Indians' Amateur Scouting Director Talks About Pomeranz

Here are some quotes from last night's press conference with Cleveland Indians Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant:

On Drew Pomeranz: "Drew brings a power fastball 90-95 MPH with a plus late breaking swing-and-miss curveball, a changeup, and an ability to start. On the mound he is an extreme competitor as he is very mature and very focused. Nothing wavers him at all and he looks much more mature than everybody else out on the field because of that presence that he brings out on the mound. He was the SEC Pitcher of the Year, so that does have a factor for us, but at the same time he pitcher very well and was one of the top starters with Team USA this year. We scouted him out of high school, for three years at Mississippi, and with Team USA, so we have a lot of history similar to the history we had with Alex White [last year]. This winter after his performance with Team USA and in the Regionals, he was a targeted guy for us. We feel like we got a big front of the end rotation left-handed starter.”

On Pomeranz’s health: “We thought where we were going to take him was the place to pick him. Coming into the year he did pitch very well. He had a pectoral strain right around the end of March, beginning of April, but we were at almost every single start this year and at the end he went seven innings on Saturday in the Regionals and did very well there. We took who we felt was the best player available. With Drew’s ability to start and his power stuff we liked him. He has never had any arm issues in the past as this was not an arm issue, it was a [pectoral] issue.”

On Pomeranz’s best attribute, biggest weakness: “He gets swings and misses with his fastball, that’s really the most impressive part [about him]. Not only is it 90-95 MPH, but it is explosive through the zone. Hitters just don’t hit it as there are a lot of swings and misses with it along with the curveball as well. The one pitch he needs to develop a little bit still is the changeup. He has a feel for it and does throw it, but it is something he needs to develop."

Posted in: 2010 Draft,Drew Pomeranz