Jared Gothreaux Stats & Scouting Report

IP	816
ERA	4.235
WHIP	1.395
BB/9	2.382
SO/9	5.768

Full name Jared Lynn Gothreaux
Born 01/27/1980 in Lake Charles, LA
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Mcneese State
Drafted in the 16th round (491st overall) by the Houston Astros in 2002.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

After hitting the wall in the upper minors the last two years and requiring surgery to repair ligament damage in his elbow, Gothreaux was removed from the 40-man roster in November. But the Astros still believe he can contribute, probably in a relief role after spending most of his career as a starter. Gothreaux' out pitch is a slider that has a lot of tilt and ranks as the best in the system. His fastball ranges from 88-92 mph when he pitches out of the rotation, though scouts have seen him touch 94 and project that he'd add 2-3 mph coming out of the bullpen. His fastball also has some nice, late armside sink. Gothreaux hasn't had much success keeping more advanced lefthanded hitters honest with his changeup, and he also has tried a splitter with the same results. Though he has a long arm action, he repeats his delivery well and has good command. At times, he can throw too many strikes. He's just 6 feet tall, so his stuff can flatten out and ride high in the zone when he doesn't stay on top of it. Gothreaux has the competitive makeup to pitch in the late innings, and he may shift to the bullpen this year in Triple-A. He made just one start in the second half of last season but was soft-tossing again in November and should be 100 percent for spring training.
Coming into 2004, Gothreaux and newly acquired Ezequiel Astacio had similar resumes. They had comparable stuff and nearly identical statistics in 2003, when they both led high Class A leagues in victories. But as Astacio took a huge step forward last year, surprisingly becoming the organization's best pitching prospect, Gothreaux leveled off in Double-A. Though he finished strong with a 1.57 ERA in his final eight starts, he now looks like he'd be best off going the Chad Qualls route and using his plus slider to become a set-up man. Moving to the bullpen likely would boost Gothreaux' 88-92 mph fastball a couple of notches, making him more effective. He also has developed a decent changeup. Gothreaux throws strikes but can work in the zone too often, becoming hittable because he doesn't have a true put-away pitch. Though he'll remain a starter in Triple-A for now, he could see the bullpen-- and his first glimpse of the big leagues--in 2005.
Gothreaux is similar to Ezequiel Astacio. They posted virtually identical statistics in 2003, led high Class A leagues in victories and have comparable stuff. Gothreaux began the season in the Salem bullpen and didn't crack the rotation until late April, yet topped the Carolina League in wins and finished third in ERA. His best pitch is his breaking ball, which has slider velocity (81-82 mph) and drops like a power curveball. He also has an 88-93 mph fastball and can vary speeds with both pitches. Gothreaux also shows good touch with his changeup and used it more as a starter last season. He keeps the ball down in the zone, pitching to contact and inducing grounders. Like Astacio, Gothreaux doesn't beat himself with walks but doesn't miss many bats. He's fully developed and doesn't figure to get better than he is now. He has the same projection (fifth starter or middle reliever) and destination (Double-A) as Astacio.

Minor League Top Prospects

Gothreaux opened the season as a set-up man and didn't make his first start until April 26. Yet he led the league in wins as he surrendered more than three earned runs just twice in 22 starts. He had been known for his slider, but Gothreaux maintained a low-90s fastball late into the season. He learned to change speeds on his fastball and breaking pitches, and he developed his changeup. "He reminds me a lot of Bill Gullickson," Lovullo said. "He's a guy who gets a lot of ground balls because of the downward movement on his fastball and slider. He throws three pitches for strikes and is a pitcher in every sense of the word."