In his last 5 starts for the Class-A West Virginia Power, Kyle McPherson has 39 strikeouts and only walked 3 batters.  The Pirates are known for placing strict pitch counts on their players in the farm system, yet McPherson has gone 7 innings in 2 of his last 5 starts.  That said, his K/IP ratio over that span is still an impressive 39/28.1 and his K/BB ratio is ridiculous.  For the season, the opposition is batting a low .221 against him.  Think it’s about time he gets a promotion to High A Bradenton Marauders?

Yesterday, McPherson went 7 innings without giving up a single hit and only walking 1 batter on his way to earning a win.  His friend good friend, who also happens to be a Dynasty client, Ryan Kelly, came on in the 8th inning and pitched 2 solid innings to close the door on the game.  Kelly struck out 5 batters in the 2 innings of work.  On the season, Kelly also has more strikeouts and innings pitched, and his K/BB ratio is 24/3.

For a team desperately in need of pitching, the Pirates have a couple of arms that they may want to consider bringing up the organizational ladder.  I am not suggesting that my guys are guaranteed success at higher levels, but there is no way of knowing if they are stuck at Class-A.

Here is an update on some other Dynasty baseball clients:

• Since being called up to Triple-A Buffalo, Johnny Lujan has notched 4 saves.  In 13.1 innings pitched, he has 19 strikeouts and only 3 walks.  Lujan has always been known for his ability to confuse batters, but an issue in the past was his control.  In the offseason, he worked hard on getting his control down, which is proven by his low number of walks allowed.  In Lujan’s last 4 innings pitched, he has struck out 9 batters.
• Clint Robinson is having a fantastic first season at the Double-A level.  His OBP is currently .374 and his OPS is .831.  He has been patient at the plate, walking almost as much as he has been K’d, which is a great sign for a power hitter like Robinson.  This past Saturday, Robinson matched a franchise record with 7 RBI.  He was 5-for-6 on the day.  1 of the 5 hits included a home run (his 5th on the year).
• Lee Roberts is not only enjoying himself playing overseas in Germany, the former Kansas City Royals organization hurler is also putting up very impressive numbers.  In 60.1 innings pitched, he has struck out 72 batters and boasts a 2.39 ERA.  A couple of weeks ago, Roberts was awarded the honor of Bundesliga Player of the Week.

Dynasty Baseball Update Headlined By Kyle McPherson from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Kyle McPherson

And now, McPherson is taking a short break before he heads down to my neck of the woods and plays some Fall Instructional League ball with the Pirates.  Kyle believes that the time in Florida will allow him to pick up his velocity.  If he follows suit, he will be one guy you never want to see on the mound as a batter on the opposing team.

McPherson recently talked again with a website that has become a big fan of the black belt baseball player.  Rum Bunter’s interview posits why McPherson was sent down last year (their assumption is correct), talks to Kyle about his 2009 season, asks some questions about next year, and compares McPherson’s numbers with Rudy Owens’ numbers (another great Pirates prospect).

Here is my favorite Q&A of the piece:

KYLE WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE NEXT YEAR?

“My overall goal is make it to the big leagues. Of course, the organization will place me where they see fit for me to reach that goal. My goal is to have a healthy spring training and offseason.  I’m going to go down to the Instructional League and I will be all ears. I will pick many things up for the betterment…to take with me for next year.”

“Wherever they decide that they want me to end up is up to them, I cant control that, so I will give myself every opportunity I can and let the chips fall where they may.”

McPherson also had an interview with George Von Benko of Scout.com and PiratesDugout.com.  A lot of the same topics were discussed in the article on Rum Bunter.  I particularly liked the very end of the interview:

GVB — Are you pleased with your progress through the minor leagues, do you have any sort of timetable?

KM — Age has been very beneficial for me since I was drafted at 19. This is my third professional season and I’m 21 now. I’m just as old as the new draft guys are and looking at it from that standpoint it’s progressing just fine.

Kyle McPherson Already Preparing For Next Season from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Kyle McPherson

Instead of complaining, McPherson understood the situation.  The Pirates wanted to see how he would perform against young, future big-leaguers, and Kyle only being twenty-one years old himself, focused on doing whatever he could to impress his coaches.  He has done just that.

Since joining the State College Spikes Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate, McPherson has a 3.03 ERA and the opposition is only batting .253 against him.  The most impressive stat is his K/BB ratio, currently sitting at 5.6.  In 68.1 innings, he has struck out 56 batters and only walked 10.  Also impressive, is that the right hand pitcher has a slightly better ERA against left handed batters than right handed ones.  This is something that will help McPherson grow as a starting pitcher within the organization.

Since joining the Spikes in June, Kyle’s ERA has gone down every month, with his best month of the season being August.  In August, Kyle has pitched 30 innings in 5 games, going 6 innings in each game.  He has racked up 23 strikeouts in that span and allowed the opposition to bat a meager .204 when he is on the mound.  His ERA in August is 2.10.

Here is what Guy Cipriano of the Centre Daily Times wrote about McPherson’s performance last night:

McPherson’s ability to locate inside fastballs, some as hard as 93 mph, mixed with changeups, many below 80 mph, fooled one of the NY-PL’s most aggressive teams.

McPherson allowed three singles and one walk in six scoreless innings. He struck out eight, including two in the first and third innings to foreshadow later success.

