KYLE BLOOM

2/21/83; '04 5th; Illinois State Univ.
R/L; 6-4, 185

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2004 NCAA	6-6-0	13	13	75.0	68	33	85	4.80
2004 A-	4-3-0	12	12	45.0	34	13	46	2.60

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA	OAVG	OOBP	OSLG
2005 A+	3-5-0	12	12	63.0	61	43	34	5.86	.255	.374	.481
2005 A	4-1-0	12	12	62.2	38	33	58	1.87	.176	.290	.278
2006 A+	7-8-0	25	25	127.2	122	61	108	4.30	.261	.351	.437
2007 AA	1-1-0	2	2	10.0	5	6	10	0.90	.147	.286	.265
2007 A+	9-12-0	25	25	129.0	144	57	90	5.51	.282	.364	.469

At the time he was drafted, Bloom was regarded as having three good pitches, but as having difficulty getting them to work well.  At his best, he throws a high-80s fastball on a downward plane, a good curve, and a solid change.  His inconsistency resulted in a mediocre college record.  His initial results as a pro were excellent, as Bloom put up very strong numbers at Williamsport, then continued to do so in the first half of 2005 at Hickory.  Opponents batted only .176 against him in the SAL, but the warning sign was shaky control.  In fact, he had enough trouble throwing strikes that he frequently had to come out of games early due to high pitch counts.  This partly accounts for him having no-decisions in most of his starts despite allowing very few runs.  After a mid-season promotion to Lynchburg, Bloom could not throw strikes and his K rate also plummeted.

Back at Lynchburg in 2006, Bloom showed improvement, but not enough, as control problems again troubled him and high pitch counts helped limit him to five innings per start.  He's a flyball pitcher, with a 0.68 ground out to fly out ratio in 2006 and 0.81 in 2007, and he had some trouble with gopher balls, allowing 15 in both years.  The one time I saw him, he tended to leave his curve up a lot.  In 2007 his performance went downhill, as he got hit harder and his K rate dropped.  He had a huge platoon split, with an opponents' OPS of roughly .900 against RH batters and well under .600 against LH batters.  Like Todd Redmond, Bloom pitched much better in a couple of fill-in starts in AA.  Bloom has good stuff for a LHP, particularly his fastball and curve, so the Pirates will probably stick with him.  He was eligible for the Rule 5 draft for the first time, but didn't get selected.  The Pirates planned to have him pitch in relief at Altoona in 2008, but he moved to the rotation when they traded Redmond.

Return to Left-Handed Pitchers