George Kontos Stats & Scouting Report

IP	357
ERA	3.101
WHIP	1.154
BB/9	2.597
SO/9	7.261

Full name George Nicholas Kontos
Born 06/12/1985 in Lincolnwood, IL
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Northwestern
Debut 09/10/2011
Drafted in the 5th round (164th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2006 (signed for $158,000).

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Kontos has frustrated area scouts more than any pitcher in the Midwest this spring. After starring in the Cape Cod League last summer, he was 2-10, 5.42, leaving him one off the NCAA Division I lead for losses despite pitching for a Northwestern team that finished second in the Big 10 Conference. Kontos has a higher ceiling than any prospect in Illinois, but he just hasn't performed. At his best, Kontos has a pair of plus pitches in a 90-94 mph fastball and an 84-87 mph slider. He has a strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and his arm works well. But he doesn't have an effective offspeed pitch and he doesn't repeat his delivery well. As a result, he can't locate his fastball and slider with much precision, so he gives up more hits and walks than someone with his stuff should. Despite his disappointing performance, he still could go as early as the fourth round. He may flourish more as a pro, pitching against wood bats and coming out of the bullpen.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Padres considered selecting Kontos from the Yankees in the 2009 Rule 5 draft, but opted not to take a flier on the Tommy John surgery alumnus. He had the procedure in July 2009 and did not return to action until mid-June 2010, whereupon New York shifted him to the bullpen. Kontos shook off the rust in making 24 regular-season appearances and then 10 more in the Arizona Fall League, where he got rocked for 21 runs on 21 hits in 13 innings. San Diego trusted its scouting reports and made Kontos the 11th pick in the 2010 Rule 5 draft. They must keep him on the active roster all season or else place him on waivers and offer him back to the Yankees. Given the club's recent track record with Rule 5 picks, the prognosis seems positive. In recent years, the Padres have carried Everth Cabrera and Luis Perdomo (2009), Carlos Guevara (2008) and Kevin Cameron (2007), though they ultimately had to make a trade to retain Guevara. Kontos sits at 88-90 mph with life, and while he has been up to 93 at times, he had not recovered his peak, pre-surgery velocity. His tick above-average slider makes life difficult for righthanders, who went 21-for-93 (.226) against him in the 2010 regular season. Kontos lacks feel for a changeup, and his delivery doesn't allow him to throw consistent strikes, so he's a reliever for the long haul. San Diego views him as a good fit for Petco Park with his average fastball and quality slider.
Kontos had his most consistent, dependable season as a pro in 2008. He never missed a turn for Trenton, leading the Eastern League champions in innings (152) and ranking third in the EL in strikeouts (152). Kontos never has had a fully dominant season, going 11-19 in three years at Northwestern and 17-20 in three as a pro. He made progress nonetheless in 2008, despite working with less fastball than in the past. Kontos pitched at 88-90 mph, down from 90-93 previously. Kontos' mechanics don't allow him to be consistent, either in terms of velocity or control, as he tends to leak out with his front shoulder and drag his arm. His secondary stuff has improved over his pro career, with his slightly above-average slider remaining his best pitch. He has improved confidence in his changeup, though it's still below-average, and throws a solid-average curveball as well. His effectiveness against righthanders (.602 OPS in 2008), thanks mostly to his slider, should make him an effective reliever, and his four-pitch mix still marks him as at worst a swingman. He's headed to Triple-A for 2009.
Kontos spent eight weeks on the disabled list from mid-April to mid-June, though that stint likely had less to do with injury and more with his arrest in Tampa on April 19. He was charged with trespassing and obstruction after he failed to leave the Green Iguana Bar & Grill when it was closing. Kontos was inconsistent after he came back, a problem that plagued him throughout his college career at Northwestern, where his stuff rarely produced good results. His command was shaky, he gave up too many homers and he relied too much on his plus slider. It's one of the system's best sliders, a two-plane pitch with depth and tilt that he throws in the low 80s. Kontos had a good offseason, making progress with his 90-93 mph sinker and solid changeup in Hawaii Winter Baseball. While he was there, the Yankees made him use his changeup as many as 15 times a game, and now it has more depth and more separation from his fastball than in the past. He also worked on commanding his fastball and solid-average curve, using his slider only sparingly. Kontos still needs to mature and let bad breaks go rather than letting them eat him up. He has strikeout stuff and could take off if he harnesses his sinker. He's headed for Double-A and has a No. 3 starter's ceiling, but he has a long track record of not living up to expectations.
Kontos was expected to be Northwestern's ace as a junior, with two years of experience and a solid 2005 summer in the Cape Cod League, where he ranked third in the league in strikeouts behind fellow 2006 Yankees draftee Tim Norton and Red Sox first-rounder Daniel Bard. Instead, Kontos went just 3-10, 5.29 last spring as his ability to throw strikes deserted him. The Yankees still drafted him in the fifth round based mostly off his good size and the stuff he showed in the Cape, and signed him for $158,000. He was impressive in his debut, winning seven straight starts and both playoff starts to help lead Staten Island to the short-season New York-Penn League title. Kontos has a fastball that sits at 90-92 mph and has touched 94. More important, he has shown a proclivity to challenge hitters with wood bats the he didn't show facing metal bats in college. The Yankees think there's more velocity in there, and they will let him keep his slider, which he can run into the mid-80s. Kontos has taken to a curveball taught to him by minor league pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras, and he has the potential for an average or better bender in the future. His changeup is too firm, and Kontos' track record is not one of sustained success. He'll head to Class A in 2007.

Minor League Top Prospects

Kontos and lefthander Dan Brauer both pitched at Northwestern, were drafted in back-to-back rounds and both had excellent pro debuts in the NY-P. While Brauer consistently has performed better and is a southpaw, Kontos is two years younger and has more raw arm strength. Kontos has has a low-90s fastball, a mid-80s slider and a clean arm. He competed much more consistently this summer than when he went 3-10 in the spring for Northwestern. He won seven straight decisions and both of his playoff starts, including an 11-strikeout effort in the championship-clinching victory for Staten Island.