Wes Whisler
| IP | 1 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 18 |
| WHIP | 3 |
| BB/9 | 27 |
| SO/9 | 18 |
- Full name Wesley Guy Whisler
- Born 04/07/1983 in Indianapolis, IN
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School UCLA
- Debut 06/02/2009
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Drafted in the 2nd round (53rd overall) by the Chicago White Sox in 2004 (signed for $660,000).
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Whisler led the Pacific-10 Conference in home runs in 2002 as a freshman and was the Cape Cod League's top prospect that summer. The 6-foot-5, 227-pound Indiana high school product looked then like a candidate for the top of the first round in the 2004 draft. How things have changed. Whisler has regressed so much as a hitter that his greater worth is now on the mound--even after he went 2-4, 5.26 this season. He shows plenty of power in batting practice, but his bat speed has slowed and most of his power is to the opposite field. He hit .275-5-39 this spring. Whisler has also fallen short of expectations as a pitcher, but he has recognized that his future is on the mound. On a good day, he has been clocked at 93-94 mph with a good, hard slider. He has a four-pitch repertoire, but rarely does the sum of his stuff equal the parts. He throws everything too hard, his command is shaky and hitters have an easy time reading pitches out of his hand. Yet Whisler still has a lot of positives, in addition to being lefthanded. He has a big frame and above-average arm strength, and he's never been hurt. Scouts know the talent is there and are banking that he'll do better as a pro, once he can concentrate on one role. He projects as a third- to fifth-rounder.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Drafted in the 41st round by the Cubs out of high school, Whisler opted instead for UCLA. He led the Pacific-10 Conference with 18 homers as a freshman and ranked as the top prospect in the Cape Cod League in 2002. But he changed his swing and approach and regressed at the plate. He emerged a better prospect as a pitcher, though he never dominated on the mound. The White Sox still gambled on his 6-foot-5 strong athletic frame in the second round of the 2004 draft, and they even let him DH some in his pro debut. Whisler has spent most of his three pro seasons in high Class A, and he finally took a step forward last year after working with Winston-Salem pitching coach J. R. Perdew to close his delivery. Whisler remains a work in progress, but his refined mechanics helped both his command in the strike zone as well as his deception. His best pitch is his sinker that clocks in the low-90s, often forcing hitters to pound the ball on the ground. He allowed just five homers in 163 innings last year. He still needs to improve his secondary pitches, the best of which is his slider, and learn to do a better job of changing speeds. Whisler doesn't miss many bats and doesn't have a quality breaking ball for left-on-left matchups, so his ceiling and future role will be limited if he can't develop a deeper repertoire. Because the White Sox have a logjam of starters in the majors and in Triple-A, he could begin 2007 back in Double-A. -
A natural hitter with power, Whisler ranked as the top prospect in the Cape Cod League after his freshman season but regressed at the plate the next two seasons at UCLA. He pitched out of the Bruins rotation but never dominated. Despite his underwhelming college career, he still went in the second round of the 2004 draft because of the collection of tools that allowed him to play both ways. The White Sox were sold on his great build and durability, not to mention his low-90s fastball. During his pro debut, he threw four pitches for strikes, including a hard slider, and had no problem fitting in after a promotion to high Class A. He touched the mid-90s with his fastball and showed a willingness to work the inside half of the plate. Chicago allowed Whisler to get at-bats as a DH at Kannapolis, and the organization remains split on where his future lies. His light-tower power is so intriguing that he could remain a two-way player for a bit longer as the White Sox decide whether his ceiling is higher on the mound or at the plate. He could reach Double-A during his first full pro season.
