Billy Koch

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #2 prospect in 1999
  Background: Koch missed the 1996 season while pitching for Team USA in the Atlanta Olympics, and sat out almost all of 1997 recovering from reconstructive surgery on the ligament in his right elbow. He has mellowed a great deal from his cockiness of 1996, when he said he wanted to wear No. 102 "because that's what I've thrown," but hasn't lost his aggressiveness on the mound. Strengths: Despite missing a year because of the elbow problems, Koch quickly established that he still had his high-90s fastball early in spring training. Once he got comfortable at Class A Dunedin, he re-established his hard-biting slider. Weaknesses: Koch's slider and changeup need refinement. He needed the innings he finally got in 1998. The Future: Koch could open the 1999 season with Triple-A Syracuse, bypassing Double-A Knoxville. With his explosive fastball and the depth of pitching in the Blue Jays system, it's not out of the question that he could wind up as a closer.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #33 prospect in 1999
• Ranked Baseball America's #74 prospect in 1997

• December, 1998 Scouting Report
  Background: Koch missed the 1996 season while pitching for Team USA in the Atlanta Olympics, and sat out almost all of 1997 recovering from reconstructive surgery on the ligament in his right elbow. He has mellowed a great deal from his cockiness of 1996, when he said he wanted to wear No. 102 "because that's what I've thrown," but hasn't lost his aggressiveness on the mound. Strengths: Despite missing a year because of the elbow problems, Koch quickly established that he still had his high-90s fastball early in spring training. Once he got comfortable at Class A Dunedin, he re-established his hard-biting slider. Weaknesses: Koch's slider and changeup need refinement. He needed the innings he finally got in 1998. The Future: Koch could open the 1999 season with Triple-A Syracuse, bypassing Double-A Knoxville. With his explosive fastball and the depth of pitching in the Blue Jays system, it's not out of the question that he could wind up as a closer.