Phil Dumatrait Stats & Scouting Report

IP	151
ERA	6.199
WHIP	1.781
BB/9	5.364
SO/9	5.781

Full name Phillip Anthony Dumatrait
Born 07/12/1981 in Bakersfield, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: L
School Bakersfield College
Debut 08/02/2007
Drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2000 (signed for $1,275,000).

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Dumatrait came out of nowhere this spring, adding 12 mph to his fastball and two pitches to his repertoire. He was clocked at 94 mph and drew a large number of curious scouts to Bakersfield. He went undrafted a year ago.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Dumatrait joined fellow southpaw Tyler Pelland as the Reds' bounty in the 2003 Scott Williamson trade with the Red Sox. And like Pelland, his development has been slow. Dumatrait missed the 2004 season because of Tommy John surgery, but has shown few ill effects from the injury over the last two seasons. Dumatrait has an average 88-91 mph fastball, a changeup that's a tick below average and a slurvy breaking ball. Dumatrait doesn't repeat his delivery particularly well. He struggles with flying open with his front shoulder, which causes him to leave the ball up in the zone. Unlike Pelland, the sum of the parts is actually a little better than it would appear because Dumatrait has a feel for pitching. He'll get a shot to earn the No. 5 starter job in Cincinnati in 2007, competing with Matt Belisle and Elizardo Ramirez. Otherwise, he'll head back to Triple-A to refine his delivery.
Acquired from the Red Sox in the Scott Williamson trade in 2003, Dumatrait was one of the system's top prospects before he was derailed by Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss all of the 2004 season. He encouraged the Reds by staying fully healthy and showing that his stuff was starting to bounce back last year. He throws a high-80s fastball that touches 91 and has good life, an average changeup and an average curveball. He's athletic and has an easy delivery that he repeats well. While Dumatrait's stuff came back, his command did not. He never had exceptional control, but he struggled to throw strikes all season, struggling through deep counts and way too many walks. He did show the ability to battle without great stuff, and he kept the ball down, allowing just four homers. Dumatrait's solid-average repertoire and ability to hamstring lefties give him the ability to be a solid lefty reliever if needed, but he'll have several more chances to prove he can be a starter. Command is often the last thing to return after Tommy John surgery, and Cincinnati hopes he'll show more this year in Triple-A.
Undrafted out of high school, Dumatrait blossomed into a first-rounder at Bakersfield JC thanks to a spike in velocity. Regarded as the Red Sox' best pitching prospect heading into last spring, Dumatrait was dealt with Tyler Pelland for closer Scott Williamson in July. Dumatrait's curveball is the best in the organization. He adds and subtracts from the pitch, using a slower curve to get ahead in the count and a sharper hammer to finish hitters. His fastball sits at 88-90 and features outstanding late life that makes it difficult to command, but he has learned to harness it. He's athletic and operates with a free and easy delivery. Dumatrait needs to incorporate his changeup into his mix more often. His command isn't always sharp and is the key to him achieving his ceiling as a major league starter. The Reds say Dumatrait has good enough stuff to succeed as a situational reliever in the majors right now. While that could ultimately be his role, his stuff is good enough to start and he'll continue to do so in Double-A.
With the 22nd pick in the 2000 draft, Boston seriously considered Jason Stokes before balking at his $2.5 million price tag. Instead they took Dumatrait, who blossomed suddenly after not being drafted as a high school senior in 1999, and signed him for $1.275 million. While Stokes is now a top slugging prospect with the Marlins, Dumatrait has become the Red Sox' top pitching prospect. Dumatrait's plus-plus curveball is the best breaking pitch in the Boston system. The new Red Sox front office values pitchers' approaches as well as pure stuff, and Dumatrait has a very good feel for his craft. His fastball is a solid average offering at 89-92 mph. His curve is an out pitch, but Dumatrait sometimes uses it too much at the expense of his changeup, which needs refinement. He also has to tweak his command after it got away from him a little bit at high Class A Sarasota. The Red Sox haven't had a homegrown lefty win in double digits since Tom Bolton in 1990. Dumatrait, who's headed back to high Class A, is the best hope to end that drought if Casey Fossum can't.
Because Dumatrait threw in the low 80s as a high school senior, he wasn't drafted in 1999. When his velocity soared in junior college, he became a first-round pick a year later. Signability played a part in his draft status, though he had a strong pro debut in 2001 after shoulder tendinitis sidelined him early in the season. Dumatrait's ceiling is considerably higher than Fossum's and is better than any Red Sox minor league lefty's. His curveball has a sharp 12-to-6 break and is a legitimate plus-plus pitch. He's not a softtossing southpaw, either, as he throws an 89-92 mph fastball that touches 94. He has good command of his pitches and emotions. Dumatrait's changeup shows promise but is still a ways from being an average pitch. As with Manny Delcarmen, any excitement about Dumatrait must be tempered by the fact that he has yet to pitch in full-season ball. Dumatrait and Delcarmen should team up again in low Class A. Because he's lefthanded, has more refined stuff and throws more strikes, Dumatrait is the favorite to win the race to Fenway Park.
Of all the 2000 first-round draft picks, Dumatrait was perhaps the unlikeliest a year earlier. He wasn't drafted out of high school, which wasn't at all surprising because he had a low-80s fastball. But a season at Bakersfield (Calif.) Junior College did wonders for Dumatrait. He got on a throwing program and suddenly was touching 94 mph. When the Red Sox decided that Texas high school slugger Jason Stokes' $2.5 million asking price was too rich, they took Dumatrait 22nd overall and signed him for $1.275 million. John Sanders, his manager in the Gulf Coast League, rated his curveball as a better pitch than his fastball. Dumatrait also showed an easy arm action and formidable mound presence. Though he spent a year in junior college, he's still quite young at 19. It isn't out of the question that he'll spend 2001 at short-season Lowell, though he could make the Augusta staff if he impresses in spring training.

Minor League Top Prospects

The GreenJackets had difficulty scoring runs this year, but Dumatrait never let the lack of support bother him. He didn't allow an earned run in four of his last six starts in Augusta before earning a promotion to the FSL. The 22nd overall pick in the 2000 draft, Dumatrait has sound mechanics and a compact delivery. He tended to fall in love with a plus curveball that was considered the league's best breaking pitch. He needs to go after hitters with his solid two-seam fastball more often, a lesson Augusta pitching coach Dave Tomlin imparted on him. "He improved every time he took the mound and that's what you want to see in a young player," Beyeler said. "All of his pitches became better, and his pickoff move really improved."