Rich Harden Stats & Scouting Report

IP	928
ERA	3.763
WHIP	1.296
BB/9	4.093
SO/9	9.204

Full name James Richard Harden
Born 11/30/1981 in Victoria, BC, Canada
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Central Arizona College
Debut 07/21/2003
Drafted in the 17th round (510th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2000.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The hard-throwing Harden emerged as a top prospect in 2002, making the leap from high Class A Visalia to Double-A Midland with hardly a struggle. He dominated after the promotion, and it was all the more impressive because he was 20 and in his first full season as a pro. Harden grew up in Victoria, B.C., and played mostly outfield in summer-league competition. He did pitch enough to catch the attention of the Mariners, who drafted him in the 38th round in 1999. He opted instead for Central Arizona JC because he didn't believe he was ready for pro ball. Athletics scout John Kuehl kept his eye on Harden and persuaded Oakland to call his name in the 17th round in 2000 as a draft-and-follow. Harden returned to Central Arizona and led all juco pitchers in strikeouts as a sophomore before signing in May. He tied for the short-season Northwest League lead in strikeouts in his pro debut, but he had a problem--his curveball was below pro standards. So Harden and the A's agreed to scrap it in favor of a slider. The results came almost instantly. With a fastball that hits 95 mph and a deceptive changeup, Harden has two outstanding pitches as the foundation of his arsenal. He also throws the slider and a splitter, which can be above-average at times. While the slider isn't an exceptional pitch, it provides an effective balance to the fastball and changeup, keeping hitters off-balance. He has added a two-seam fastball, a mid-80s sinker that gives hitters something else to worry about. Harden has a calm demeanor on the mound and is rarely flustered with runners on base. He has shown the ability to work out of jams. Harden's pitch counts are too high. He has yet to learn to retire batters early in the count to allow him to go deeper into games. He sometimes reaches his pitch limit in the fifth or sixth inning. While his slider has shown dramatic improvement, it still needs more consistency. Harden's combination of power and deception is intriguing. He has the potential to become a legitimate No. 1 starter. Harden is ticketed to begin 2003 at Triple-A Sacramento and could contribute in the majors by season's end
After attending high school in British Columbia, Harden went to junior college in Arizona and caught the eye of A's scout John Kuehl. A 17th-round pick in 2000, Harden returned for his sophomore season and led national juco pitchers in strikeouts last spring before signing as a draft-and-follow. He's a power pitcher with a mid-90s fastball and a curveball that's outstanding when he can get it over the plate. After an impressive debut in the Northwest League, he spent instructional league developing a changeup. The A's say he has the raw ability to start in the major leagues one day, and they like his mound presence. He still needs much work, because his curveball and changeup are highly inconsistent. He also tends to challenge hitters by just throwing heat over the middle of the plate. Headed to high Class A, Harden will have to learn to pitch down in the strike zone against more refined hitters.

Minor League Top Prospects

Harden was the talk of the minor leagues in April, when he opened the season with 13 perfect innings in Double-A. Quickly promoted to Sacramento, he made just 16 appearances before being summoned to Oakland, where he was spectacular before tiring in mid-August. He had the PCL's best fastball, sitting comfortably at 93-95 mph and pushing 97-98. The pitch has so much life that the AL scout compared it to Mariano Rivera's cutter. He also showed a feel for adding and subtracting velocity. Harden often got Triple-A hitters out with heaters up in the zone, a plan that didn't always work as well in the majors. Though he is still mastering command of his slider, splitter and changeup, they all had their moments. The AL scout wasn't enthralled by Harden's arm action, but a National League scout had no concerns. "He's a power guy," the NL scout said. "He has such a quick arm that I don't see him having any difficulty throwing strikes. His arm action is so deceptive because it's so quick out front, the ball gets on you quick."
The A's loaded up their two Cal League affiliates with bright young pitching prospects. With Bonderman gone to Detroit, lefties John Rheinecker and Neal Cotts and righthanders Mike Wood, Rich Harden and Jeff Bruksch bolstered the system's pitching depth. And that was before the influx of talent from the 2002 draft–first-rounders Joseph Blanton, Ben Fritz and SteveObenchain–hit the league. Relatively unknown before the season, Harden emerged as the most promising member of the next wave. A power pitcher, he dominated the short-season Northwest League in his 2001 pro debut and finished his first full pro year in Double-A Midland. Harden's fastball topped out at 95 mph. He spun his curveball for strikes, added a splitter and improved his changeup. All thatequated to 187 punchouts--second in the minors to Nageotte--in 153 innings. Harden's command wavered in Midland, perhaps because he threwing his splitter more. His one-piece arm action also concerned for scouts and is a potential stumbling block for improved control.
Midland had the pitching staff with the most potential from top to bottom. The leader of that pack was Harden, a Canadian who signed as a draft-and-follow last May. After arriving in the TL in June, he was just as dominant as he had been in the high Class A California League. Harden threw his fastball up to 96 mph, but managers said his cutter was a more effective pitch. He also showed a plus curveball, and his changeup was good considering his level of experience. What sets Harden apart is his aptitude for pitching. He showed a good feel for mixing his pitches, and his command improved as the year went along.
Harden started the year as a reliever, moved into the rotation after four appearances and proceeded to become one of the league's dominant starters. Like Martinez, he was much more effective at home, going 1-2, 1.80 versus 1-2, 5.83 on the road. His opponent batting average, a miniscule .179 overall, dipped to .132 at Nat Bailey Stadium, where he struck out 68 and walked 22 in 45 innings. His last start came at home against Everett. Harden, who is from nearby Victoria, British Columbia, threw seven hitless innings with one walk and 12 strikeouts using a 93-94 mph fastball and above-average slider. "Jeez Louise, he was just outstanding," Pollreisz said. "His breaking ball was nasty." "He throws hard and has a good live arm for a small guy," Stanley said. "He's deceptive. He's just got this slow windup and then it explodes. It's almost like an Asian pitcher's windup with the pause in the middle."