Chuck Lofgren

Chuck Lofgren: Left-handed Pitcher

Age: 20 Height: 6’3” Weight: 205 Bats: Left Throws: Left

Stats & Stuff: Lofgren is as legit as it gets. He was projected to go much higher in the 2004 Draft, but fell due to signability concerns, and the Indians eventually selected him in the 4th round. The Indians feel they found a gem. After going 5-5 with a 2.81 ERA at Lake County in 2005, Lofgren cemented his standing as one of the Indians top prospects in 2006. Lofgren’s 2006 season was sensational, as he went 17-5 with a 2.32 ERA, held opponents to a .217 BAA, and piled up 125 strikeouts in 139.2 IP. Lofgren set a Kinston modern-day franchise record for victories by a pitcher in a season with 17. The old record was 15, set by Brian Slocum in 2004. The 17 wins by Lofgren are the most since Kinston became affiliated with the Indians in 1987, and the most since Frank Bork won 19 games for Kinston in 1962. His 17 wins tied him with Sacramento’s Jason Windsor for most wins in all of the minors. He was also named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year.

The Good: Lofgren is a physical starting pitcher at 6’3” 220 pounds. As a 20-year old he has great composure on the mound, and has a good three-pitch mix lead by a 91-93 MPH fastball. He possesses the best swing-and-miss fastball statistic in the system and follows that up with a hard curve. That swing-and-miss rate is heavily influenced by Lofgren’s very good fastball command, velocity and deception in his delivery. There was talk during instructional league last year of him changing from a curveball to a slider, but he ended up sticking with the curveball and actually is now in the process of adding a hard slider to his pitch mix. Baseball America also recently tabbed him as the Carolina League’s “Best Pitching Prospect”.

Several comparisons have been made of Lofgren to a young Al Leiter as his stuff, presence and approach are nearly identical. Lofgren also has a knack for kicking it into a second gear on the mound when he has to pitch with runners in scoring position. Pressure just does not phase him, and he is just comfortable on the mound in any situation. The Indians have been most impressed with Lofgren’s consistency from start to start, and feel this is a direct result of Lofgren’s commitment to routine and being very mature for his age. He is a student of the game in that he understands and appreciates the history of the game. He also is grounded ego-wise where he understands he's in a special place, and that he is talented and is going to make the most of it.

The Bad: He came into the system with basically a fastball/curveball mix, and while his curveball was his out pitch in high school, at times he leaves it up and it isn’t nearly as good as it was when he was an amateur. Lofgren sharpened it up during instructional league in the fall of 2005, and the results showed last year. Lofgren still needs some refinement with his delivery, and he needs to work on being more efficient with his pitches since his pitch counts get high by the middle innings of games. Also, he needs to work more on finishing off hitters. His changeup is the biggest key for him and he has worked on developing it. If he develops it look out.

The Outlook: Lofgren’s aptitude is off the charts, which is why he could move through the Indians system quickly. Lofgren easily could have been promoted mid-season last year to Akron, but the Indians held him back so he could work on refining his delivery and learn to finish off hitters. In 2007, Lofgren will anchor the staff at Akron. Lofgren is on the fast-track to the major leagues, and could debut sometime in 2008 before he gets strong consideration for the starting rotation going into 2009.

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