When the Pirates traded away Nate McLouth, there were a lot of mixed feelings. Some people liked it and some people didn't. Jeff Locke is definitely a reason people would have liked the trade. At the time of the trade, Locke was rated as Atlanta's #7 prospect, and at 21 years old has enormous upside. He was chosen out of high school in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft and has been making his way through the minors one level at a time ever since.
Locke really broke onto the scene in 2007 while playing in Danville (R) where he posted a 7-1 record and a 2.66 ERA. What was equally impressive is that he struck out 74 batters as opposed to issuing just 8 walks in 61 innings. His 2007 performance was good enough for Baseball America to list him as the Braves' #8 prospect heading into 2008 and the #14 prospect in all of the South Atlantic League that season.
In 2008, Locke's numbers took a bit of a slide, as he went 5-12 with a 4.06 ERA. However, his K:BB numbers were still very good at 113:38. Also, it should be added that Locke was 20 years old playing against players about 2 years older than him in most cases.
In 2009, Locke began the season at Myrtle Beach, which is Atlanta's Carolina League (High A) affiliate. He struggled with his command and his numbers showed it. He went 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 10 starts. What was a little disturbing was his K:BB ratio also took a hit at 43:26.
At this point he was traded to Pittsburgh and joined Lynchburg, who is also in the Carolina League. His numbers have been a little better as he's 1-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 6 starts. It should also be noted that his ERA is that high because of his lone bad outing where he gave up 5 ER in 3 IP. Outside of that start, he has pitched fairly well.
Currently, Locke is the Pirates' best left handed pitching prospect. His fastball is in the 91-94 range and he throws a good curveball. He's developed a changeup as well, but it is definitely still a work in progress.
The problem with Locke seems to be a mechanical issue, which the Pirates' staff is going to have to fix. Locke has shown he's good when he has his command. Somewhere in between last year and this year something happened that made him lose that command, thus causing more walks and less strikeouts. Ever since the trade, his walks have gone down, but so has his strikeouts.
However, I think the biggest problem in trying to figure Locke out just from his numbers is to consider what team he is on. It is no secret that the Pirates' minor league system is lacking in fielding prowess. Locke is a masterful ground ball pitcher who gives up a homer about once every 2 months or so. A ground ball pitcher who does not have a strong defense behind him can sometimes struggle. A lot of balls that would/could be ground ball outs start turning into "seeing eye" singles or infield hits. Also, remember, Locke is just 21 years old and playing against much older and much more developed competition the majority of the time in the Carolina League.
We have all seen a few glimpses of what the McLouth trade has brought us in Charlie Morton's first string of starts, and for the most part, we have to be happy with that. Locke is the dark horse in the trade. If he develops into what his ceiling is (#2-#3 starter), then that deal will be an absolute steal.
Expected time for Locke to be in the 'Burgh: 2012
Current Top 10:
1) July 18th
2) July 17th
3) July 16th
4) July 15th
5) July 14th
6) July 13th
7) July 12th
8) Jeff Locke
10) Daniel McCutchen
3 comments:
Locke has great upside! As this list continues to grow you will notice a great deal of talent that was acquired in the last year.
Very true, one thing you will notice is the majority of guys who will be on this list were acquired under Huntington and Co.
So far we're 3 for 3.
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