Kyle Drabek

Prized asset of the Roy Halladay trade and son of Cy Young winner Doug Drabek, Kyle Drabek was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies in December 2009. Now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Drabek is presently fighting for a spot on the upcoming rotation. Coaches have taken notice of this young player’s potential, and there is no doubt he will earn one.

Drabek is a 5-pitch pitcher who has the stuff to be a solid No. 2 starter: His repertoire consists of a 4-seam fastball, 2-seam fastball, curveball, changeup, and a cutter he added this year. He is often referred to as a power arm because of his mid to high 90MPH fastball, and devastating curveball. His curveball has been referred to as a “plus” pitch, and last season was considered to be the best in the minor leagues. While most consider his changeup to be merely an average pitch, the fact that he will be able to work alongside Bruce Walton, the Blue Jays pitching coach, will surely help as Walton has been defined as the “changeup guru.” Overall, Drabek’s make-up gives him the potential to be a future ace.

Now ranked 12th on Keith Law’s top 100 Prospect List, it is evident that scouts believe in the young right-hander. It also helped that his first season with the Blue Jays organization was filled with nothing but success. At the young age of 22, Drabek went above and beyond all expectations garnering the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year award. He also finished the 2010 season with a 14-9 record with a 2.94 ERA in 162 innings of work. This ranked him first in wins with 14, third in ERA, and he also finished third in strikeouts with 132. His most impressive stat was that he was ranked first in opponent’s batting average, with .215.

He has already proven how well he can pitch. On July 5, 2010, while Blue Jays fans were still getting over the fact Halladay pitched a perfect game. Drabek showed what he could do, tossing a no-hitter against the Britain Rock Cats. Though walking two, Drabek showed how calm and collected he could be on the mound. It is phenomenal he succeeded with those kind of numbers in Double-A. The average age for Double-A players is approximately 25, so for a 22-year-old to succeed at that level is truly amazing. Blue Jays fans should be optimistic about Drabek’s future with the organization.

His major-league debut: Drabek earned a call-up last year from the Blue Jays when the September rosters expanded. He made his major league debut on September 15, 2010, against the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched 6 solid innings, striking out 5, while giving up 3 runs on 9 hits, with 3 walks. While he earned a no-decision, fans got a glimpse of his devastating curveball and cutter, truly showing how determined he was to help the ballclub win.

The Future: What can Blue Jays fans expect from him this year? Remember that Drabek is entering his first full year, and will be pitching in the hardest division – the AL East. Obviously  he will have ups and downs, but through it all, he will show a glimpse of greatness for the future. My prediction is that he’ll have a record of 14-11 with a 4.20 ERA. If you look at top pitchers like Halladay, Greinke, and Hernandez, they all won their Cy Young Awards between the ages of 24 and 26. With Drabek in the major’s at 23, you never know what could happen in the future… but what is certain is that he is only going to get better.