Robert Gilliam
| IP | 523 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.853 |
| WHIP | 1.356 |
| BB/9 | 3.184 |
| SO/9 | 8.122 |
- Full name Robert Lawrence Gilliam
- Born 11/29/1987 in Chapel Hill, NC
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School UNC Greensboro
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Drafted in the 8th round (243rd overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2009 (signed for $105,000).
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Gilliam could move up draft boards if he has strong workouts for teams, as he's an arm-strength pitcher who hasn't had a great deal of success in college. He grew up in San Jose, Calif., but moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., as a senior in high school and wound up staying in the area for college, attending UNC Greensboro. Playing in the extremely offensive Southern Conference, Gilliam has been a member of Spartans' rotation for three seasons. He consistently shows average to plus fastball velocity, touching 94 mph regularly and usually sitting in the 89-93 mph range. He has enough control and secondary stuff to lead the SoCon with a .224 opponents batting average, and he ranked seventh in strikeouts with 78 despite working primarily in relief. Gilliam throws a slow 12-to-6 curveball that has its moments, and the fact he's shown the ability to spin the pitch gives scouts some hope for his breaking ball. His changeup showed plus potential in the Cape Cod League last summer in shorter bursts. When he misses, he tends to miss up and was homer-prone, giving up 10 this spring. He wasn't easy to scout at UNCG, where he made 20 of his 24 appearances in relief and frequently pitched multiple innings out of the bullpen. Scouts like his toughness and see him in the bullpen down the line. He should go in the five-to-seven round range.
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A's area scout Neil Avent was once an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro, and Oakland has drafted five of its players since 2006. One of them was Gilliam, who worked mostly as a reliever in college and posted a 5.76 ERA as a junior. Scouts still liked his arm, though, and he received $105,000 from Oakland as a ninth-rounder in 2009. The A's believe Gilliam's rough 2011 season was another case of him showing better stuff than his numbers indicate, though he did tie A.J. Griffin for the most strikeouts in the system with 156. Gilliam has a 92-96 mph fastball, though it lacks movement. He found a new grip for his slider last season and it made a real difference for him, creating sharp, late break. His changeup is a work in progress, but he does show some feel for it and it has fading action. Gilliam still is learning the mental side of being a starter, especially when it comes to damage control and continuing to battle after giving up runs. Oakland lowered his arm slot slightly in instructional league, and he has good balance and direction in his delivery. Gilliam will move up to Double-A in 2012, and he could develop into a mid-rotation starter or power reliever.
