Kyle Waldrop Stats & Scouting Report

IP	32
ERA	3.656
WHIP	1.531
BB/9	3.375
SO/9	3.375

Full name Steven Kyle Waldrop
Born 10/27/1985 in Knoxville, TN
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Farragut
Debut 09/05/2011
Drafted in the 1st round (25th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2004 (signed for $1,000,000).

View Draft Report

Like Price, Waldrop is considered a tough sign and has committed to Vanderbilt. He's had considerable success in high school, leading Farragut High to the state 3-A title last year and a No. 3 national ranking this season. He didn't yield an earned run in his first 51 innings while batting .477-13-63. Scouts like him better on the mound for pro ball, as he throws an easy 88-91 mph fastball with an above-average spike curveball, while showing a feel for his changeup. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Waldrop would go both ways for Vanderbilt. He has excellent raw power, enough athletic ability to play the outfield and runs well under way. The Braves are said to be looking at him with their first pick, the 71st overall, but it may take seven figures to sign him away from Vanderbilt.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

It took Waldrop until his senior high school season to get a chance to fully show what he can do on the baseball diamond. He missed part of his sophomore baseball season with a broken hand, and part of his junior year with a broken leg. He made more noise on the football field, where he was a standout safety and wide receiver, and he committed to South Florida to play both sports. The Reds were able to put an end to his football career with a $500,000 bonus that they spread over multiple years under draft provisions for two-sport athletes. Waldrop has plenty of strength in his swing and he should provide good lefthanded power. He's quite raw right now, with a pull-heavy approach that leaves him vulnerable to anything on the outer half of the plate. Once he develops a more advanced approach, his bat speed should allow him to hit for average as well. Waldrop is a slightly above-average runner, though he doesn't cover enough ground to be a center fielder. As with many football players, his arm is below average, but as he stretches it out and gets used to throwing, it may improve enough to let him play right field. Waldrop is still relatively raw and may not be ready for full-season ball yet, so a trip to the Arizona League or Billings seems likely.
The Twins bucked the consensus in signing Waldrop as a first-round pick in 2004, after many teams thought he would go to Vanderbilt with lefthander David Price, who was considered the state of Tennessee's top prospect. While Price has blossomed at Vandy and is a top prospect for the '07 draft, Waldrop has made slow progress in pro ball but the Twins remain confident in his projection. While his fastball velocity has remained pedestrian--it's often at 86-89 mph and touches 90-91--it has plenty of sink and he has become a groundball machine (242-126 groundout-flyout ratio). Waldrop still has projection left and is still getting used to his growing body. He could wind up being 6-foot-6 and close to 230 pounds, and the Twins see him as an innings-eater. They love his makeup and hope he'll remain patient as his velocity improves and his body develops. Waldrop has a feel for his secondary stuff, and while his curveball, slider and changeup aren't plus pitches, they all play average because he commands them well. He needs to make slight adjustments to his arm action, which can get long in the back and provides little deception. Patience is the watchword for Waldrop, who will head back to high Class A to start 2007.
Kentucky-based Twins scout Tim O'Neil managed Waldrop in the 2003 East Coast Showcase, and that familiarity played a role in Minnesota taking Waldrop 25th overall and signing him for $1 million. Though he went 22-0 over his final two prep seasons, some teams liked him more as a power-hitting first baseman/outfielder. The Twins have no plans to move him off the mound. Waldrop's changeup already is the best in a system that features several polished soft-tossers, and his command is right there with the best of the Twins' prospects. He won't blow hitters away with his 88-91 mph fastball, but he also features a big-breaking curveball and has a slider as well. His work ethic is beyond question and his mound presence is good. His yes-sir, no-sir personality draws comparisons to Peyton Manning's. Waldrop had trouble maintaining his arm slot for most of last season, but he rallied late. He gave up too many hits considering his profile, but some of those were due to mediocre defense behind him. His curveball tends to get loopy at times. Unlike Anthony Swarzak and Jay Rainville, Waldrop stayed in low Class A throughout his first full pro season. He figures to join them in high Class A to begin 2006 and could reach Double-A by midseason if he starts fast.
Kentucky-based Twins scout Tim O'Neil managed Waldrop in the East Coast Showcase in 2003, and familiarity played a big role in Minnesota drafting him 25th overall a year later. A Vanderbilt recruit, he signed for $1 million as the last of the club's three first-round picks. Though he went 22-0 in his last two prep seasons, some clubs liked him more as a power-hitting first baseman/outfielder. Waldrop has an advanced feel for pitching. He spots his 86-92 mph fastball and has one of the best changeups in recent memory for a pitcher just out of high school. His spike curveball has good bite. A strike-thrower, he maintains his velocity into the late innings. He also earns high marks for his poise, work ethic and professionalism. Waldrop's fastball doesn't light up radar guns, but it's more than enough to set up his other pitches. His main need is consistency with secondary pitches, which should come with experience. Rated the top pitching prospect in the Rookie-level Appalachian League, Waldrop could move quickly for a prep pitcher. He figures to start 2005 in a stacked rotation at low Class A Beloit.

Minor League Top Prospects

With four extra picks in this year's draft, the Twins tapped into one of the draft's strengths: high school arms. They took six pitchers in the first three rounds, including four from the prep ranks, the top three of whom--Waldrop, Jay Rainville and Anthony Swarzak--made the GCL top 20. Waldrop, who went 22-0 in his final two high school seasons, was as advanced as any prep pitcher in the draft. With three pitches he threw for strikes almost at will, he walked four in 38 innings before being promoted to the more challenging Rookie-level Appalachian League, where he walked three in 25 innings. "He's very advanced for 18," Twins manager Riccardo Ingram said. "He can pound the strike zone with three pitches. His fastball is 88-89, but with a tall, slender body, you know there's more velocity in there." Managers praised Waldrop's feel for pitching, as well as sound mechanics. His changeup and mound presence were advanced for a teenager. His spike curveball is a plus pitch at times.
Waldrop made just four Appy League starts after making seven in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he was that league's No. 4 prospect. He signed for $1 million as a first-round pick and impressed by recording at least six strikeouts in each one as he narrowly qualified for this list. The 6-foot-5 righthander threw three pitches for strikes: an 89-91 mph fastball, a tight breaking ball with bite and a solid changeup. Waldrop's secondary pitches lag behind his fastball for now, but all should be at least average. "He's going to be somebody to look out for," Bogar said. "He really knows how to pitch. A lot of 18-year-olds are just throwing it up there hoping they don't hit it. He has a plan." Waldrop also demonstrated the poise and work ethic of an older player, right down to precise record-keeping and good penmanship when charting teammates' pitches.