TANNER SCHEPPERS
1/17/87; '08 2nd; Fresno State Univ.
R/R; 6-4, 195
| Level |
W-L-Sv |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
BB |
K |
ERA |
OAVG |
OOBP |
OSLG |
| 2006 NCAA |
1-0-0 |
12 |
1 |
15.0 |
17 |
15 |
16 |
9.00 |
|
|
|
| 2007
NCAA |
6-6-0 |
25 |
15 |
93.0 |
106 |
32 |
94 |
4.74 |
.286 |
.358 |
.415 |
| 2008 NCAA |
8-2-1 |
12 |
11 |
70.2 |
54 |
34 |
109 |
2.93 |
.202 |
.304 |
.307 |
Even more than top pick Pedro Alvarez, Scheppers' selection
marked a dramatic departure from the Pirates' recent history of avoiding high-ceiling but risky players in the draft. Baseball America ranked Scheppers as the 10th best draft prospect and he was being considered by teams with early picks, but his status became clouded when he was diagnosed shortly before the draft with a stress fracture in his right shoulder. Things became even more uncertain when BA reported that the fracture was a misdiagnosis and that it was uncertain what the problem might be, except that he does apparently have some labrum damage. There also were reports that the Seattle team doctors had cleared Scheppers. After the draft, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Pirates did not believe Scheppers' injury to be serious and that they would monitor the medical reports during their negotiations with him.
Fresno State originally recruited
Scheppers as
a shortstop and he struggled early in his career, but came on late in his sophomore year and advanced rapidly up the charts in 2008. He throws a fastball 92-96, occasionally into the high 90s. According to BA, he throws a curve that he doesn't always command well. According to MLB.com, he throws a sharp slider. He doesn't appear to have a changeup. Regardless, he clearly misses a lot of bats. Both sources refer to him as athletic and say he needs work on his consistency, which may result from limited experience. By all accounts, he has a very high ceiling. The Pirates will no doubt have to shell out first round money to sign him and it will clearly be a gamble due to the shoulder concerns, but they knew all this when they drafted him. The selection shows that they understand the need to get potential impact players into their system, even if it means paying a premium in bonus money and taking other risks.
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