Kyle Sleeth Stats & Scouting Report

IP	254
ERA	6.52
WHIP	1.63
BB/9	4.11
SO/9	6.626

Full name Kyle A. Sleeth
Born 12/20/1981 in Thornton, CO
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Wake Forest
Drafted in the 1st round (3rd overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2003 (signed for $3,350,000).

View Draft Report

The consensus is that Sleeth is better than Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 overall pick a year ago, though he won't go that high in this draft. He should be no worse than the second college pitcher drafted--Richmond's Tim Stauffer is the only one with a shot to go ahead of him--or the seventh overall choice. Sleeth's pitching has dropped off slightly since his NCAA record-tying 26-game winning streak ended, but he still has a long track record of success with Wake Forest and Team USA. Not to mention three nasty pitches, a 93-94 mph fastball with life, a low-80s slider that has improved this year and a power curveball. There's still some room for projection with his 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame. Sleeth also has a decent changeup and throws strikes. His delivery can get out of whack, and he'll sometimes throw across his body or leave the ball up in the strike zone. Consistency is all that stands between him becoming a frontline starter in the major leagues.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Sleeth is one year older and was a Tigers first-round pick one year before Justin Verlander. Yet while Verlander was Baseball America's 2006 Rookie of the Year, Sleeth was posting an 11.90 ERA in high Class A while coming back from Tommy John surgery. The No. 3 overall choice in 2003, Sleeth won an NCAA record-tying 26 straight decisions at Wake Forest and signed for $3.35 million. When he struggled in Double-A in his first pro season, the Tigers tried to modify his crossfire delivery. His stuff wasn't as crisp and he eventually blew out his elbow. In college, Sleeth had a mid-90s fastball to go with two quality breaking pitches. After the surgery that knocked him out for the entire 2005 season, he's still trying to regain that velocity, and his command and secondary pitches are even further behind. His mechanics have been adjusted further and now more closely resemble how he threw at Wake Forest. Sleeth made some progress but was still inconsistent in instructional league, and Detroit will try a different approach in 2007. He'll operate out of the bullpen on shorter pitch counts at the beginning of the year, with a return to the rotation and a promotion to Double-A possible if things go well. The Tigers have kept him on their 40-man roster but he'll have to earn that spot in 2007.
When Sleeth was drafted the Tigers hoped he would never rank this low on a prospect list, but the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 draft hasn't worked out as expected. Sleeth signed for $3.35 million after winning an NCAA-record-tying 26 consecutive decisions during his decorated career at Wake Forest. In college, he flashed a fastball that touched 96 mph, two average to above-average breaking balls and excellent athleticism and poise. Scouts who questioned Sleeth didn't like that he threw across his body, but the majority felt he was strong enough physically and athletic enough to avoid injury despite his less-than-perfect mechanics. They also believed his delivery gave his pitches movement. Sleeth's pro career got off to a solid start at high Class A in 2004, but when he struggled in Double-A later that year, the Tigers decided to smooth out his crossfire finish. Sleeth had trouble adjusting to his new delivery, and last year came down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in June. If his rehab goes well, he'll start throwing on the side in spring training. His 2006 season will be about getting healthy. Detroit won't know how his elbow and stuff will bounce back until 2007.
The winner of an NCAA-record-tying 26 straight decisions at Wake Forest and the second overall pick in the 2003 draft, Sleeth ranked as the organization's top prospect before throwing his first pro pitch. He didn't sign until August 2003, when he received a $3.35 million bonus. He was very inconsistent after a promotion to Double-A, with seven quality starts but he had a 9.50 ERA in his other six outings. Sleeth has the makings of an electric arsenal with above-average major league pitches. He runs his fastball between 92-94 mph and tops out at 96. His sharp, mid-80s slider is an out pitch, and his curveball has put-away potential. Sleeth needs to improve his changeup to complement his power pitches. He's still working on smoothing out his mechanics so he can consistently repeat them. He throws slightly across his body and elevates too many fastballs, one of the factors affecting his command. Despite his problems in Double-A, scouts still project Sleeth to have a high ceiling and become at least a No. 3 starter. He'll try to rebound when he returns to Erie to begin 2005.
An 18th-round pick out of a Colorado high school in 2000, Sleeth opted to attend Wake Forest instead. He went 31-6 in three seasons, tying an NCAA record by winning 26 consecutive decisions. Sleeth entered 2003 as the top amateur pitching prospect and exited the draft as the first pitcher selected and third overall pick. Scouts considered him better than Bryan Bullington, who went No. 1 overall to the Pirates the year before. Sleeth didn't sign until August, receiving a $3.35 million bonus. By that time, the Tigers decided that he shouldn't make his pro debut until 2004. They didn't want him to work many innings last summer in any case, after watching 2001 first-rounder Kenny Baugh develop shoulder problems shortly after signing. Like Baugh, Sleeth pitched a lot of innings in college. After signing, he worked out with the major league club and then with Triple-A Toledo. Sleeth did pitch during instructional league and was impressive. Sleeth has far and away the highest ceiling among Tigers farmhands. He had one of the best fastballs available in the 2003 draft, both in terms of velocity and life. He usually pitches between 92-94 mph and touches 96. His fastball seems even firmer, however, because of its movement. It bores down and in on righthanders. It's a heavy ball. Sleeth throws both a power curveball and a low-80s slider. The curveball is the better breaking pitch, as he throws it in the high 70s and it features a lot of depth and bite. His slider improved last spring, though some scouts say it's a bit slurvy. His changeup has the potential to be an average major league pitch. Sleeth has a strong, projectable frame and was durable at Wake Forest. He's quiet and confident. When the Demon Deacons struggled behind him last spring, he remained poised. Though not demonstrative, Sleeth exudes competitiveness. To move quickly through the minors and to be effective in the majors, Sleeth will have to be more consistent with each of his pitches. His ability to repeat pitches is still questionable. He sometimes loses his delivery, causing him to throw across his body or leave pitches up in the strike zone. Sleeth also has to decide whether he wants to use three or four pitches. His slider is too similar to his curveball. If Sleeth had signed shortly after the draft and pitched last summer, he likely would start 2004 at Double-A Erie and be in line to reach Detroit by September. Now the Tigers won't push him quite that hard, so he'll probably make his pro debut at high Class A Lakeland. If he enjoys immediate success, the club won't hesitate to promote him to Double-A, and he still could make it to the majors this year. He has that type of ability and makeup, and Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski won't hesitate to bring deserving prospects to the majors.

Minor League Top Prospects

Lakeland's rotation featured three hard-throwing righthanders, and Joel Zumaya and Humberto Sanchez actually can light radar guns up more than Sleeth can. But his command and secondary pitches are more advanced, so he earned the final spot on the Top 20. Sleeth throws in the low 90s with good life on his fastball. When he's on he hits his spots and overmatches hitters with the movement on his heater. But at times he has trouble keeping his fastball down, a recurring problem once he reached Double-A -- where he got hammered for a 6.30 ERA. Sleeth has a power curveball and a hard slider, though they are similar enough that they're sometimes difficult to differentiate. His changeup is less developed, but shows signs of becoming an average pitch. He needs to improve the consistency of all of his secondary pitches, especially his changeup because everything else he throws is hard.