JOSH SHORTSLEF

2/1/82; '00 6th; Sterling, NY (HS)
R/L; 6-4, 205

Level
W-L-Sv
G
GS
IP
H
 HR
BB
K
 BB/9 K/9 WHIP OAVG
ERA
2000 R
3-2-0
11
3
31.1
26
 1
11
19
 3.16 5.46 1.18 .224
3.73
2001 R
2-3-0
10
4
34.2
39
 1
9
14
 2.34 3.64 1.38 .293
3.63
2002 A-
10-4-0
14
13
75.2
84
 2
18
37
 2.14 4.40 1.35 .284
3.33
2003 A
0-5-0
5
5
18.0
21
 0
6
14
 3.00 7.00 1.50 .296
7.50
2004 A
11-5-0
30
18
124.1
134
 11
38
92
 2.75 6.66 1.38 .278
4.42
2005 A+
10-5-0
22
22
120.0
132
 8
44
84
 3.30
6.30
1.47
.284
4.58
2006 AA
6-2-0
12
12
60.2
62
 4
13
50
 1.93
7.42
1.24
.262
4.45
2006 R
1-1-0
3
2
16.2
15
 1
3
12
 1.62
6.48
1.08
.246
3.78
2007 AA
5-13-0
27
27
149.1
170
 12
59
85
 3.56
5.12
1.53
.295
4.40
2008 AA
5-2-3
29
1
62.1
59
3
25
51
3.61
7.36
1.35
.249
3.47

Shortslef has struggled throughout much of his career with injuries. He's a very athletic LHP who has a good curve and a fastball that is generally in the upper 80s but sometimes gets into the low 90s. The Pirates have, however, been concerned over the years with his conditioning. He first got himself on the prospect track in 2002. Despite allowing a lot of hits and not striking out many batters, he was named the #14 prospect in the NY-P. Unfortunately, after struggling through his first five games in 2003, he went on the DL and missed the rest of the year. He returned to Hickory in 2004 and was used as both a starter and reliever. He did improve his K rate, but he also got hit hard. After starting 2005 hurt, he joined the Lynchburg rotation and continued to be erratic. He had some good games, which helps to account for his good W/L record, but overall he continued to allow a lot of baserunners (.351 opp. OBP) and post low K totals. He again missed a little time due to injury.

Despite the mediocre numbers at Lynchburg, the Pirates promoted Shortslef to Altoona. He started off very well, with an April ERA of 2.05, but he began struggling in May and eventually went on the DL with a forearm strain. He returned after a rehab in August and pitched two very good games and one bad one, then got bombed in his one playoff outing. Even with the injury problems, his BB and K numbers were much better than they'd been in the past. What troubles he had were mainly against RH batters, as they hit .280 against him, compared to .188 for LH batters. The Pirates added him to the 40-man roster to keep him from becoming a free agent, but he had a poor season in AA in 2007. He stayed healthy for a change, but he got hit hard and his K rate dropped badly. He continued to struggle with RH batters, who hit .308 against him. The Pirates removed him from the 40-man roster after the season and designated him for assignment when they added Luis Munoz. He cleared waivers and became a minor league free agent, then re-signed with the Pirates. He missed the beginning of 2008 with a sore shoulder, then joined the Altoona bullpen. He didn't pitch a great deal. I'm not sure whether he was hurt off and on or whether the Pirates limited his workload. He was usually effective, although he had control problems at times. He'll be 27 at the start of next season, so he's probably looking at a career in AA at this point. The Pirates may try to re-sign him and see what he could do if he could stay healthy for a year and pitch in relief. As a lefty, somebody will probably want to give him a chance.

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