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jacksonianmarch · 07-06-2007, 11:06 AM

The most puzzling 5th round pick from last yr's draft was probably George Kontos. He was torched in college at Northwestern. 3-10 5.39ERA and walked nearly 5 per 9. He had a solid arsenal, but yankee scouts noted that he had "metal bat syndrome". Or in layman's terms, he was so afraid to throw inside on the metal bats that he limited himself to one half of the plate. They saw that he already had a solid arsenal for the professional ranks and figured they could teach him to be more of a pitcher who uses both sides of the plate, and boy were they right.

He signed quickly and reported to Staten Island (low A) where he dominated last yr. 7-3 2.64 ERA .227BAA 82/19 K/BB rate in 78 innings with a 1.07 WHIP. He was voted the Staten Island pitcher of the yr and worked very hard this winter to continue to flourish.

His arsenal is impressive. He sites 92-93 with the capability to throw 95. He also has a 89-90 mph 2 seamer that gets good sink but it certainly a work in progress. His slider was plus out of college and is still his best off speed pitch. His most improved pitch is a curveball with plus potential. His changeup will likely be an important pitch in determining if his future lies in the rotation or pen. Right now it is not a very strong pitch.

But the development of his curveball has led to dominance in his first full season at High A - Tampa. Although he did miss 6 weeks with shoulder tendonitis, he has rebounded quite nicely to post an overall line of..

1-2 2.27ERA 39.2IP 33H 47K 9BB. And he has been even better since his return from shoulder issues allowing 4ER in 18.2IP (sub 2 ERA).

Kontos' future is still to be determined. The scouting sites think he could be a swing man in the bigs or if he progressed that changeuop has the ceiling of a #2 or #3 in the majors. Time will tell, but the yankees got what looks like another steal in the draft in a guy who absolutely sucked in college, but is dominating in the wood bat realm.

07-06-2007, 11:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
jacksonianmarch Deity Join Date: Aug 02 2006 Posts: 13,089	George Kontos climbing the ranks The most puzzling 5th round pick from last yr's draft was probably George Kontos. He was torched in college at Northwestern. 3-10 5.39ERA and walked nearly 5 per 9. He had a solid arsenal, but yankee scouts noted that he had "metal bat syndrome". Or in layman's terms, he was so afraid to throw inside on the metal bats that he limited himself to one half of the plate. They saw that he already had a solid arsenal for the professional ranks and figured they could teach him to be more of a pitcher who uses both sides of the plate, and boy were they right. He signed quickly and reported to Staten Island (low A) where he dominated last yr. 7-3 2.64 ERA .227BAA 82/19 K/BB rate in 78 innings with a 1.07 WHIP. He was voted the Staten Island pitcher of the yr and worked very hard this winter to continue to flourish. His arsenal is impressive. He sites 92-93 with the capability to throw 95. He also has a 89-90 mph 2 seamer that gets good sink but it certainly a work in progress. His slider was plus out of college and is still his best off speed pitch. His most improved pitch is a curveball with plus potential. His changeup will likely be an important pitch in determining if his future lies in the rotation or pen. Right now it is not a very strong pitch. But the development of his curveball has led to dominance in his first full season at High A - Tampa. Although he did miss 6 weeks with shoulder tendonitis, he has rebounded quite nicely to post an overall line of.. 1-2 2.27ERA 39.2IP 33H 47K 9BB. And he has been even better since his return from shoulder issues allowing 4ER in 18.2IP (sub 2 ERA). Kontos' future is still to be determined. The scouting sites think he could be a swing man in the bigs or if he progressed that changeuop has the ceiling of a #2 or #3 in the majors. Time will tell, but the yankees got what looks like another steal in the draft in a guy who absolutely sucked in college, but is dominating in the wood bat realm.