Hold My Log - 57.05 - Spring Bump Changes Grange Outlook

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When the Portland Lumberjacks drafted Kent Grange with the 3rd pick in the Supplemental 1st round back in 2051 with the 40th overall pick, there were some high hopes for the young reliever. Sure, he was a reliever taken 40th overall, but there were thoughts he could make it to the big leagues one day as he was rated as a 10-7-7 arm on draft day. The pick prompted draft specialist Aaron Weiner to write this of Grange after the pick.

40. RP Kent Grange (Portland): Grange is a hard thrower for a high school player, hitting 97 on the gun, and the sidearmer has reasonable skills all around. He's definitely a reliever, as the righty has poor stamina. Additional velocity would definitely help him. The righty has a long way to go and poor intangibles, but you could do worse at the end of the first round.

But Grange fell on tough times.

Just over 2 months after signing on with Portland, Grange ruptured his ulnar collateral ligament which forced him to miss 14 months of work. The injury saw him lose a significant amount of his ability and rehab just wasn't bringing back much of his ability. He dropped to a 7-7-7 pitcher, which is pretty much a death sentence for a reliever in the BBA, and managed to pitch just one game in all of 2052. He posted a negative WAR in 2053 in short A ball and was roughed up in 2 outings in Double-A ball prompting many to think his career was likely destined for a full life in the minors before giving up the game.

2054 saw a bouncback in performance, granted at Short A yet again. A place a 20 year old doesn't want to find himself. In 2055 he posted solid numbers but a negative WAR in single-A. In 2056, though his ratings remained pretty much the same by scouts (8-6-8), he put up his best season to date split between A and AA ball. In 37 appearances in A, he posted a 2.77 ERA and then looked even better in 18 outings in AA by posting a 1.45 ERA. The numbers forced the front office to at least take a peak, but scouts repeatedly said he didn't have the stuff for the big league level.

The Lumberjacks front office was faced with a decision this off-season. Grange was Rule 5 eligible for the first time and the club had to decide whether to protect the failing reliever. "I guess you could say having a poor roster saved Grange's career" said one scout. Portland added Grange to the 40-man roster and invited the 22 year old to spring camp. "It wasn't because we were intrigued by what he had done" said GM Chris Wilson, "it was more because we didn't have enough guys to fill a team for spring training so we added Grange to help fill the roster."

Because of ability, talent, lack of a team, or pity... Grange didn't care. He was excited about the opportunity to be on the big league squad and vowed to do his best to show he belonged. "As soon as I arrived, I gravitated to every pitching coach and arm specialist we had available" said Grange. "I wasn't going to let a lack of work ethic deter me" said the man who was actually once labeled to have a poor work ethic.

"He was like a gnat" said Portland pitching coach Hugh Boyd. "I'd swat him away and he'd be right back in my face. I couldn't get rid of the guy."

"If he wasn't with Boyd, he was all over me" stated Chris Gilmore, the team's trainer. "He was always hounding me on ways to make his arm stronger, how to add more velocity, how to do this or that. He worked his tail off for sure."

And it worked! Grange boosted his velocity. He now throws his fast ball close to 99 mph. The area it really changed was his stuff rating by scouts. "We graded him somewhere between a 7 or 8 on stuff" said one scout. "By the end of spring, we had him at 10+ on a 10 scale. Some scouts graded him a 13 and going as high as a 15 against right handed bats." Needless to say, the front office took notice.

"We entered Spring Training expecting Grange to be someone filling a roster spot and then going back down to whatever level his age would fit him in to fill a roster spot there" said GM Chris Wilson. "We exited spring with a pitcher who we think can shut down late game situations. It truly is amazing what throwing a bone to a guy can do I guess."

In his first big league week, Grange pitched in 4 games, going 4.1 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits while striking out 2 and not walking a batter.