Written by Greg Fertel
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22 November 2007
We continue our countdown with one of the more enigmatic pitchers in the Yankee system. I apologize for the slowness of these updates, and wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.
- Age: 24
- Height: 6'4"
- Weight: 235 lbs
- Position: Relief Pitcher
- Throws: Right
Scouting Report: Ohlendorf was throwing in the mid to high 90s in college. He slowed down when he was with the Diamondbacks, settling in with a 92-93 mph sinker. The Yankees converted him to the bullpen toward the end of the 2007 season, and Ohlendorf let it rip again. He's been clocked at 96-98 mph regularly. Ohlendorf's breaking pitch is still a work in progress. He lost his curveball this season, and has tried a slider and a splitter to compensate. Nothing has worked yet, but the splitter is still promising. He featured tremendous control in 2006, and was wild within the strike zone in 2007.
History: Ohlendorf, a Texas native, was scouting by the Longhorns and several other big baseball programs as a kid in high school. However, he elected to attend Princeton (which he got in to on his own academic merits) and was drafted in the 4th round after he graduated. He had a lackluster start to his professional career, pitching 157 innings with a 4.53 ERA in 2005. His K/BB ratio was good at 144/48, but the Dbacks felt that he was too hittable within the strike zone. They toned down his velocity and got him throwing a sinking fastball. The results were great, with a 3.29 ERA in 182 innings, with just 29 walks allowed. However, the results came at a cost to his strikeout rate. He fanned just 129. He was traded to the Yankees with Alberto Gonzalez, Steve Jackson, and Luis Vizcaino in the Randy Johnson deal.
This Season: The Yankees initially tried Ohlendorf in the starting rotation. It was mostly a lost season. Several injuries derailed him, and Ohlendorf proved especially hittable. That didn't change after he was converted t0 the bullpen - he was just as hittable. The overall numbers were 82 1/3 innings (including 4 rehab starts in the GCL), and an ERA of 4.81, with 65 strikeouts (7.13 per 9) and 25 walks (2.74 per 9). Those are solid enough peripherals, but his lack of secondary pitches made Ohlendorf very hittable (99 hits, 9 HR). He showed his best stuff in a September call-up, pitching 6 1/3 innings with a 2.84 ERA, flashing the big fastball and earning a spot on the postseason roster, where he got blasted.
Outlook: I'd say there's a 90% chance that Ohlendorf opens the season on the Yankee's roster. If the Yankee bullpen was in better shape, the Yankees would be prudent to send Ross back to the minors. He's got the big fastball, but not much else. Ideally, you'd let him learn the splitter or find his curveball again away from the pressure. Still, theres a reasonable chance that Ross will be a valuable big league reliever next season, because he's got the two things you can't teach: control and velocity. It'll be an interesting spring training for Ross.
Ranking: Ohlendorf was at #23 last at mid-season, and has only dropped 4 spots due to an infusion of new talent to the rankings. I had him at #19, Ashish at #12, and Eric left him off entirely. I'm going to assume that Eric deemed him no longer a prospect. I think that Ashish was a bit high - we're now talking about Ohlendorf ending up in different degrees of middle relief, which limits his value. Still, he's pretty close to ready, and has the potential to be a very solid pitcher for the Yankees. I kind of envision, if everything goes right, Ohlendorf being a Matt Thornton type, at least when Thornton was good.
