What We Know About Tonight’s Starter, LHP Drew Pomeranz

What we know about tonight’s starter, LHP Drew Pomeranz:

Bats: Right

Throws: Left

Age: 23

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 240

Acquired: Draft, 2010: First round, 5^th pick overall out of the University of Mississippi.

Throws: Fastball (low 90s), curveball, change.

Accolades: 2011: Baseball America’s pre-season #61 Prospect. 2012: Baseball America’s pre-season #30 Prospect.

Statistical Analysis: According to FanGraphs, big-bodied lefty Drew Pomeranz throws three pitches: A fastball that has averaged 90.0 MPH through his first two starts, a change that comes in at 83.3 MPH and a curveball at 78.8 MPH. He throws the fastball about two thirds of his pitches, the curveball in a quarter, and the change just 8% of his offerings. There is not enough of a sample size to gauge how these pitches have fared thus far—Pomeranz has made only six starts in the major leagues.

Minors: In the minors, Drew did exactly what you want a stud prospect to do—he got outs, he struck out a lot of batters, he did not walk many, and he stayed healthy. In only 105 minor league innings, the big lefty from Memphis, Tennessee struck out 123 (10.5 per nine) and walked only 39 (3.3 per nine) for a 3.15 strikeout to walk ratio. Impressively, he allowed only three home runs in those 105 innings. He has allowed only one major league home run thus far in 27.2 innings. 

Scouting Report: In profiling the top 15 Rockies prospects for Fangraphs, analyst Marc Hulet had this to say about Pomeranz: “The lefty has the potential to develop into a No. 2 starter at the big league level, although I am a little concerned with his fly-ball tendencies and how well that will play in Coors Field. Acquiring him in the deal, though, was really a no-brainer when you consider the fact that he’s a MLB-ready prospect with a high ceiling. Pomeranz has a big, strong pitcher’s frame and should eat a lot of innings for Colorado. His repertoire includes a 90-95 mph fastball, a curveball and a changeup. The southpaw’s fastball velocity fluctuated in 2011, but it was his first full season of pitching in pro ball so no one is overly concerned at this point. His breaking ball is his strikeout pitch but his off-speed pitch (a changeup) remains a work in progress..”

Opinion: I am less concerned than Hulet regarding Pomeranz’s fly-ball tendencies because he has done a very good job over 130+ professional innings keeping the ball in the yard. I remember when the Indians drafted Pomeranz in 2010 hoping the Mets could somehow land him in a deal. He was a polished collegiate lefty with a good fastball and a wicked curve. He has stuck with that script through the minors and was successful. He had a rough welcoming into the big leagues and has gotten roughed up through his first seven starts (5.86 ERA) but make no mistake—this kid has a lot of talent and will be a very good starter in this league for a lot of years. The Mets are playing Hairston, Lutz, and Nickeas to get some righties in the line up but the good fastball-curve combination from the left side will give Duda, Davis, Murphy, and Nieuwenhuis some trouble. I am excited at the chance to see Pomeranz pitch and, given his struggles early this season, I hope the bats can jump on his fastball and sit on the curve. Once this kid figures out his change, he will be one of the more unhittable pitchers in the NL.

LGM