Chris Mason Stats & Scouting Report

IP	593
ERA	4.568
WHIP	1.449
BB/9	2.884
SO/9	6.799

Full name Christopher Lee Mason
Born 07/01/1984 in Gastonia, NC
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School UNC Greensboro
Drafted in the 2nd round (56th overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005 (signed for $630,000).

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Mason would be drafted as a hitter if that's all he did. He's a plus defender at third base, runs well and has juice in his bat. However, it's his lightning-quick arm that teams really covet, as he set UNC Greensboro's single-season strikeout record with 126 in his first 103 innings. Mason's size, athletic ability and stuff have elicited comparisons to Tim Hudson. He's a fierce competitor who has built a reputation for dominance. He broke Kevin Millwood's North Carolina record for strikeouts in high school, and he was an American Legion ball legend. He posted a 49-inning scoreless streak for Cherryville (N.C.) Post 100, which lost in the national championship final in 2003. Mason has a quick arm like Hudson and a fastball that reaches the 89-92 mph range. It's a plus pitch because he commands it and it has good life. His hard curveball is a little slurvy but grades out as a plus pitch as well because he commands it and keeps it down in the strike zone. He figures to be drafted well north of the sixth round, where the Athletics snared Hudson in 1997.

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Mason bounced back from a disappointing 2006 season by leading the Southern League with 15 wins and a 2.57 ERA. The league's pitcher of the year, he also led Montgomery with 161 innings and 136 strikeouts and helped the Biscuits win the SL championship. Mason controls the game with his tempo on the mound. He works fast with an unorthodox delivery and fills the strike zone, with managers rating his control the best in the SL. Last year, he learned how to stay over the rubber better in order to give his arm a chance to catch up with his body and produce some deception. His best pitch is a changeup with late sink that he throws at any time in the count. His slider has the makings of a plus pitch, sitting at 78-81 mph with sharp break. Mason's fastball is a fringe-average pitch with a comfort zone of 88-89 mph, and it had more velocity and life when he came out of college. Even with a quality changeup, he struggles against lefthanders, who have batted .326 and .282 against him the last two seasons. He has little difficulty throwing strikes but can do a better job of locating his pitches in the zone. Moving methodically through the system, Mason will spend most of 2008 in Triple-A. His stuff could play up significantly as a reliever, and he has the competitiveness needed for the late innings, but he'll remain a starter for now.
Mason starred as a two-way player for UNC Greensboro in 2005 before signing as a second-rounder and having a strong debut when the Devil Rays eased him into pro ball as a reliever. Back in the rotation for his first full pro season, Mason continued to show flashes of potential while experiencing his share of adversity. Mason appeared to run out of gas late in the year, posting a 7.34 ERA over the final two months. The velocity and movement on his normally live low-90s fastball was down for most of the second half; he mustered an eight-inning one-hitter in his final start. At his best, Mason mixes his plus fastball with a hard slurve. He worked a decent changeup, which needs more consistent depth, into his repertoire last season. He has a bulldog demeanor and is so competitive that he's sometimes too stubborn for his own good. Mason throws strikes with ease but still is working on consistently locating his pitches where he wants in the zone. It's possible that he'll end up as a reliever, but Tampa Bay will keep trying to develop him as a starter this year in Double-A.
Mason broke Kevin Millwood's Bessemer City (N.C.) High strikeout record, then set another mark with 135 whiffs at UNC Greenboro last spring. An excellent two-way player in college, Mason displayed above-average defensive skills at third base while showing electricity in his bat. Though he's just 6 feet tall, Mason generates 91-95 mph velocity and plus movement on his fastball thanks to a lightning-quick arm. He has a power curveball and started to develop a good changeup during instructional league. His pickoff move and defense are among the best in the organization, and his aggressiveness is unmatched. Mason's curveball can get slurvy, though he usually locates it so well that it's not a huge issue. The Rays were cautious with him last season, limiting him to 40 pitches per outing because he worked hard and played both ways in college, but he has been durable. The Devil Rays will give Mason the opportunity to jump into their Double-A rotation in 2006. He relishes the chance to hit as a pro, but he's too talented a pitcher for Tampa Bay to consider it.