THOMAS BOLESKA
7/30/86; '07 35th; High Point (NC) Univ.
R/R; 6-0, 190
| Level |
W-L-Sv |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
HR |
BB |
K |
BB/9 |
K/9 |
WHIP |
OAVG |
ERA |
| 2006 NCAA |
3-7-4 |
20 |
9 |
62.1 |
69 |
4 |
38 |
36 |
5.5 |
5.2 |
1.72 |
|
5.78 |
| 2007
NCAA |
4-1-7 |
27 |
0 |
37.0 |
34 |
2 |
11 |
53 |
2.7 |
12.9 |
1.22 |
.241 |
3.16 |
| 2007 A- |
0-0-1 |
4 |
0 |
6.2 |
8 |
0 |
3 |
9 |
4.1 |
12.2 |
1.65 |
.286 |
1.35 |
| 2007
R |
0-0-1 |
2 |
0 |
2.0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0.0 |
13.5 |
1.00 |
.250 |
0.00 |
| 2008 A+ |
1-0-0 |
1 |
0 |
3.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0.0 |
3.0 |
0.00 |
.000 |
0.00 |
| 2008
A |
3-3-5 |
23 |
0 |
42.0 |
28 |
3 |
11 |
45 |
2.4 |
9.6 |
0.93 |
.188 |
2.36 |
| 2009 A+ |
1-1-0 |
16 |
0 |
39.1 |
39 |
2 |
4 |
22 |
0.9 |
5.0 |
1.09 |
.258 |
1.60 |
| 2009
R |
0-0-0 |
3 |
3 |
6.0 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1.5 |
4.5 |
1.00 |
.208 |
1.50 |
The Pirates selected Boleska as a draft-eligible sophomore; he missed 2005 with an arm injury. His prospect status was uncertain due to the lack of a track record and inconsistent velocity that sometimes was in the 90s and other times not. He has a good slider and served as the High Point closer in 2007. The K rate made him an attractive gamble. The Pirates signed him a week before the deadline and he got in a few outings in the GCL and the NY-P, and fanned a lot of hitters. He opened 2008 in extended spring training but joined Hickory later in April. He pitched very well for the Crawdads, allowing very few baserunners. He also had a ground out/air out ratio of 1.63, which is a very good thing when combined with a high K rate. The one time I saw him he was topping out at about 90-91, but he was struggling with an oblique strain and didn't pitch again the rest of the year. Earlier in the year his velocity had been better. He had a significant platoon split, as LH batters hit .254 against him and RH a measly .128, no doubt a testament to his slider.
Boleska opened 2009 with Lynchburg, but went out injured again after just two outings. He returned in late July after rehabbing in the GCL. His ERA for the year is outstanding, but except for the very low walk rate his other numbers aren't. The couple of times I saw him, his command was shaky, notwithstanding the lack of walks. It seems likely that missing so much time had an impact. He still had a large platoon split. It'd be helpful to see what he could do in a healthy season. Hopefully, he'll be able to pitch in AA in 2010.
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