DUSTIN MOLLEKEN
8/21/84; '03 15th; Lethbridge (Alberta) CC
L/R; 6-4, 220
| Level |
W-L-Sv |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
HR |
BB |
K |
BB/9 |
K/9 |
WHIP |
OAVG |
ERA |
| 2003 R |
0-0-0 |
3 |
1 |
6.1 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1.42 |
1.24 |
1.11 |
.286 |
5.68 |
| 2004 DNP |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2005 R |
0-4-0 |
9 |
5 |
30.0 |
34 |
5 |
16 |
22 |
4.80 |
6.60 |
1.67 |
.283 |
7.20 |
| 2006
A- |
1-2-0 |
13 |
0 |
32.1 |
30 |
1 |
8 |
22 |
2.23 |
6.12 |
1.18 |
.248 |
2.51 |
| 2007 A+ |
0-0-0 |
2 |
0 |
4.2 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
1.93 |
15.45 |
1.72 |
.350 |
5.79 |
| 2007
A |
3-1-0 |
13 |
0 |
26.0 |
32 |
3 |
8 |
31 |
2.77 |
10.73 |
1.54 |
.311 |
4.50 |
| 2007 A- |
1-0-0 |
4 |
0 |
8.1 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1.08 |
5.40 |
0.84 |
.194 |
1.08 |
| 2008
A+ |
3-2-2 |
16 |
0 |
28.1 |
38 |
2 |
14 |
26 |
4.45 |
8.26 |
1.84 |
.328 |
6.67 |
| 2008 A
|
5-4-0 |
16 |
16 |
80.0 |
98 |
21 |
20 |
55 |
2.25 |
6.19 |
1.48 |
.297 |
6.30 |
When the Pirates drafted him, Molleken reportedly threw in
the low 90s with a deceptive delivery. He
also had an average change and subpar curve. He
wasn't expected to be able to pitch right away after the 2003 draft as
he'd been shut down with tendonitis a month before. He ended up pitching only
a few innings, then didn't pitch at all in 2004 as he had Tommy
John surgery. He was on the Hickory roster at the start of 2005, but was
injured. He ended up pitching for Bradenton, without much success. He made strides in 2006,
though, pitching effectively for Williamsport, albeit with a low K rate.
With only 13 relief appearances, it's likely he was hurt at least
some—he went 16 days between appearances at one point, for instance—but he
never went on the DL. Molleken himself has said his fastball improved in velocity and
now reaches 94. In 2007, outside of a few fill-in games for Lynchburg, he opened
with State College but moved up soon afterward to Hickory. He got hit hard
there, but at least didn't walk many batters and fanned quite a
few.
After barely topping 100 total innings in his first five years as a pro, Molleken managed a healthy season in 2008. He started off in the Hickory rotation, but he was undone by a serious gopher ball problem. Considering the low walk total, he may have been around the plate too much. Oddly enough, he's not a flyball pitcher. The Pirates moved him up to Lynchburg in July to pitch out of the bullpen. At the higher level he simply gave up a lot of baserunners. He has a good enough arm that the Pirates will probably keep giving him chances, most likely in class A in 2009.
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