Indians Top 100 Prospects: #32 Trey Haley

33. Trey Haley - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 06/21/1990 - Height: 6'4" - Weight: 190 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2008	18	GCL Indians	R	0	0	0.00	1	1	0	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	9.0	9.0	1.00
2008	18	Mahoning Vy	A-	0	1	54.00	2	1	0	1.1	4	8	0	6	1	40.5	6.8	7.50
		Career		0	1	30.86	3	2	0	2.1	4	8	0	7	2	30.0	8.6	5.24

History:  Haley was a 2nd round pick in the 2008 Draft out of Central Height High School (TX).  The Indians reportedly gave serious consideration in making him their No.1 pick in the draft.  Prior to signing with the Indians, last year at Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas, Haley went 8-2 with a 1.55 ERA in 13 games (50 IP, 23 H, 34 BB, 98 K), and had signed a letter of intent to pitch for Rice University before signing with the Indians for $1.25 million just hours before the August signing deadline.  After signing with the Indians, Haley reported to the Gulf Coast League (GCL) to get his arm back in shape since he had not thrown all summer. The Indians actually exposed him to some game action by letting him throw a game for the GCL Indians and sent him up to short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley to get some experience around the clubhouse and get his feet wet and exposed to the baseball environment there. 

Strengths & Opportunities:  It is hard not to like what you see from Haley from a tools and physical standpoint.  The Indians love his projectable frame, arm strength, athleticism, good delivery and two outstanding pitches.  His fastball has good movement and sits around 91-94 MPH and already tops out at 95 MPH, and due to his youth he has the arm and body (6'4" 190-pounds) to grow and add more velocity down the road.  While the plus fastball is his best pitch, Haley also throws a curveball (77-81 MPH) and deceptive changeup (83-84 MPH) with the curveball rating as a plus pitch and the changeup an average pitch at the moment.  He is still learning to get a feel for a changeup since he never really needed it in high school, and the curveball has good depth and could be a weapon for him as he grows into a pitcher in the coming years.  He is very competitive, intelligent, and he has good poise on the mound. 

Haley is young, so he needs to learn to become a pitcher rather than a thrower.  He also needs to learn to develop a routine and become much more sound with his mechanics since he has a tendency to overthrow.  One of his bigger issues has been maintaining his velocity and being consistent with his fastball.  He is very raw on the mound, and will be a project for the Indians the next two years tinkering with his mechanics and delivery so he can become much more consistent with his fastball velocity and command.  There is no telling what Haley can become once he learns how to work in and out and spot up the curveball.  Right now the Indians just want him to work on the command of his fastball, curveball, and changeup, and if he is able to develop those pitches, they may work in a slider later. 

Outlook:  Haley is an intriguing young talent, and because of his age and being so raw on the mound, the opportunity to miss on him is far greater than a player with the same stuff in their early 20s who is a little more established.  His intelligence and poise will be put to the test his first two full seasons in the organization with all the ups and downs he is going to encounter on the mound in addition to all the instruction he will get.  He is really a wildcard for the Indians from the 2008 Draft as while he has a lot of talent, he is so raw on the mound there is no telling where his career will go.  Knowing this, the Indians really took a gamble with him as a second round pick and was one of the more questionable picks the Indians made on draft day but could ultimately pay big dividends for them.  Haley will open the 2009 season in extended spring training out in Arizona, and will likely pitch for one of the short-season teams when they start up play in June. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr 

Trey Haley MinorLeagueBaseball.com stats page 

Trey Haley Baseball-Reference page 

Trey Haley MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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