WARDELL STARLING

3/14/83; '02 4th; Odessa (TX) JC
R/R; 6-4, 200

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2003 R	4-1-0	11	11	48.0	47	13	52	3.94
2004 A	11-8-0	26	26	140.0	132	51	114	4.11

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA	OAVG	OOBP	OSLG
2005 A+	10-10-0	28	28	153.1	168	55	102	5.22	.279	.347	.425

Starling was one of the system's biggest disappointments in 2005. He was one of the more athletic players available in the 2002 draft, although he was considered very raw. When he and the Pirates were unable to come to terms, he attended junior college to give them a chance to sign him as a draft-and-follow. They did so after he had a big year hitting and pitching. He batted .420 with 12 HRs in 193 ABs, and went 10-3 with a league-leading 2.22 ERA and 94 Ks in 85.1 IP. The Bucs signed him as a pitcher, as his fastball occasionally reached 97. He struggled a little for Bradenton in his first season, particularly with gopher balls, and he had one awful outing that inflated his ERA. Overall, though, he pitched very well and at times was dominant, consistently throwing 92-94. The Pirates jumped him to Hickory in 2004 and he was the most successful of the four starting pitchers who tried to make that jump. He struggled at times with both walks and gopher balls, and didn't have a good K rate, but given that he was considered fairly raw and was skipping a level, his performance was encouraging. He didn't make good progress in 2005, though, as Carolina League hitters hit him hard and he still had trouble with HRs (18). He also had a low K rate. Like most of the RHPs the Pirates have drafted in recent years, his velocity seems to have dropped from what it was when he was drafted. In 2005 he was reportedly throwing mainly 90-91, although his breaking ball was regarded as good. His primary problem apparently is erratic command. He probably needs to return to Lynchburg in 2006, although the team could try to push him to AA. The Pirates did not add him to the 40-man roster, leaving him eligible for the Rule 5 draft. There's probably an outside chance that somebody might select him.

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