Indians Top 100 Prospects: #19 T.J. House

19. T.J. House - Left-handed Pitcher
Born: - Height: 6'2" - Weight: 215 - Bats: Left - Throws: Left

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2008	18	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

History:  House was a 16th round pick in the 2008 Draft out of Picayune High School (MS).  As a senior in high school last year, he went 7-2 with a 0.89 ERA and had 99 strikeouts and 25 walks.  He also pitched out of the bullpen in qualifier action for Team USA in the summer of 2007, pitching only three innings while posting six strikeouts and a .214 opponent batting average.  He was slotted to go somewhere in the second to fifth rounds in the draft, but slipped because of the high pricetag he put on himself where he wanted $1.5M to sign which ended up having many teams deem him as unsignable.  He was committed to play college ball at Tulane University if he went unsigned, but the Indians swooped in at the signing deadline and he ended up taking less by signing for $750,000.   

Strengths & Opportunities:  It is easy to see why the Indians like House so much and felt it necessary to sign him because even though he is raw he is very skilled and projectable as a pitcher.  He is a physically advanced (6'2", 215 lbs) left hander with two plus pitches, a low 90s above average heavy fastball with good tailing action and an excellent slider in the mid 80s with depth and late break.  He has very good arm strength to where his velocity should continue to increase as he matures.  He also has a curve which is often confused with his slider, but may be dropped since it lacks much separation from his slider which really is more of a power slurve anyway.  He has begun work on a changeup which is a work in progress.  He mixes up his speeds and pitches well and has good command of the zone at an early age. 

House has to learn how to pitch in professional baseball, but he has all the tools to develop rapidly.  He already has sufficient "stuff" to become a late inning relief pitcher.  While he has a smooth delivery, he needs to work on location and develop a change of speed pitch.  Cleveland's left-handed pitching prospects in the upper levels are more finesse pitchers, but he is not of the same mold as he comes right after batters anywhere in the strike zone.  He is very athletic and is a competitor, and along with his strong build and abilities he has been comped to Mike Hampton by publications such as Baseball America.  In high school, he stayed in great shape during the offseason by participating on the swim team and helped them win a state championship in 2006. 

Outlook:  Right now House projects at least to be a middle of the rotation starter with the potential to be a top of the rotation starter if he learns to better command the zone and develop that third pitch.  He will open the 2009 season in extended spring training and will pitch for one of the short-season league teams later in the summer.  If he stays healthy, he could be in Cleveland as soon as 2012. 

Photo courtesy of Team USA Baseball

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