DONALD VEAL

9/18/84; '05 2nd (Chicago Cubs); Pima, AZ (CC)
L/L; 6-4, 230

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	K	BB/9	K/9	WHIP	OAVG	ERA
2005 A- (ChiC)	1-2-0	7	6	29.0	18	2	15	34	4.7	10.6	1.14	.180	2.48
2005 R (ChiC)	0-1-0	4	3	10.2	8	2	5	14	4.2	11.8	1.22	.205	5.07
2006 A+ (ChiC)	6-2-0	14	14	80.2	46	3	42	88	4.7	9.8	1.09	.170	1.67
2006 A (ChiC)	5-3-0	14	14	73.2	44	4	40	86	4.9	10.5	1.14	.179	2.81
2007 AA (ChiC)	8-10-0	28	27	130.1	126	11	73	131	5.0	9.0	1.53	.256	4.97
2008 AA (ChiC)	5-10-0	29	29	145.1	150	19	81	123	5.0	7.6	1.59	.276	4.58
2009 NL	1-0-0	19	0	16.1	18	2	20	16	11.0	8.8	2.33	.281	7.16
2009 AAA	0-1-0	9	1	14.0	6	0	16	13	10.3	8.4	1.57	.136	6.43
2009 AA	0-0-0	7	5	13.1	5	0	10	18	6.8	12.2	1.13	.116	1.35

The Pirates selected Veal in the 2008 Rule 5 draft. He's drawn comparisons to Dontrelle Willis, as he's a big LHP with a high leg kick and very good stuff, mainly a reported mid-90s fastball and a sharp curve. After his big 2006 season, he was regarded as one of the best LH pitching prospects in the minors, with the high K rates and miniscule opponents' BAs being especially outstanding. Once he reached AA, though, he stalled due to his poor control. Baseball America and other sources point to his erratic mechanics, which affect his offspeed stuff as well as his control. In 2008 things actually got worse, as his velocity dropped to 88-93, accompanied by a sudden drop in his K rate and an increased problem with gopher balls. Veal may also have been affected by a series of personal tragedies. The Cubs sent him to the Arizona Fall League in 2008 and he walked 13 in nine innings.

The Pirates said Veal wouldn't make the roster unless he made progress with his control. He provided an early challenge for new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan. Veal was a worthwhile gamble for the Pirates because he has a high upside. As it was, he pitched well early in spring training but the control problems re-emerged and he had some rough outings. The team kept him anyway, probably in part because nearly all of the relievers competing for spots were unimpressive, to put it mildly. They managed to hide him in the bullen, rarely using him outside of mopup situations, and even then only reluctantly. They made it easier by putting him on the DL twice with phantom injuries, allowing the Pirates to send him out for lengthy rehab assignments. Throughout the process, the control problems remained. For the season, he threw only 50% of his pitches for strikes. When Veal was able to get his pitches over, he could be dominating, despite the fact that his fastball remained in the low-, not mid-, 90s. Too often, however, he simply couldn't get anything over and in frequent three-ball counts he couldn't throw his curve. The long periods of inactivity can't have helped—he went 2-3 weeks without pitching in a game several times—but his control wasn't any better when he got regular work in the minors on rehab.  In fact, it was actually worse than it had been in the minors with the Cubs.

The Pirates will send Veal to the Arizona Fall League, then probably option him to AA in 2010.  They'll return him to the rotation, but it's hard to see him ultimately starting in the majors. They'll have three years to iron out his delivery. If they have even modest success, he could be a dominating reliever.

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