The Reds made a surprise announcement this week, handing the #5 spot in their starting pitching rotation to 2009 1st-round draft pick Mike Leake. Leake will become the 21st player in history to begin his professional career in the MLB and skip the minors completely. Leake, 22, dominated in college and in the Arizona Fall League last season, but I was still shocked at the news.
If there is someone up to the task, however, it is Leake. Though he is an unimposing 5-11 and sits around 89-91 mph with his fastball, Leake is polished beyond his years. The Arizona State product has strong command of four pitches and changes speeds deftly to keep hitters off balance. Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker is notorious for shredding pitchers' arms, which is concerning, but on the bright side Leake threw 160+ innings last season and has the clean, athletic delivery to avoid arm problems. It would be foolish to have extremely high expectations for a pitcher one year removed from NCAA competition and playing his home games in a homer-happy ballpark, but I think Leake will be able to hold his own (sub-5.00 xFIP?). The Reds believe they will contend, and time will tell if Leake is a better 2010 option than fellow 5th-starter candidates such as Travis Wood and Micah Owings. Long-term, Leake will be a strong, dependable mid-rotation starter.
Mike Leake
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