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Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (3/31/2015 4:07:35 PM)
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Kid is on the fast track
pre draft scouting report:
Drafted in the 12th round (369th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2011 (did not sign)
Lindgren was part of what was considered a strong high school class in Mississippi in 2011 that included other high draft picks Connor Barron, Senquez Golson, Hawtin Buchanan and Brandon Woodruff in not signing. While the others were single-digit draft picks, Lindgren slipped to the 12th round but is the favorite to go out highest in 2014. The 5-foot-11, 204-pound struggled as a sophomore, failing to hold onto Mississippi State’s Friday starter role, due in part to a comebacker that hit him in the knee. He rolled his ankle on the same play and struggled to throw strikes thereafter, making his last start in the Southeastern Conference title game. He relieved in the Cape Cod League that summer and has remained in relief for the Bulldogs, with his velocity jumping and his performance spiking. He regularly reaches 93-94 mph with his fastball with heavy life and arm-side run. He’s tabled his curve and changeup in a relief role, sticking to the heater and his hard, plus slider in the low to mid 80s. His stiff delivery likely leads him to a future relief role as well, and his 16.8 strikeouts per nine indicate he can dominate in that job. Lindgren lacks command, and his control usually is just enough.
then right after the draft in June :
Top Pick Lindgren Could Aid Yankees’ Bullpen Before Long
Even though lefthander Jacob Lindgren shifted from starter to reliever at Mississippi State this spring, he managed to enhance his draft stock by improving the power on his fastball and slider.
He enhanced his velocity so much that the Yankees used their top pick, No. 55 overall and in the second round, to select him.
After going 4-3, 4.18 in 14 starts as a sophomore in 2013, Lindgren worked out of the bullpen a bit in the Cape Cod League. That proved to be a fateful career move because when he went back to MSU, the Bulldogs converted the 5-foot-11, 205-pound southpaw to a dominant reliever.
“Pitching coach (Butch Thompson) and I decided to be a reliever this year,” Lindgren said. “As a starter, I was in the upper 80s and low 90s (in terms of fastball velocity). Now I am throwing in the mid-90s, and my slider plays better.”
Had the 21-year-old Lindgren remained a starter he would have had to incorporate his changeup and/or curveball. As a reliever he concentrated on two pitches, a fastball that has reached 95 mph and a wipeout slider that is thrown at 82-84.
Lindgren struck out 100 in 55 innings, allowed 23 hits (one for extra bases) and posted an 0.81 ERA in 26 games. Opponents hit just .124, but on the flip side he walked 25 and showed shaky control even for a reliever.
If used as a reliever, as scouting director Damon Oppenheimer indicated will be the case,Lindgren could be the first player from the 2014 draft to reach the majors.
“I think it’s pretty cool that people think that, but making it to the big leagues is not easy,” Lindgren said. “It’s going to be hard work and I have to keep developing my game and get better one day at a time. If the Yankees think it’s my time to go up, I am ready for it.”
Said Oppenheimer of Lindgren’s trajectory: “Jacob has two major league pitches that are above-average and possess swing-and-miss quality. He has been extended for multiple innings and holds his stuff consistently.
“Jacob has been very successful in a tough (Southeastern Conference) and has produced exceptional strikeout numbers. We are very happy to have selected him.”
Lindgren is advised by Bo McKinnis and is anxious to launch a professional career. His draft slot is valued at a tick more than $1 million.
“I want to sign as soon as possible and begin my dream of being New York Yankee. I am ready,” said Lindgren, who grew up rooting for the Twins.
then this winter:
Debut Has Lindgren Primed For Majors
The Yankees added lefthander Andrew Miller but lost closer David Robertson when he signed with the White Sox.
With a possible opening in the bullpen, Jacob Lindgren has a chance to muscle his way into the Yankees’ relief plans.
Lindgren, the Yankees’ first pick in the 2014 draft who moved to the bullpen last year after two seasons starting for Mississippi State, impressed Yankees brass during a 19-game minor league stint in his pro debut.
“We saw a guy with above-average tools, an above-average fastball, a well above-average slider and he has some deception,” assistant general manager Billy Eppler said of Lindgren, who signed for $1.1 million as the 55th overall pick. “He has the ingredients to move quickly, especially the role he is in.”
Asked if Lindgren would be invited to big league camp, Eppler said that decision hasn’t been made yet.
“Either way he has made an impact,” Eppler said.
There was talk following the draft that the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Lindgren would be the first player in his class to reach the big leagues. That didn’t happen after Lindgren topped out at Double-A Trenton. In eight games, he went 1-1, 3.86 with 18 strikeouts and nine walks in 12 innings with the Thunder. He yielded six hits and posted a .154 opponent’s average.
In 19 professional games—Lindgren started in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, moved to low Class A Charleston and high Class A Tampa before landing in Trenton—he was 2-1, 2.16 in 25 innings. He allowed 12 hits, whiffed 48 and limited opposing batters to a .135 average.
Lindgren gets swing and misses with a 92-94 mph fastball with run and sink, and a power slider that already ranks as the best in the system. His 13 walks in 25 innings suggest Lindgren needs to improve his control before getting a taste of the big leagues, but power lefty arms are a commodity in the bullpen. And it’s not like command was an issue at Mississippi State last season. In 26 games, he went 6-1, 0.81, struck out 100 and walked 25. Only one of the 23 hits Lindgren gave up was for extra bases.
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