Todd Redmond

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Atlanta Braves #29 prospect in 2009
  Redmond joined the Braves prior to the 2008 season when they shipped spare reliever Tyler Yates to Pittsburgh. He regressed in his final season in the Pirates system, but made adjustments and emerged as the Southern League pitcher of the year in his first year as a Brave. He led the SL in wins (13) and strikeouts (133 in 161 innings) and helped Mississippi win the league title. Redmond works off his fastball and pitches to contact while allowing his defense to do its job. He pounds the strike zone with three pitches and fine overall command. He's not overpowering, working with a 90 mph fastball with a little sink, a solid curveball and a changeup. Redmond works on a good downhill plane, but sometimes drops his arm slot, gets under his pitches and leaves them up in the zone. He has to locate his pitches well to succeed and at times he runs into trouble if he tries to be too precise. Some scouts believe his future will be as a situational reliever rather than a starter, but the Braves plan to keep him in the rotation for now. He'll open 2009 in Triple-A after Atlanta protected him on its 40-man roster.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #27 prospect in 2008
  Redmond was taken in the 40th round of the 2003 draft as a draft-and-follow by the Royals out of high school, but he didn't sign after his freshman year at St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC. The Pirates took him in 2004, again as a draft-and-follow, and Redmond led St. Petersburg to a second-place finish in its first appearance in the Junior College World Series in 2005. He was the Suncoast Conference pitcher of the year in both of his junior college seasons, and the Pirates signed him before the 2005 draft. Redmond was dominant during his first two pro seasons but struggled against high Class A hitters at Lynchburg last season. He has outstanding control and needs to have pinpoint command in order to succeed because he lacks an overpowering pitch. His best pitches are a 90-mph fastball and a curveball, though his changeup is improving. The Pirates want Redmond to be more aggressive with his fastball and use it more often to get ahead early in the count. Better hitters showed they could punish him if he's too fine. While Redmond may lack dominant pure stuff, he wins high marks for his competitiveness. He'll return to Double-A, where he made a three-game cameo last season. In the long run, he's likely more of a middle reliever than a starter.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #10 prospect in 2007
  Redmond led St. Petersburg (Fla.) to a runner-up finish at the Junior College World Series championship in 2005, then signed with the Pirates as a draft-and-follow. He finished second in the New York-Penn League in ERA during his pro debut, and continued to impress in 2006, ranking fourth in the South Atlantic League in wins and ERA. Redmond has exceptional command of his low-90s fastball and gets a lot of swings and misses with it, particularly up in the strike zone. He complements his fastball with an outstanding changeup and a solid curveball. He's very efficient with his pitches, which should allow him to work deeper into games as he gets older, and wins high marks for his competitiveness. He lacks a dominant pitch, and Redmond's stuff may not play as well against more experienced hitters. He gives up a lot of fly balls, which could be a problem if he stops missing bats. Redmond likely will start 2007 in high Class A and should make a midseason move to Double-A. If he continues to prove himself, he could fit into the majors as a No. 3 or 4 starter.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #19 prospect in 2006
  One of the better draft-and-follows from 2004, Redmond led St. Petersburg Junior College to the Florida state juco championship in 2005 with 18 scoreless innings in the playoffs and a second-place finish at the Junior College World Series before signing with the Pirates. In his debut, he finished second in the New York-Penn League ERA race. Redmond's fastball sits at 91-93 mph and touches 95. His curveball and changeup also have the makings of becoming above-average pitches. What really sets him apart, though, is his outstanding mound presence and bulldog demeanor. Like most young pitchers, Redmond needs to gain consistency with his changeup. His curve also tends to get loopy from time to time. More than anything, he just needs to keep logging innings. Redmond made a seamless transition from juco to short-season ball. There's no reason to think he won't handle the adjustment to pitching in a full-season league this year. If Redmond improves his secondary pitches, his long-term future is a starter. His heater also makes him an intriguing short-relief candidate.