Justin Lehr
| IP | 148 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.351 |
| WHIP | 1.554 |
| BB/9 | 4.074 |
| SO/9 | 5.108 |
- Full name Charles Larry Lehr
- Born 08/03/1977 in Orange, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Southern California
- Debut 06/20/2004
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Drafted in the 8th round (243rd overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 1999.
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RHP Justin Lehr was Barry Zito's catcher at UCSB. Despite being drafted in the 10th round a year ago, Lehr also gambled that he could enhance his draft position by not only transferring to USC but becoming a full-time pitcher. It looks like he has succeeded. He was dominant at times with solid-average stuff and is still just learning how to pitch.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Lehr spent his first three years in college as a catcher at UC Santa Barbara before transferring to Southern California and becoming a two-way player, serving as the No. 2 starter behind Barry Zito. Acquired in the Keith Ginter trade with Oakland, Lehr had modest success in the minors as a starter, and began to develop more quickly after moving to the bullpen in 2002. Pitching in shorter stints helped his fastball, which has gone from 88-91 mph to 91-95 and features nice run. His main secondary pitch is a slider, and he occasionally will turn to the splitter and changeup he used in his rotation days. The key for Lehr is to throw strikes and stay ahead in the count. When he did that in Triple-A, he was able to put hitters away. He has good but not great stuff, so when his control wavered in the majors, he had trouble getting outs. Lehr also had trouble with lefthanders in the big leagues, so he may need to dust off his changeup more often. The Brewers traded their top two relievers from 2004, Dan Kolb and Luis Vizcaino, so Lehr will get every opportunity to fill a hole in the big league bullpen. -
Lehr spent his first three college seasons mostly catching at UC Santa Barbara, then transferred to Southern California and served as the No. 2 starter behind Barry Zito. After five years in the minors, Lehr is close to getting a major league shot. His fastball jumped from 91 mph previously to 94-95 in 2003. He also did a much better job of throwing quality strikes to the first batter he faced after entering a game. Lehr backs up his fastball with a slider, and also has a splitter and changeup from his days as a starter. He has found a home in the bullpen after moving there full-time in 2002. His calm demeanor serves him well in tense late-inning situations. After making major progress, Lehr will get a chance to win a job in Oakland this spring. He led the Puerto Rican League with eight saves this winter, helping his cause. In time, he could develop into a setup man. -
Lehr took a strange road to the pros. After growing up as a catcher and spending his first three college seasons mostly behind the plate UC Santa Barbara, he transferred to Southern California in 1999, where he went 7-3, 4.29 on the mound and hit .297-4-27 as a DH. The 2000 season was the first time he concentrated solely on pitching, and he responded by winning 13 games, one short of the Cal League leader. While Lehr can crank his fastball up to the low 90s, he usually works in the high 80s with good movement. He complements it with a superlative change, as well as a slider and a forkball. While he doesn't rely on power, he has excellent command of the strike zone and knowledge of pitching that may be a result of his years of catching. Lehr knows how to pitch backward, taking a little off his fastball instead of trying to overpower hitters in tense situations. He also has a calm about him, so he doesn't get rattled at difficult times. He's ready to move to Double-A this season.