“He got strikeouts with his fastball, but he used his changeup to keep them off his fastball,” manager Gary Robinson said. “He used it just right. He sped the hitters up and then slowed it down and then sped them up. He did a great job.”

“The changeup was a devastating pitch,” McPherson said. “They are a very aggressive team and that made the fastball that much more beneficial.”

The outing extended a strong streak. McPherson, who started this year at full-season West Virginia, has lasted six innings in his past five starts. McPherson’s previous start was a no-run, seven-strikeout performance against Brooklyn on Aug. 21.

“I feel like it’s great to get to the end of the year and stay strong,” said McPherson, who has thrown 1191/3 innings between State College and West Virginia. “Everybody wants to end their season on a high note. I hope to do that. I’m working to do that.”

Kyle McPherson Ending His Season On A High Note from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Kyle Gunderson bounced back from a couple of rough outings to get his 8th save of the season for the Jupiter Hammerheads.  He struck out 1 batter in his inning of relief.

Ryan Kelly also picked up the save in his appearance for the West Virginia Power.  Along with starting pitcher, Rudy Owens, Kelly shutout the Lake County Captains.  Kelly pitched three scoreless innings while earning his 5th save of the year.

Congrats goes out to Ben Billingsley, who hit his first homerun of the year for the Everett Aquasox.  It was a solo shot that helped Everett in its win against the Eugene Emeralds.  Tonight, Nick Czyz will get the start for Everett.  On the season, Czyz has a 1.59 ERA in two starts.

7/1/09 News & Notes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The MLB Draft occurred just last week, but already, three first-round picks have signed with the teams who picked them.  The disadvantage of signing early is that you forfeit seeing what other players are signing for.  There is a possibility that you sign for less than you could make if you hold out until the deadline.  The positive is that you show goodwill to your signing team and get started within the organization as soon as possible.  Many teams will start you on a higher level, and you will be well on your way up the system while your colleagues are holding out for more money.

Normally, the signing deadline for drafted players is August 15th.  Because August 15th falls on a Saturday this year, the MLB has pushed the deadline  back to August 17th.  Expect a lot of first rounders to sign within minutes of the deadline.  But then there are those who have already signed, two months earlier than they had to.  Tony Sanchez is currently playing with the West Virginia Power of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization (where Dynasty has 2 clients: Kyle McPherson and Ryan Kelly), Drew Storen is with the Hagerstown Suns of the Washington Nationals organization, and Eric Arnett will be sent to Brewers Rookie Ball (Helena).

To be able to start playing in Class A or Rookie Ball now, is definitely a plus.  What about the signing bonuses?

• Tony Sanchez (#4 overall) – $2.5 million. College Junior – Catcher.
• Drew Storen (#10 overall) – $1.6 million. Draft-eligible College Sophomore – RHP.
• Eric Arnett (#26 overall) – $1.2 million. College Junior – RHP.

Last year, the #4 overall pick (Brian Matusz, College Junior – LHP) signed for $3.2 million, higher than Tony Sanchez’s bonus.  Left-handed pitchers are very valuable, but so is the skilled position of Catcher.  Additionally, the #5 overall pick was a College Junior Catcher named Buster Posey.  Drafted one slot later than Sanchez, Posey received the largest bonus of the draft – $6.2 million.  The Pirates spent $6 million on their 1st round pick last year (Pedro Alvarez), so Sanchez really could have probably made more if he held out a little longer.  But again, the positives of signing early..

Last year’s #10 overall pick (Jason Castro) was a College Junior Catcher from the same university as this year’s #10 overall pick – Stanford University.  Castro also signed for more money than this year’s #10 pick.  He received a bonus of $2.07 million.  Again, a highly skilled Catcher is very valuable, but Storen was seen as someone who could help out the Nats immediately.  Storen was also probably drafted in this position because of his signability.  Presumably, the Nationals knew that he would be a quick sign, which is why he was taken at #10 overall.

The #26 overall pick last year was Daniel Schlereth, a College Junior LHP from the University of Arizona.  As previously stated, LHPs are often valued higher than RHPs.  Schlereth received only a little more of a bonus ($1.33 million) than Arnett.

All three first round players that signed, did so below slot value.  I believe that Storen and Sanchez have legitimate reasons for doing so.  But maybe Arnett should have taken a little bit more time before agreeing to the terms of his deal.  What are your thoughts?

Early First Round Signings Below Slot from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Dan Leatherman of the Potomac Nationals went 3.2 innings in relief in a shortened 7 inning game (Potomac played a double header).  He only gave up 1 hit and 0 earned runs.  Dan has been getting a lot of time lately and has lowered his ERA in the process.  On the season, his ERA is sitting at 4.61.  For relievers on Potomac, Dan leads the team in innings pitched with 27.1.

Pete Parise is also leading his team in innings pitched (among relievers).  Pete has been on an absolute tear in his first season with the AA Springfield Cardinals, and has some newspaper columnists calling for his assignment to AAA Memphis.  Last night, Pete threw another 2 innings in his normal set-up position and added another tally in the hold column.  He struck out 2 and gave up 0 ER.  ERA is sitting at 2.79.

Kyle McPherson of the West Virginia Power went 5 innings in his start.  He only gave up 2 earned runs and left the game with his team ahead.  Unfortunately, the Power could not hang on, and ended up losing the game.

6/08/09 News & Notes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules