2010 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #42 Josh Tomlin

Josh Tomlin - Right-handed Pitcher Born: 10/19/1984 - Height: 6'1" - Weight: 195 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	Avg	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2006	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	8	2	2.09	15	15	77.1	56	18	5	15	69	.196	1.8	8.05	0.92
2007	22	Lake County	A	10	3	3.3	26	15	103.2	103	38	10	19	89	.255	1.7	7.76	1.18
2007	22	Kinston	A+	1	1	3.58	6	5	27.2	24	11	0	12	20	.231	4.0	6.62	1.32
2008	23	Buffalo	AAA	1	0	3.86	1	1	7.0	6	3	2	1	3	.250	1.3	3.86	1.00
2008	23	Kinston	A+	9	5	2.98	40	9	102.2	82	34	10	16	109	.222	1.4	9.60	0.96
2009	24	Akron	AA	14	9	4.16	26	25	145.0	149	67	21	27	125	.266	1.7	7.76	1.21
		Totals		43	20	3.32	114	70	463.1	420	171	48	90	415	.240	1.7	8.07	1.10

History:  Tomlin was selected by the Indians in the 19th round of the 2006 Draft out of Texas Tech.  He grew up in East Texas and went to Angelina Junior College before transferring to Texas Tech.  A sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 2006 sidelined him for six weeks and ultimately hurt his status for the draft where he slid to the Indians in the 19th round.  Last year at Double-A Akron he finished the year ranked 11th in the Eastern League in ERA (4.16), 1st in wins (14), 2nd in strikeouts (125) and 2nd in WHIP (1.21). He also became just the third pitcher in Akron history with 14 or more wins in a season, joining Paul Byrd (14 wins in 1992) and single-season leader Adam Miller (15 wins in 2006).   In his two starts in the Eastern League Playoffs he was 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA, going 14.0 innings and allowing just eight hits, no walks, and racking up 15 strikeouts.

Strengths & Opportunities:  Tomlin is a performer with an incredible knack for putting up consistent stats and winning ballgames.  He features a four pitch mix of a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup, with his fastball consistently sitting in the low 90s and has flashed 93 MPH.  He actually has two different fastball velocities depending on his role, as when he starts it typically sits in the 88-91 MPH range, but as a reliever it kicks up to a consistent 90-93 MPH because he can air it out a little more going just one to two innings an outing.  His above average slider sits at 83-84 MPH and he has improved by leaps and bounds where it has good depth and tilt and has become a strikeout pitch for him and is considered a major league pitch.  He has shown an ability to command an emerging curveball which sits around 73-75 MPH.  That separation in velocity from the fastball to his curveball and ability to command both pitches is a deadly combination to use against opposing hitters.  The curveball has proven to be an effective groundball and contact pitch when needed and also to put hitters away with.  His changeup is an average pitch that sits around 75-78 MPH, but it continues to show improvement and is a quality pitch in his arsenal.

Tomlin is not an overpowering pitcher and he doesn't have great stuff, but he knows how to pitch, change speeds, and keep the ball down in the zone.  His ability to command and locate all of his pitches and pound the zone with strikes makes his stuff very effective and play up.  He works quickly and shows a great feel for pitching.  The key to his success has been his precise control he has with his fastball to both sides of the plate, and his ability to keep hitters off balance with his secondary pitches.  His strike-throwing mentality is something he credits to his former college coach Jeff Livin at Angelina Community College in Lufkin, Texas.  Another key for him is his maturity on the mound and his willingness to go right after hitters and not be afraid to pitch to contact.  He is a former shortstop, and that athleticism shows not only on the mound with his agility, but also in the way he shows exceptional versatility to pitch in any role be it as a starter, long man, middle reliever, or backend reliever.  He has an impressive work ethic with great makeup, and has shown an ability to make quick adjustments.

Tomlin still has several things he is working on fine tuning to make him more effective and consistent as a pitcher.  He is still working diligently with Indians coaches on improving his slider command and velocity as well as staying taller to throw the ball more on a more downhill plane towards home plate.  Another area of focus is getting him to improve on throwing all of his pitches for a strike in the bottom half of the zone and work both sides of the plate with all of his pitches.  He knows that with the lack of a true out pitch and dominating stuff his success will largely be determined on how well he can paint the corners and throw consistent, quality strikes.  He is working on throwing more changeups to right-handers as a show-me pitch so he can throw his cutter away.  He also is still working on some improvements with his delivery and harnessing the control of his fastball a little more.  He needs to get out in front of the ball, finish his pitches, and stay balanced by using his legs more.  His curveball still needs a little tightening up as well.

Outlook:  Tomlin is one of the Indians better pitching prospects often overlooked mostly because he doesn't have dominating stuff and that he has gone back forth between the bullpen and starting rotation during his four year Indians career.  He has proven his worth as a versatile, durable, and very athletic pitcher who could pitch in just about any role on a pitching staff.  With his continued growth as a pitcher, he has gone from being a depth option in the minor leagues to now a legitimate back of the rotation or bullpen option in the big leagues in the near future.  He should open the 2010 season in the bullpen or starting rotation for Triple-A Columbus.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

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