanks, good information.
[…] demands, it is understandable that fans may be a bit concerned. In fact, Pomeranz’s introductory conference call with the media featured the first-rounder stating that the desired compensation has “grew a […]