Jesse Crain Stats & Scouting Report

IP	532
ERA	3.045
WHIP	1.231
BB/9	3.485
SO/9	7.444

Full name Jesse Alan Crain
Born 07/05/1981 in Toronto, ON, Canada
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Houston
Debut 08/05/2004
Drafted in the 2nd round (61st overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2002 (signed for $650,000).

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Crain is one of the best players in college baseball. He's a steady shortstop who has been one of Houston's better hitters, and he has been outstanding as a closer, allowing just one run (unearned) in 22 regular season appearances. He's just 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, but the transfer from San Jacinto JC has power stuff, with a fastball that has reached 97 mph and a nasty slider. Crain also throws a knuckle-curve as a changeup and can command all three of his pitches for strikes. He could be another Trevor Hoffman, a big league closer with shortstop on his resume.

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Part of the pitching pipeline at the University of Houston, Crain preceded the Reds' Ryan Wagner as the Cougars' closer. Also a shortstop in college, Crain blew through the Twins system on his way to the majors. He worked just 162 innings before coming to the majors in August. Crain has two plus-plus pitches and uses them both to great effect. His fastball sits at 92-94 mph and tops out at 96. He also has a late-breaking slider that he uses to get strikeouts. He's able to repeat his delivery, throws strikes and generates good leverage despite his average size. Except for keeping the ball down in the zone more consistently, Crain has little to work on. He has a usable changeup but rarely needs to break it out because his first two pitches are so solid. With closer Joe Nathan not eligible for free agency until after 2007, Crain figures to settle in as his setup man. Should arbitration-fed raises push Nathan out of Minnesota's budget, however, Crain would be poised to take over.
Crain preceded Reds top prospect Ryan Wagner as the closer at Houston, where he was an All-America shortstop/reliever in 2002. He didn't allow an earned run until his final appearance of his junior season, and has been nearly as stingy as a pro. He also participated in the Olympic qualifying tournament, working three scoreless innings for Team USA. Like Wagner, Crain dominates hitters with two plus-plus pitches, and his fastball is a couple of ticks better than Wagner's. Crain tops out at 96 mph and usually deals at 92-94. His slider is a true strikeout pitch with vicious, late break. He repeats his delivery, throws strikes and manages to get good leverage despite his stature. Crain needs to be more consistent at driving the ball down in the zone. His changeup is just usable, but he doesn't need it. There's no question Crain is going to get the ball with the game on the line. The only question is whether he'll be a premium set-up man or a quality closer. The Twins believe he's capable of either and could give him save opportunities this season.
After spending a semester at the University at Texas, Crain transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College before continuing on to Houston for his junior season. Expected to play shortstop and do a little pitching, he emerged as an All-America two-way star. Crain started all 65 of Houston's games at short, batting .309-11-47, and didn't allow an earned run until the final game of the season, going 4-0, 0.23 with 10 saves. While he'll focus on pitching for the Twins, Crain can use his athleticism on the mound. His fastball has registered as high as 97 mph and typically sits around 92-94. His sharp slider is one of the best breaking pitches in the system, featuring late depth in the zone. He has demonstrated a feel for a changeup and a knuckle-curve as offspeed pitches, which will help him as he makes a move to the rotation. Crain has good control. Because Crain doesn't have much pitching experience, the Twins will exercise a cautious approach with his workload. He still could blitz through the system, becoming the first player from Minnesota's 2002 draft class to reach the majors.

Minor League Top Prospects

Like Morneau, Crain languished in Triple-A for longer than seemed necessary. He proved himself in the second half of 2003 at Rochester, then returned and was more dominant this season. Crain shut down IL hitters with two plus pitches, a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 97 and a wicked 85-87 mph slider. It's his late-breaking slider that's his strikeout pitch. He became more consistent at locating his fastball down in the zone this year, setting hitters up for the slider. "What was already a really good out pitch for him became even better than what I saw last year," Cooper said. "That's the best slider in this league."
Crain can throw four pitches for strikes, which caused the Twins to consider trying him as a starter. But they kept him in relief and he rose from high Class A to Triple-A in his first full season, collecting 19 saves, averaging 12.2 strikeout per nine innings and holding batters to a .159 average. As a closer, Crain usually eschews his changeup and slow curveball in favor of his two plus pitches: a 92-94 mph fastball that touches 98, and an 87-88 mph slider with depth. He serves up his power repertoire with an easy delivery. Before Crain moves to Minnesota, he must gain better command, especially of his slider. Some managers also said that while his velocity was impressive, his fastball looked very straight.
Blessed with a 95-96 mph fastball that can touch 98, Crain would have been able to simply blow hitters away with heat if he wanted. But he doesn't just rely on his fastball. He also has a tight 86-88 mph slider that he throws to righthanders, and a curveball to keep lefties off balance. He also has good command and rarely got behind in the count. As a result, hitters never got a handle on Crain during his brief stay in New Britain. They hit just .099 against him with no homers and 56 strikeouts in 131 at-bats. "He will throw strikes. With him, you're going to get challenged with real good stuff," Stearns said. "He's a big-time closer in the major leagues."