Kyle Drabek went from being our top prospect bar none to an afterthought in just one season. In my 25 years of watching baseball I've never seen a guy fall apart like that in a season. He went from being a great fastball/curveball pitcher who mixed in a developing cutter to a cutter pitcher who stopped throwing his curveball and was throwing fastballs upstairs and straight in a season.
Up until this season he never showed that he would have control problems and continually showed that he would be a dominant pitcher.
His first 3 MLB starts in 2010 were all quality starts. After his first 5 starts in 2011 he had a 3.30 ERA and we were all talking ROY. Then the Yankees ate him alive and he started to unwind. His next 5 starts he actually posted a 3.86 ERA but we were all getting worried because of the walks. June 1 rolled around and he turned into a garbage pitcher overnight and never got his mojo working again.
I think Drabek is going to take the off-season, get his head right and come back next season totally focused and we'll be surprised in a pleasant way.
Just remember this guy and keep in mind that he's still at least our #5 starter and could still be our #3 starter next year and he's not to be written off.
Last offseason's scouting report:
Drabek’s best pitch is his hard spike-curveball. He often throws his curve as hard as 85-86 mph, and generally keeps it in the 81-84 mph range. With the potential to be one of the better curveballs among American League starters, Drabek has used the pitch’s sharp break to rack up groundballs and strikeouts during his minor league career. His curveball has allowed him to neutralize right-handed power-hitters, and to keep the lefties from sitting on his four-seamer.
Drabek has developed a formidable trio of fastballs during the past two seasons. He throws a power four-seamer, a tailing two-seamer and a boring cutter. His four-seamer sits in the 92-94 mph range, rand can reach 96-97 mph. Although he throws the pitch with premium velocity, his 4-seam fastball often straightens out and makes him susceptible to home runs and deep flies.
Drabek’s massive platoon splits encouraged him to put more work in honing his cutter and two-seam fastball. In doing so he’s become a more complete starter and has done a better job dealing with left-handed batters. His two-seamer sits around 90-91 mph, and has nice ride to it. He commands the pitch fairly well to both sides of the plate– though he’ll let it sail when he’s tiring or out of sync. His cut-fastball is the newest addition to his arsenal, and he uses the boring action to jam left-handed batters. With more work the pitch could develop in to a weapon.
