Overview-Selected in the 4th round by the Rays in 2003, Schlichting was developed as a third baseman in their system. After four mediocre years as a position player, he decided to give pitching a try, and following a stint in the independent league, Schlichting was signed by the Dodgers. He showed promise in 2008, and that was enough to get him protected by the Dodgers on the 40-man roster. If injuries don't continue to set him back, Schlichting has considerable upside in the bullpen.
Stuff-He's predominantly a fastball/slider pitcher, but he also flashed a changeup that impressed me last year. Schlichting's fastball sits in the 91-92 mph range and touches 94, which is an uptick of about 1-2 mph from last year. It has good arm side tail, and it's a heavy pitch when he's going good. The pitch used to have more sink to it, but Schlichting seems to have straightened it out last year, which perhaps explains the velocity increase.
His slider is thrown hard from 82-84 mph, and it has good late bite, but not a lot of two plane break. It stops just short of being a plus offering for me. The changeup is also thrown hard in the 81-84 mph range, which doesn't leave a lot of separation. It has a good amount of drop to it, but it has inconsistent fade, so he'll likely need to tighten it up against major league lefties. Still, it's a quality offering with potential for more.
Command-Despite the statistics, his control can be a pleasant surprise at times. He can work the fastball from side to side, and he generally lives down in the zone. The curve and change can be thrown over for strikes when behind in the count or buried in the ground when ahead.
Unfortunately, he tends to interject sessions of disturbing wildness into his outings, a habit that puts him behind in the count far too often. They weren't long drawn out battles either, Schlichting would just suddenly lose the strike zone and walk the guy on four or five pitches, like he was channeling his inner Rick Vaughn or something.
Nevertheless, the improvement is coming along, slowly but surely, and the injuries in 2009 derailed any plans to gain further consistency. Schlichting still needs more seasoning, and while he might be getting old for a prospect, remember that he doesn't have a lot of experience or mileage on his arm.
Mechanics-His pitching motion is deliberate, but it can get a bit jerky at times. Schlichting utilizes a high leg kick to hide the ball initially, and he doesn't really have an arm circle, so there's deception there.
On the negative side of things, his front side mechanics are just bad. He extends his glove fine, but as his hips start to rotate, he doesn't bring his glove into his body to help the process. Instead, he leaves it extended and flopping around near his knee. In order to compensate for this inefficiency in pitching physics, he actively pulls with his left shoulder to help initiate the throwing action. As a result, his timing can be inconsistent, and one is forced to question how much progress he can make with his control if adjustments are not made. Worse yet, his follow through can be abrupt and violent, as he seems to actively recoil his arm after releasing the pitch.
Mental-Aggressive and confident on the mound.
Health-Shut down in Spring Training with a bulging disk in his back and then missed a few months in the middle of the season when he got hurt again.
Performance-To be honest, there wasn't much to say about his 2009 season. The sample size was small, and it's hard to determine how effective he would have been without the injuries. Sure, his ERA was 0.92, and it looks impressive, but his FIP was in the ~4.00 range, which is similar to what he did in 2008.
Schlichting did begin to induce more grounders (51.8%), and he is beginning to handle lefties and righties equally well, so that's promising. Yet, his overall statistical profile is merely average. The bottom line is that while he has a solid strikeout rate, he currently walks far too many men for my liking.
Other-Nothing of note.
Projection-Just on the basis of his stuff and command alone, I would say he could be a solid reliever in the majors. However, a closer look at his mechanics and statistical profile gives me reason for pause. It's becoming increasingly likely that the assumed improvements may never come, which would result in him being a fringe major leaguer. I do still like him as an underrated prospect, but nowhere near as much as I did last year before I got more looks at the way he throws.
Schlichting will likely start the season in AAA, but he could get another shot at the majors sooner than later, depending on the injury situation. Likely on the fringe of the 40-man roster at this point, it's getting close to the time where he needs to start delivering on his promise.
Original Story:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Memori...
