Kyle Crockett Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Kyle Richard Crockett
Born 12/15/1991 in Newport News, VA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Virginia
Debut 05/16/2014
Drafted in the 4th round (111th overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2013 (signed for $463,600).

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A high school teammate of Virginia Tech third baseman Chad Pinder, Crockett has served as Virginia's closer this season, racking up 10 saves in 23 appearances while going 4-0, 1.26. The stat that jumps off the page is his 51-4 strikeout-walk ratio in 43 innings--even more notable because three of those walks were intentional. He has excellent command, having walked just 25 hitters in 135 career innings, and is especially tough on lefties. He has a long, whippy arm action and sits at 90-92 mph with his fastball. His slider is at least average. He has started just three games for the Cavaliers but some teams might give him a try in a starting role. Most scouts, however, see him as a less physical Paco Rodriguez who could move quickly to the big leagues.

Top Rankings

Crockett enjoyed a sterling three-year run at Virginia, posting the second-best career ERA (1.98) in school history. He assumed the closer's role as a junior and racked up 12 saves. The Indians signed him for $463,600 as their 2013 fourth-round pick. Pegged as one of the players closest to the big leagues in the entire draft class, Crockett lived up to his billing, reaching Double-A Akron just two months after the draft. He doesn't have overwhelming velocity, working at 88-89 mph and topping out at 92, but what he has plays up because of the life and deception he gets on his fastball. He hides the ball well, and he can locate his fastball with sink wherever he wants. He goes to a late-breaking slider as his second pitch. The Indians moved him towards the first base side of the rubber after he signed, which helped him get a better angle on the slider against lefthanders. If he commands the fastball to both sides of the plate, Crockett can be more than a left-on-left reliever because he also has a changeup he can use on occasion. He might go back to Akron to start 2014 but is the clear favorite to be the first of the Indians' 2013 draft class to reach the majors.

A high school teammate of Virginia Tech third baseman Chad Pinder, Crockett has served as Virginia's closer this season, racking up 10 saves in 23 appearances while going 4-0, 1.26. The stat that jumps off the page is his 51-4 strikeout-walk ratio in 43 innings--even more notable because three of those walks were intentional. He has excellent command, having walked just 25 hitters in 135 career innings, and is especially tough on lefties. He has a long, whippy arm action and sits at 90-92 mph with his fastball. His slider is at least average. He has started just three games for the Cavaliers but some teams might give him a try in a starting role. Most scouts, however, see him as a less physical Paco Rodriguez who could move quickly to the big leagues.