Crack of the Bat

by Patrick Ebert

Prior to Price

Scanning the box scores following some of the more interesting draft-eligible players I came across some alarming numbers:  David Price’s lofty pitch counts.  Recently Price has pitched three consecutive complete games, including a 14-strikeout, 10 inning performance versus Ole Miss in which he threw 137 pitches in that game.  And that wasn’t the first time his pitch count has surpassed the 130 level..

That’s a lot of work on a young arm.  Before I continue I need to give Head Coach Tim Corbin credit, because he clearly has shown he knows what he’s doing by reinvigorating the Commodores baseball program.

However, by putting Vanderbilt in the best position to win by keeping his best player in the game longer, he could be putting Price’s future at some risk.

Look no further than Mark Prior.

I don’t think I can remember a more perfect prospect to enter the draft than Mark Prior.  He was everything a scout was looking for, with ideal size, impressive stuff, impeccable command, and picture-perfect pitching mechanics.  Those mechanics led many to believe that Prior could handle more work, earlier in his career because he was less likely to get injured.  I could never bring myself to agree with that theory.

And while you can’t simply blame Prior’s early workload on his recent injury problems and severe drop in velocity, it’s hard not to think that early workload had something to do with it.

Whoever ends up drafting David Price should take note of this.  Price is unlikely to pitch this summer, as a potential first overall pick he is going to be asking for a bonus and/or contract that will take a few months to complete, even if he’s not asking for the moon.  That will give his arm some time to recover from a busy season.

Moving forward is when there is the increased need to handle with care.  If Price enjoys immediate success in the minors, his parent club is going to be incredibly tempted to bump him up aggressively.  Higher levels of pitching means higher pitch counts, and longer innings.  If he’s called up to the big-leagues, that’s another month of pitching, more pitches, more innings and more wear-and-tear on his throwing arm.

Price has already thrown over 310 innings between his three years at Vanderbilt and two summers pitching for Team USA , with another 60-80 innings to come this season.  While many scoff at the notion of over-analyzing pitch counts and allowing young pitchers to build up their arm strength early, you just can’t ignore the possibility of over-working a talented, young arm.  Bringing Mark Prior into the conversation proves that even the most perfect pitching prospect is at risk of being over-worked.

Next Vandy Lefty

Last weekend I had the opportunity to watch the next stud left-handed starter from Vanderbilt.  I’ve been paying close attention for several years now, starting with Jeremy Sowers, moving onto Ryan Mullins and David Price, and ready to take Price’s place next year is freshman Mike Minor.

Minor, who starred at the 2005 Perfect Game National Showcase, started the season as the Commodores mid-week starter, and was very impressive in doing so, which prompted him to be bumped into the team’s weekend rotation.  He faced a huge challenge last Saturday facing the South Carolina Gamecocks, and had no problems shutting down the team that was previously ranked the number one program in the nation.

It begins and ends with Minor’s fastball command.  He spots his heater so well, and he clearly is able to pump the pitch into the low-90s.  Inside and out, up and down, he worked the zone perfectly, which made his knockout slider look all the more impressive.

That was enough to impress me, and then Minor unveiled his changeup, that fluttered and caught the outside corner of the strike zone and froze a right-handed batter for a strikeout.

Nice size, an effortless delivery and an already well-rounded repertoire mean big things for this talented young man.  Remember the name Mike Minor when the 2009 draft rolls around, as he could be talked about with the same amount of praise that David Price is now.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA .  Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.