2059.16 Flight School Charlotte Prospect Report-Pitchers

[Krathan]

In this edition of Flight School, we take a look at the top pitching prospects in the Charlotte organization.

The top pitching prospect is Ron Christian. He was originally drafted in the 6th round in 2052. Christian is a southpaw who throws his fastball in the upper 90’s and compliments it with an excellent curveball and a very good forkball. Christian has seen his stock rise over the last couple of years as he has grown and developed. However, a series of serious injuries has brought his future into question. He has had several injuries to his throwing arm and is hoping that his time in the team’s development lab strength and conditioning program can help him stay healthy and move toward becoming the best pitcher he can be.

The next prospect on the list is Jacquot Natta. Ne was also discussed as a top prospect at third base. Natta pitched at three minor league levels in 2058, posting a FIP- under 100 for all three teams. It was originally thought that Natta might have to stop pitching and focus on the offensive side of the game. As he has developed, Natta has gotten to the point where he may potentially be able to pitch at the BBA level after all. Time will tell but the team seems likely to bring him to Spring Training in 2059 and let him get some time as both a pitcher and a hitter.

Another interesting pitcher in the system is lefty Walt Quero. He was signed to a minor league deal after the 2057 season and added to the 40-man to avoid exposure to the Rule 5 draft. Quero spent the 2058 season in Richmond and went 9-10 with a 4.26 ERA. He throws the ball hard, topping out around 100mph, and has 3 high quality pitches to go along with an average changeup. Quero will likely get a chance to show what he can do out of the bullpen in Spring Training this year.

The next prospect on the list is Ki-chun Hwang. An interesting prospect, Hwang has pitched better as he has moved up the organizational ladder. His Rookie ERA is 5.97. His Short A ERA is 5.61. His A ERA is 3.25. He has the most innings at A ball. Unfortunately, Hwang had a rough season in 2058, suffering two major injuries. He missed about a month and a half with a bicep strain and then, after only 6 starts, he went back on the Injured List with a partially torn UCL. His development has been slowed by the injuries but despite topping out at around 91mph, he projects to have very good stuff with the potential for three solid pitches. The team is hoping he will come back from the latest setback and be able to reach his potential.

Tarassios Stroggylis was once a top 60 prospect in the BBA. Now, he’s nowhere near that. One of the big reasons for his drop is that he no longer projects to have the ability to control where the ball goes when he pitches. He’s never been a hard thrower, but his change and splitter have long been considered to have a chance to be outstanding. After a very solid showing in 2057 (72-, 3.49), Stroggylis struggled mightily in 2058 (2-3, 6.68). A move to the bullpen could benefit the former Futures Game participant.

Juan Ramirez was selected in the 3rd round of the 2058 draft and spent the rest of the season in Adirondack, Charlotte’s Short A club. He is a 6’9” lefty with a 5 pitch mix including a fastball that tops out at 99mph. Ramirez pitched well in Adirondack, finishing 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 73.2 innings.

The last prospect we will discuss is James Gluck. He was picked up in the 4th round of the 2058 draft and then pitched quite well with Short A Adirondack. He can throw his fastball up to 98mph with a good changeup and splitter to complement it. HHe was 3-3 with a 2.78 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 71.1 innings with the Beavers. His biggest drawback is that he is a flyball pitcher who has a tendency to give up too many home runs. If he can fix that, he could turn into a much more exciting prospect.

[BaseClogger]

Ramirez was near the top of my board when you selected him. I still like him.

The others all look surprisingly good on paper until you dig a little deeper into their injury history or whatnot. But you’ll probably end up with a good reliever or something from that group.

And then there’s Natta. Even if he’s not a good BBA pitcher just soaking up 50 low leverage innings on behalf of the rest of the staff is valuable.