Shane Lindsay
| IP | 6 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 12 |
| WHIP | 2.667 |
| BB/9 | 7.5 |
| SO/9 | 9 |
- Full name Shane Anthony Lindsay
- Born 01/25/1985 in Melbourne, Australia
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Bacchus Marsh College
- Debut 09/02/2011
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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The biggest question about Lindsay is if he will ever stay healthy enough to capitalize on his raw ability. He tore his labrum late in 2006 and missed all of the following season. He then broke his hand in a barroom brawl, cutting short his comeback in 2008. A strong Arizona Fall League performance in 2008 renewed hope, but then he missed nearly three months last season with a strained ribcage. The Rockies wanted him to build up innings in winter ball, but he struggled in six appearances in the Dominican League and was sent home. Lindsay has worked just 255 innings since signing out of Australia 2003, but he remains intriguing because he owns a mid- 90s fastball that can touch 98 mph, as well as a knuckle-curve that he throws for quality strikes. His changeup never has materialized, but that's less of an issue after Colorado made him a full-time reliever in 2009. His twopitch assortment gives him plenty with which to attack hitters coming out of the bullpen. Lindsay could open this season in Triple-A and finally get his first big league callup later in the year. -
An injury-plagued career got a major boost during the Arizona Fall League. Healthy for the first time in three years, Lindsay got his fastball back to hitting the upper 90s again, forcing the Rockies to put him on the 40- man roster so they would avoid losing him in the Rule 5 draft. The 2005 Northwest League pitcher of the year, Lindsay was bothered by a torn labrum that cut short his 2006 season and forced him to miss all of 2007. He was making his comeback in 2008 before a barroom brawl resulted in a broken hand. He returned in time to pitch for Asheville in the Sally League playoffs, striking out 10 in six innings in a loss to league champion Augusta. Lindsay, who has thrown just 222 innings in four pro seasons, needs to put together a full season and show that his dominance can be sustained. He will pitch in the 92-94 range but can hit 98, and he has a knuckle-curve that he can consistently throw for strikes. He needs to refine his changeup to give him something offspeed that would allow him to be a key factor in a big league rotation. -
After being named the No. 1 prospect in the short-season Northwest League in 2005, Lindsay found out he had a partially torn labrum. After rest and rehabilitation, he opened last year in extended spring training before returning to Tri-City. The second time around, he was equally as overpowering and rated as the top pitching prospect in the league. After an impressive tour of low Class A late in the year, Lindsay again had his labrum injury flare up, and this time he had surgery. He won't return to the mound until the mid-2007 at the earliest. Lindsay also has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. It gives him a body tilt that keeps his right shoulder back, a good angle for pitching, but the long-range ramifications create concern. When he's right, his stuff is special. Lindsay's fastball will sit on 95-96 mph and comes out of a high overhand delivery. His power curveball is a put-away pitch and his changeup is a work in progress. Lindsay's prospect status hinges on his health. Until he pitches a full season--which won't be until at least 2008--the Rockies can't count on him. -
The first major Australian free agent signed by the Rockies, Lindsay emerged as the short-season Northwest League's top prospect in 2005. He led the league in strikeouts while ranking second in wins and third in ERA. He left the league a week early to pitch at the World Cup. After making so much progress, Lindsay received bad news about his shoulder during the offseason. An MRI exam in Australia revealed what the Rockies believed was a torn labrum, though they planned a further examination in January. If he needs surgery, he would miss the entire 2006 season. Lindsay is aggressive with his fastball, which sits at 91- 92 mph. As a game goes on, his velocity will climb as high as 95-97 mph. He features a good spike curveball that he used with better judgment after throwing it too often in his shaky 2004 pro debut. His circle change should become a solid third pitch. Command issues were a major problem for Lindsay in his 2004 debut. A back problem led to bad mechanics that he since has ironed out, but like most of the Rockies' top arms he'll have to throw more strikes. His ability to locate his curve comes and goes. He's hesitant to throw his changeup, which he'll need to be a dominant starter. If Lindsay is healthy, his next challenge is to prove he can excel at the full-season level. But that's a big if.
Minor League Top Prospects
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A year after racking up 107 strikeouts in 67 NWL innings as a 20-year-old, Lindsay began 2006 in extended spring training to recover from a partially torn rotator cuff and a lingering illness that was never diagnosed. He showed no effects by the time he returned to Tri-City, flashing the same explosive stuff that landed him atop this list a year ago. Lindsay can be overwhelming with a plus fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 97. He complements it with an above-average curveball that arrives at 82-85 mph and has a hard break. He has some feel for a changeup, though he still needs to refine it in order to stick as a starter. He also needs better command of all of his pitches. Lindsay worked deeper into counts than he should have this summer, though he often bailed himself out by getting a strikeout. Most of all, he needs to stay healthy, and he has a sturdy build that should help him do so. -
Lindsay produced more strikeouts than innings pitched in every appearance, dominating the league with the best power repertoire since Felix Hernandez' pro debut in 2003. He ranked first in strikeouts, second in wins and third in ERA despite leaving the league early to pitch for Australia in the World Cup. Though Lindsay doesn't own the same command Hernandez demonstrated two years ago, his fastball nearly matches Hernandez' in velocity by peaking at 97 mph and sitting in the low 90s. His knuckle-curve also is a plus power pitch with a sharp break, though his ability to locate it fluctuates from start to start. Lindsay doesn't throw his changeup more than five times per game--he has no reason to offer a break to hitters who can't handle his heater--but it should emerge as at least an average pitch. Repeating his delivery better has helped Lindsay improve his control markedly since he walked 19 batters in 21 Rookie ball innings in 2004. Command looms as his next challenge, as he'll have to keep his fastball down and curveball in the strike zone. "He was by far the most dominant pitcher in the league," Boise manager Trey Forkerway said. "He has an above-average fastball, and usually against us he doesn't have to use anything but the fastball. It was so live and our guys weren't really ready for it."
