Drafted in the 5th round (156th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998.
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The Yankees needed bullpen help during the 2004 regular season, and they were glad to have Proctor around after acquiring him from the Dodgers the previous summer. Proctor's velocity started to blossom before the trade, and he touched 100 mph after switching organizations. He pitched at 94-96 mph last year in the majors, but his performance wasn't good enough to merit a spot on the playoff roster. Though he throws hard, his fastball lacks deception and he didn't command it well enough to earn manager Joe Torre's trust. Proctor tends to elevate his fastball, and he can't get away with that against major league hitters. His slider and changeup are serviceable. However, that kind of velocity is hard to ignore, and New York protected Proctor on the 40-man roster after the season. Following the Yankees' trade for Felix Rodriguez, Proctor will have to compete with Jason Anderson, Colter Bean and Sam Marsonek (all also on the 40-man roster) for a big league job in spring training.
The Yankees didn't expect an aging Robin Ventura to command much of a return on the trade market, so they were ecstatic to get Proctor and Bubba Crosby from the Dodgers. Proctor was a middling prospect for the Dodgers as a starter. He won 10 games in 2002, but his average fastball/slider/changeup mix was less than intimidating, even for Double-A hitters. After he moved to the bullpen last spring, his velocity spiked to the high 90s in Double-A and hit 100 mph after the trade. Though he needs to add deception to his delivery and work on keeping the ball down, Proctor also improved his slider and still uses a changeup to keep hitters honest. He tends to finish his delivery in an upright position, which leads to mistakes up in the strike zone. He'll have an opportunity to win the final spot in the big league bullpen, but likely will return to Triple-A until an opportunity arises in the Bronx.
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