Aaron Crow Stats & Scouting Report

IP	233
ERA	3.438
WHIP	1.326
BB/9	3.824
SO/9	8.034

Full name Aaron James Crow
Born 11/10/1986 in Topeka, KS
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Missouri
Debut 03/31/2011
Drafted in the 1st round (12th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2009 (signed for $1,500,000).

View Draft Report

Crow, then at Missouri, was the top righthander in last year's draft, and the Nationals were thrilled to get him with the ninth overall pick. But they never found any common ground in negotiations with his agents, Alan and Randy Hendricks, and the signing deadline passed with Crow seeking $4 million and turning down $3.5 million. Now he hopes to follow in the footsteps of former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer, who parlayed a stay in Fort Worth into a $4.3 million big league contract with the Diamondbacks. Crow had the best fastball package in the 2008 draft, with velocity (92-96 mph), hard sink, command and the ability to maintain it into the late innings. He showed the same heater in his first two exhibition and three regular-season starts with the Cats, and flashed the plus slider that overmatched college hitters. He's still regaining the sharp command he had in 2008, when he threw 43 consecutive scoreless innings at Missouri. Crow used his downtime to get stronger and to work on his changeup. There's some effort to his delivery, and some teams wonder if his mechanics and size (generously listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds) will make him more of a closer than a frontline starter. In either case, he should go in the first 10 picks again and shouldn't require much time in the minors. He's believed to be seeking at least $4 million, yet is in the mix for the Padres at No. 3 and the Pirates at No. 4.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The top college righthander in the 2008 draft, Crow turned down a $3.5 million bonus offer from the Nationals as the No. 9 overall pick. He took a detour to the independent Fort Worth Cats (American Association) before the Royals drafted him 12th overall in 2009 and signed him that September to a $3 million big league contract. He struggled throughout 2010, earning a demotion to high Class A in August. Crow's problems were largely mechanical, as he sped up the start of his delivery and opened up too quickly. As a result, hitters saw the ball early, his fastball flattened out and his command slipped. He also has a wrist wrap that Kansas City is willing to live with. There's nothing wrong with his stuff. His fastball often sits at 95-96 mph and touched 98, but he may be better sitting at 92-94 with natural sink. Crow's 84-87 mph slider is still a plus pitch with good bite, but his command issues gave him few chances to use it. His upper-80s changeup is too hard, so he began throwing a low-80s knuckle-curve as an offspeed pitch late in the season. Crow will return to Double-A after flunking his first trial there in 2010. If he can't figure out his delivery and command, he has the stuff to be a late-inning reliever.
Undrafted out of high school, Crow blossomed into the top college righthander in the 2008 draft and went ninth overall to the Nationals. When the two sides couldn't bridge a $500,000 gap ($3.5 million vs. $4 million), he signed with the independent Fort Worth Cats. The Royals, who considered him with the No. 3 pick in 2008, jumped at a second chance to take the Kansas native. After going 12th overall, he signed Sept. 17 for a $3 million big league contract that included a $1.5 million bonus. Crow made four starts in the Arizona Fall League, and his stuff wasn't far off what the Royals saw back in 2008. His fastball sits between 91-94 mph with plus movement, and he has touched 96 in the past. He commands his fastball well and pairs it with a tight slider that's a strikeout pitch. Crow has a wrist wrap in his delivery and sometimes collapses his back side, but those flaws don't cause many problems because he throws downhill and maintains proper alignment to the plate. He repeats his delivery well and shows good arm speed, but some scouts worry about the effort in his delivery. His changeup lags behind his other pitches, but he trusts it enough to throw it in key situations. Crow likely will make his pro debut in Double-A and could reach Kansas City by the end of the season. If he refines his changeup, he could be a worthy No. 2 starter behind Zack Greinke. His fallback position would be as a closer with two plus pitches.

Minor League Top Prospects

A two-time first-round pick, Crow turned down the Nationals as the No. 9 overall pick in 2008 before signing with Kansas City as the 12th choice last year. Crow's 18 months away from the mound, save for short stints in the independent American Association and the Arizona Fall League, showed when he made his pro debut in Double-A. He eventually got sent down to high Class A, where he still got hit hard but showed improved command. The good news is that Crow still has first-round stuff. He has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 with hard sink. His slider also can be a plus pitch, though his changeup doesn't show enough separation from his other pitches. Crow still hasn't figured out how to get the most out of his stuff yet. He doesn't miss as many bats as he should, and he runs up high pitch counts as he learns how to locate his fastball and attack hitters. The Royals made some minor mechanical tweaks in hopes of sharpening his command, but if that doesn't work, he may wind up in the bullpen.