Written by Greg Fertel
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14 June 2007
- Age: 23
- Height: 6'0"
- Weight: 200 lbs
- Acquired: In the Gary Sheffield Trade
- Position: Relief Pitcher
- Throws: Right
Scouting Report: Whelan throws some serious heat. He's hit 98 mph before, although Whelan sits comfortably at 93-95 mph. He backs it up with a plus splitter, which gets him a ton of strikeouts. He had a slider with Detroit, but I haven't heard of him throwing it much since coming over. Whelan, converted from catching full time just three years ago, is still learning how to pitch. He doesn't really know where the ball is going (25 BB in 31 AA innings) and is prone to overthrowing. He has some injury concerns, short arming the ball like a catcher when he pitches. He's also never logged 60+ innings before, so there is no telling how his arm will hold up to increased workloads.
History: Whelan started as a catcher at Texas A&M, but couldn't hit, so Texas started to convert him to the bullpen his sophomore year. Unfortunately, an injury to their other catcher forced Whelan to delay that full time conversion a season. Whelan blew away the Cape Code league in 2004, and has been only a relief pitcher since. The Tigers drafted him in the 4th round. Heading into 2006, Whelan had pitched 78 minor league innings and allowed just 39 hits(4.49 per 9), 37 walks (4.26 per 9), two home runs(0.23 per 9), and a 2.30 ERA, with 110 strikeouts (12.68 per 9), in all three A ball levels.
This Season: Whelan was sent to Trenton, with mixed results. On one hand, Whelan did what he has always done: strike people out and prevent runs from crossing the plate. He pitched 31 innings with a 2.90 ERA, striking out 40 (11.61 per 9). However, his control has gotten worse, with 25 walks (7.25 per 9). Seeing the problem, the Yankees brought Whelan back down to Tampa, where Nardi Contreras and the rest of the brain trust can more closely monitor him and try to figure out a way to keep the wildness down.
Outlook and Movement: Don't expect to see Whelan in the major leagues too soon. He'll be kept down in Tampa until the Yankees feel confident that his mechanics are straightened out. Whelan, with such an unused arm, shouldn't be rushed. If he doesn't make the majors until he is 25, then so be it. It's asking a lot of a guy to throw a controlled 95 mph fastball to AA batters after he's only been pitching for three years. Whelan will learn over time not to overthrow when he's in trouble. However, I would say that one day it's just going to click for Whelan and he'll be in the majors sooner than we'll all expect. Right now, Nardi and friends are trying to find the right button to push. Also, the Yankees will try to get him a good 70-80 innings under his belt this season, which should be a priority over pitching him in Trenton.
Ranking: Whelan's got dynamic stuff; the kind of stuff that top-flight major league closers have. If he is able to harness his potential, then the sky is the limit. Guys like K-Rod, Brad Lidge and Joe Nathan struggled with control at this same age, and Whelan has less experience than those guys did. Whelan has all the weapons to strike hitters out as much as anyone in the major leagues, so he's not going to need pinpoint control. Whelan has a pretty high probability of failure, but if things work out for him, he has a good a chance as anyone to be Mariano Rivera's successor.
Next up: David Robertson
