PROSPECT: Brandon Pfaadt, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
ANALYSIS: There were some flirtations with Pfaadt making the Major League rotation out of camp, but he couldn't quite crack it. The Diamondbacks have been rolling with Madison Bumgarner once again, and it hasn't been going well. Not only are there on-field questions with Bumgarner, but we've heard some rumblings about off-the-field stuff there as well, and he's now been designated for assignment with Arizona being forced to eat a large amount of money.
Pfaadt was one of the standouts in the minor leagues last season, going for a ridiculous 26.9% K-BB% across 29 starts, mostly in the PCL which is the toughest league to pitch in in all of the minors. He struck out 218 hitters in 167 innings and walked only 33. Pristine stuff.
A good fastball and a great slider with a changeup and curveball in the mix as well. That is good to see, as we often hesitate about pitchers that do most of their work with the fastball. It is a lot tougher to get a fastball by a Major League hitter as compared to a minor leaguer, of course, so it's really important for these young pitchers to already have good secondaries – and it seems like Pfaadt had that.
VERDICT: He'll be up by the middle of May, and he very well could get the call as soon as next week with Bumgarner now out of the picture for Arizona.
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