06-02-2010, 12:35 AM
I picked out some bits and pieces from an ESPN scouting report by Jason Grey, who's a pretty good scout, from what I've gathered (although he seems to think in terms of "fantasy value" too much).
FWIW, he thinks Cashner definitely has the stuff:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Scouting Report: Andrew Cashner
We've had a couple of players called up to the big leagues recently who have the potential to be future closers for their clubs, such as the Nationals' Drew Storen, who I wrote about May 17, and the Brewers' Zach Braddock (May 27 blog). Well, you can add the Cubs' Andrew Cashner, who made his big league debut with a one-pitch outing Monday, to that list.
Cashner has been a starter since he was picked in the first round (19th overall) in the 2008 draft. He got that lofty draft position when his velocity spiked (from the low 90s to the high 90s) in his senior year as the closer for TCU. After some initial adjustment issues as a pro -- he walked more than he struck out in his first 20 innings in 2008 -- the lean 6-foot-6 righty started coming around in his first full professional season in 2009. He missed some time because of an oblique injury, but he also made 24 starts between high Class A and Double-A, posting a 2.60 ERA in 100 innings and making progress with his control. His innings count was low because of low pitch counts, which topped out around the 80 range. He then followed up his '09 season with a solid Arizona Fall League campaign. While the 23-year-old was impressive, his strikeout rate of less than seven batters per nine innings was not commensurate with his stuff.
That "stuff" is a fastball that sits between 94-97 mph and can touch 98, with some arm-side run, though it does straighten out at times. He's not a max-effort guy, and his velocity comes relatively easy with short arm action as he whips the ball to the plate. He pairs his heater with an 83-87 mph slider with very good break that causes scouts to describe it as a hard curve. He also possesses an 80-84 mph changeup that is still a work in progress, but he has made good strides with it over the past few months.
Cashner made nine starts between Double- and Triple-A this season before being switched to relief work for two appearances prior to his call-up to the big club. He bumped up his strikeout rate more than a batter per inning, posted almost a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and allowed just one homer with a 2.05 ERA in 57 innings. In his pro career he has allowed just three homers in 177 1/3 innings. We're seeing the progression we want to see in a power arm; his numbers keep improving, and he's missing more bats as he adds more polish to his game.
At the end of last year, the consensus about Cashner from scouts seemed to be that although he lacked overall command at the time, he was projected to eventually find it -- and perhaps even develop plus command -- despite his tendency to overthrow at times. There was also the feeling that his changeup, while very much hit-and-miss, had the sink and slight fade to be effective. It just seemed to be "on" maybe once every three outings. Cashner just had to be more consistent in not slowing his arm while throwing it, in addition to not "choking" the pitch (a term for when a pitcher grips the ball more tightly than he should, thus making it easier to detect and also more likely to be in the dirt).
By all accounts, his changeup has been a lot more consistent this season, and he has been able to get more swings and misses with it. Plus, he has shown more confidence in throwing the changeup any time he wants rather than falling back on his primary two pitches. Cashner also moved to the third base side of the rubber this season, which has made his slider that much more effective coming from a different angle. This year he has been throwing all three pitches for strikes, carrying his velocity deeper into games, and has even started mixing in a two-seamer on occasion. Cashner's groundball rate has been above-average in his career, which is a sign that he can continue to keep balls in the park even when he makes mistakes.
"Everybody knows he came to us from TCU as a reliever," Cubs player development director Oneri Fleita told the team website reporter. "We put him in the rotation [in the minors], and when you do that, it helps the players develop their second and third pitch, and most importantly, develop command of their fastball. And he's done that."
The Cubs don't have room in their rotation at the moment, but the team did feel Cashner's arm was ready to contribute, so he was moved back to the bullpen for the time being. Cashner has always been under the impression he was being groomed as a starter, and that might still be in the plans for future seasons.
Cashner certainly has the stuff to hold the closer role if given the chance and could quickly become the next in line for it, if anything happened to Marmol.
