Eddie Kunz RHP R R 6-5 250 4-8-86 Oregon State
Kunz was the setup man in 2006 for the Oregon State Beavers, and replaced Kevin Gunderson in 2007 as the closer. In 2007, he pitched in 23 games (2-0 2.45 9 saves) with 32 Ks in 33 IP.
Kunz was picked in the supplemental portion of the 1st round (42nd overall) of the 2007 draft by the New York Mets.
Baseball America had him projected as the 89th top draft prospect in the nation. He has a plus fastball that tops out at 94, plus he throws a slider and an effective changeup to lefties. He keeps his fastball down in the zone, and it has some above-average sink to it. His slider sits in the 80-82 mph range. It's a true slider, with a short, late break and hard bite. He has average command and throws from a three-quarters arm slot out of the bullpen. He lacks a true weapon against good left-handed batters but his sinker will induce a lot of ground balls and chew up bats in pro ball. Because of his struggles against lefties, he projects more as a set-up man in pro ball, rather than a dominating closer.
2007 Scouting Report: Kunz was lost in the shuffle on a dominant pitching staff for the College World Series champion Beavers a year ago, but asserted himself with a breakout summer in the Cape Cod League and has played prominent role as OSU’s closer this season. He could overpower hitters in the past with essentially one pitch, a 95-96 mph fastball from a three-quarters angle with outstanding sink. He would jam hitters with it and produce a steady stream of ground-ball outs. But he has make significant strides with a second and third pitch this year: an 80-82 mph slider with a short, late break and a hard bite, and a changeup with diving action. That has enabled him to strike out more hitters this year—he was averaging a strikeout an inning, while going 2-0, 2.84 with 10 saves. But he remains primarily a ground-ball machine. Scouts questioned his toughness in the past, but he has shown poise this year with a game on the line.
In 2007, Kunz pitched for Brooklyn, going 0-1, 6.75, 1.33 in 12 relief appearances, 5 saves.
In September 2007, Muniz was assigned to play in the Arizona Winter League (which is always a sign that the organization wants to invest more time and money in you). It is also quite an honor for a player just drafted in the same year.
In November 2007, Scouts.com named Kunz as the 11th top Mets prospect, followed by BA naming him #5.
In December 2007, Jonathan Mayo/MLB.com had this to say about Kunz:
A short reliever who helped Oregon State win two national titles, Kunz could be on the fast track after a brief pro debut. After tossing 12 innings in Brooklyn, the supplemental first-round pick pitched in the Arizona Fall League. College relievers often move quickly, so don't be surprised to see Kunz in the Mets bullpen sooner rather than later.
In late January 2007, Baseball America listed Kunz as the #5 Mets prospect in their system.
In February 2008, Baseball Prospectus gave Eddie a 3-star rating and ranked him the 3rd overall Mets prospect.
Also in February 2008, Rotoworld ranked Kunz as the #6 Mets prospect, saying:
The Mets used their first pick in the 2007 draft on a pure reliever. Kunz had a 2.91 ERA and a 37/18 K/BB ratio in 46 1/3 innings in his final season at Oregon State. With his low arm angle and sinking 94-mph fastball, he should prove to be very tough on right-handers. However, left-handers may do enough damage against him to prevent him from becoming a closer. The hope is that he'll move quickly, but he obviously has to cut back on the walks before he'll be ready for the majors.
In March 2008, BA wrote the ten prospects to watch out for in 2008:
Eddie Kunz, RHP
The Mets didn't have a pick in last year's draft until the supplemental first round (No. 42 overall) and they used it to take Kunz, the big right-handed closer out of Oregon State. He struggled a bit in his pro debut and in the Arizona Fall League, but considering he had helped OSU win its second straight national title, he gets a bit of a mulligan. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Kunz has tremendous presence and likes to be on the mound in pressure situations. His fastball, which sits in the mid-90s, works as a power sinker and has plenty of movement. He also throws a slider and can throw a changeup. The Mets drafted him in the hopes he'd move quickly and that's still the plan, with the right-hander likely to begin the year with Double-A Binghamton.
In June 2008, BA did a post-draft adjustment of their top 10 Mets prospects and Kunz was ranked #6, with the comments: “7. Eddie Kunz, rhp - New York's top 2007 pick has held his own in Double-A in his first full season.”
In late July 2008, ProjectProspect.com updated their top 10 Mets prospect list and Kunz was ranked 7th.
Eddie had a horrible first trip (0-0, 13.50) to the majors after posting a combined 1-5, 3.33 in 50 apprearances for New Orleans and Binghamton. He also had 27 saves for the B-Mets.
Kunz will have to be added to the 40-man roster by 11-20-11, or he will become eligible for the 2012 Rule V draft.
February 2008:
From Toby Hyde: - #12 - RHP Eddie Kunz - Why Ranked Here: Kunz has a plus MLB pitch, a nasty two seamer in the low-mid 90s that generates both lots of swings and misses and groundballs. His short, hard flat slider is an effective weapon against righties. Moreover, he’s done with Double-A and close to ready to contribute to the Major League team. Ranking Kunz here signals an inflection point of sorts in the rankings where MLB readiness starts to outweigh potential. Kunz struggled with lefties in AA and in tiny samples in the majors and the AFL. He claims that he’s always had a good feel for a changeup, but the Mets wanted him to work on his slider to lefties in 2008. There is little doubt he needs another weapon against LHH who see the ball very early from his low ¾ arm slot. Scouts are concerned that the violence in Kunz’s delivery might mean that he will never have the type of command teams want out of their closer.
2008: After April 1, Kunz allowed runs in just five of his final 35 appearances in AA. The Mets promoted Kunz straight from AA to the big leagues in early August, where the command problems that plagued Kunz early in the AA season, came back hurt him. He became almost entirely fastball dependent, especially later in big league counts, and MLB hitters made him pay for his predictability. Kunz’s AFL line looks lousy thanks to an eight-run outburst he allowed in .1 of an inning on October 17th. Even so, the 10 walks in 14 innings is troubling. Projected 2009 Start: AAA Buffalo where he will be engaged in a lengthy audition to win another shot at the big leagues.
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