Dallas Trahern

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Miami Marlins #10 prospect in 2008
  Trahern's commitment to Oklahoma scared teams off in the 2004 draft, but the Tigers signed him for $160,000 in the 34th round after the Sooners fired pitching coach Ray Hayward. The best of the secondary prospects the Marlins received in the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade with Detroit, Trahern won 13 games in the high minors last season at age 21. His best asset is a low-90s sinker with great movement. When he's going well, he pitches to early contact and gets a lot of routine grounders. To continue as a starter, Trahern will need to improve his secondary pitches. His changeup has some sink, though lefthanders batted .308 against him in 2007. His slider eventually could become average, but for now it's a short spinner that needs to improve. A better slider would be a great complement to his sinker. For all his talent, Trahern has not missed many bats as a pro, averaging just 4.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Whether he can succeed at the highest levels with that strikeout rate remains to be seen, though he does have strong mound presence and makeup, and he's a good athlete. Trahern will pitch at Triple-A this season and could earn a callup to Florida before the year is through.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #8 prospect in 2007
  Trahern was headed to Oklahoma out of high school, but when the Sooners fired pitching coach Ray Hayward, he changed his mind. Trahern signed for $160,000 as a 34th-round pick and has made steady progress. He has had tough luck, ranking in the top 10 in each of his Class A leagues in ERA and losses the last two years. Trahen's best pitch is a low-90s sinker that he throws for strikes. Hitters have trouble lifting it, as evidenced by his 3.3 ground/fly ratio in high Class A. His slider is an average pitch that he also keeps down in the zone to get ground balls. A two-way star on an Oklahoma 6-A state championship team, he's athletic and repeats his delivery well. He hasn't shown the ability to get hitters to consistently swing and miss, averaging just 4.8 strikeouts per nine innings as a pro. Trahern will throw a four-seamer with more velocity up in the zone but does so infrequently. His changeup needs more work after lefthanders hit .289 against him in 2006. The consistency of his sinker and quality of his makeup bode well for Trahern's chances to reach the majors. He'll probably spend much of 2007 in Double-A.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #13 prospect in 2006
  Detroit got Trahern in the 34th round of the 2004 draft, thanks to good work by area scout Steve Taylor and some good fortune. A two-way star on nationally ranked and state 6- A champion Owasso (Okla.) High, Trahern committed to Oklahoma. But when the Sooners fired pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Ray Hayward, a former Tigers scout, Taylor saw an opening and signed Trahern for $160,000, the equivalent of fifth-round money. In his first full pro season in 2005, he lost five of his first six decisions before finding his groove in low Class A. Athletic and blessed with the ability to repeat an easy delivery, Trahern has two above-average pitches. His 90-92 mph fastball has run and sink, and he's improving his ability to spot it. His slider isn't a strikeout pitch but stays down in the zone and helps him produces scads of groundballs. He had a 2.4 groundball/flyball ratio last year. Trahern's changeup is solid, but like his fastball and slider, it's not quite a swing-and-miss pitch. Trahern either must continue his extreme groundball tendencies or, better yet, improve the depth on his slider to get some strikeouts. He'll move up to high Class A in 2006.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #13 prospect in 2005
  Trahern starred as a two-way player while leading Owasso High to the Oklahoma 6-A state title, the school's fifth in seven years. A second-team High School All-American, Trahern batted .450-13-50 as a shortstop and went 11-0, 1.37 on the mound. Scouts preferred him on the mound but believed he was set on attending Oklahoma, so he dropped all the way to the 34th round. But when the Sooners fired pitching coach/recruiting coordinator Ray Hayward, a former Tigers scout, Trahern did an about-face. He signed with Detroit and had an excellent pro debut. Trahern has good command of three pitches: a lively 90-92 mph fastball, a curveball and a changeup. His considerable athleticism--Oklahoma planned on playing him both ways--allows him to throw more strikes than the typical teenager, and he's also poised beyond his years. The Tigers believe he could handle a jump to low Class A in his first full season.