It's similar to what I said about Neftali Feliz before this season, and going further back, what I said about Jonathan Papelbon when it was somewhat uncertain whether he was going to be a starter or a closer going forward: We're still unsure what Cashner's future role is going to be, but this is the kind of arm I would want to own.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
FWIW, he thinks Cashner definitely has the stuff:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Scouting Report: Andrew Cashner
We've had a couple of players called up to the big leagues recently who have the potential to be future closers for their clubs, such as the Nationals' Drew Storen, who I wrote about May 17, and the Brewers' Zach Braddock (May 27 blog). Well, you can add the Cubs' Andrew Cashner, who made his big league debut with a one-pitch outing Monday, to that list.
Cashner has been a starter since he was picked in the first round (19th overall) in the 2008 draft. He got that lofty draft position when his velocity spiked (from the low 90s to the high 90s) in his senior year as the closer for TCU. After some initial adjustment issues as a pro -- he walked more than he struck out in his first 20 innings in 2008 -- the lean 6-foot-6 righty started coming around in his first full professional season in 2009. He missed some time because of an oblique injury, but he also made 24 starts between high Class A and Double-A, posting a 2.60 ERA in 100 innings and making progress with his control. His innings count was low because of low pitch counts, which topped out around the 80 range. He then followed up his '09 season with a solid Arizona Fall League campaign. While the 23-year-old was impressive, his strikeout rate of less than seven batters per nine innings was not commensurate with his stuff.
That "stuff" is a fastball that sits between 94-97 mph and can touch 98, with some arm-side run, though it does straighten out at times. He's not a max-effort guy, and his velocity comes relatively easy with short arm action as he whips the ball to the plate. He pairs his heater with an 83-87 mph slider with very good break that causes scouts to describe it as a hard curve. He also possesses an 80-84 mph changeup that is still a work in progress, but he has made good strides with it over the past few months.
Cashner made nine starts between Double- and Triple-A this season before being switched to relief work for two appearances prior to his call-up to the big club. He bumped up his strikeout rate more than a batter per inning, posted almost a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and allowed just one homer with a 2.05 ERA in 57 innings. In his pro career he has allowed just three homers in 177 1/3 innings. We're seeing the progression we want to see in a power arm; his numbers keep improving, and he's missing more bats as he adds more polish to his game.
At the end of last year, the consensus about Cashner from scouts seemed to be that although he lacked overall command at the time, he was projected to eventually find it -- and perhaps even develop plus command -- despite his tendency to overthrow at times. There was also the feeling that his changeup, while very much hit-and-miss, had the sink and slight fade to be effective. It just seemed to be "on" maybe once every three outings. Cashner just had to be more consistent in not slowing his arm while throwing it, in addition to not "choking" the pitch (a term for when a pitcher grips the ball more tightly than he should, thus making it easier to detect and also more likely to be in the dirt).
By all accounts, his changeup has been a lot more consistent this season, and he has been able to get more swings and misses with it. Plus, he has shown more confidence in throwing the changeup any time he wants rather than falling back on his primary two pitches. Cashner also moved to the third base side of the rubber this season, which has made his slider that much more effective coming from a different angle. This year he has been throwing all three pitches for strikes, carrying his velocity deeper into games, and has even started mixing in a two-seamer on occasion. Cashner's groundball rate has been above-average in his career, which is a sign that he can continue to keep balls in the park even when he makes mistakes.
"Everybody knows he came to us from TCU as a reliever," Cubs player development director Oneri Fleita told the team website reporter. "We put him in the rotation [in the minors], and when you do that, it helps the players develop their second and third pitch, and most importantly, develop command of their fastball. And he's done that."
The Cubs don't have room in their rotation at the moment, but the team did feel Cashner's arm was ready to contribute, so he was moved back to the bullpen for the time being. Cashner has always been under the impression he was being groomed as a starter, and that might still be in the plans for future seasons.
Cashner certainly has the stuff to hold the closer role if given the chance and could quickly become the next in line for it, if anything happened to Marmol.
It's similar to what I said about Neftali Feliz before this season, and going further back, what I said about Jonathan Papelbon when it was somewhat uncertain whether he was going to be a starter or a closer going forward: We're still unsure what Cashner's future role is going to be, but this is the kind of arm I would want to own.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance
