In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Over at the Post Gazette, our pal Stephen Nesbitt penned a nice write-up on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ number 10th ranked prospect, Nick Kingham.
As many reading this will know, Kingham was once on track to make his debut right alongside Jameson Taillon. Both were selected in the 2010 draft; Taillon as the number two pick overall with Kingham coming later in the fourth round. The then-number six ranked Pirates prospect succumbed to an elbow injury and had Tommy John surgery in May of 2015.
Fast forward to today and Kingham has worked his way back, making a handful of starts last year in hopes to perhaps make an impact much like Taillon did last season.
However, his path might end up mirroring the other pillar of the top of the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation in Gerrit Cole.
Similar Mix
When Cole first made the leap to the majors, the Pirates kept things simple for him by having him focus on two pitches – the four-seam and the sinker – above all others. To be sure, he mixed in the occasional changeup, curve or slider, but not until he got acclimated to big league hitting. Just take a look at how his pitch mix evolved over his first year:
image courtesy of Brooks Baseball
By limiting what Cole threw, the Pittsburgh Pirates allowed him time to get his feel for pitching to vastly superior bats, and the results spoke for themselves. Cole won his first four starts, but stayed at 94 pitches or less in each, never striking out more than five.
In that vein, Kingham could follow a more similar path, at least in terms of approach when he first hits the majors, to Cole than Taillon. Taillon was so impressive in Triple-A that the Pirates felt comfortable allowing him to utilize his full arsenal of pitches. Kingham is still a great unknown in that he has had only 20 starts at Indianapolis, and was not as decidedly lights out as Taillon was in 2016. Much like Cole, who had a bit of a problem with walks in his last year in Triple-A, Kingham walked 2.4 AAA hitters per nine in those 20 starts, so he could be seen more along the lines of how Cole was viewed when he first arrived.
Before the injury, Kingham had solid command of three pitches: a four-seam, change and a ‘curveball’ that perhaps leaned more towards a slider. The Pittsburgh Pirates will absolutely need him to have a firm grasp of a third pitch eventually, but to be effective throughout his first lap around the majors, he may already have everything he needs.
Of course, this is all a bit premature. Kingham has yet to throw a pitch that means anything for the 2017 season. He may not acclimate himself to facing Triple-A hitting again as easily as Taillon did. However, his pitch mix, stuff and trajectory could have him serving a similar “sparkplug” role that Cole famously played in 2013.
Baseball Talk on the Web
- Dexter Fowler officially signed his deal with the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. Heyman has the scoop.
- Dave Cameron compares the Fowler and Adam Eaton transactions.
- Outside Pitch does the math and figures out how the Dodgers were able to keep Justin Turner, Rich Hill AND Kenley Jansen
Featured Image Credit – Scott Belz
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