BROOKS POUNDERS

9/26/90; '09 2nd; Temecula Valley, CA (HS)
R/R; 6-4, 225

Level

W-L-Sv

BB/9

K/9

WHIP

OAVG

ERA

2009 HS

9-2-0

64.1

2.8

12.7

1.27

.251

1.96

2009 R

2-2-0

23.2

4.2

7.6

1.27

.218

3.04

Pounders was the first of a large number of high school pitchers selected by the Pirates, following years of largely avoiding high school players. He's a big guy, but does not throw hard. Although perfectgame.com claims his fastball registers 90-94, all the other sources I've seen, including Baseball America and MLB.com, state that he throws in the 88-90 range and instead relies on good command of four pitches. BA adds that scouts were split on his potential. BA listed him as the 39th best draft prospect in California, but did not include him in its top 200 draft prospects, so he appears to have been a little overdrafted. This probably made it easier for the Pirates to sign him away from his commitment to USC, which they did about a week after the draft. He pitched well in the GCL, with a decent K rate. The one possible concern is that he walked ten in his last twelve innings after walking only one in his first 11.2. That's not much of a sample size, though. He stands a good chance of opening 2010 in West Virginia.

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