Preston Larrison Stats & Scouting Report

IP	786
ERA	3.847
WHIP	1.421
BB/9	3.561
SO/9	5.187

Full name Preston Wade Larrison
Born 11/19/1980 in Dupage, IL
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 255 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Evansville
Drafted in the 2nd round (55th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2001 (signed for $685,000).

View Draft Report

A 20th-round pick out of high school, Larrison catapulted into first-round consideration last summer on the strength of his Cape Cod League performance. He has been inconsistent this season, but there's no denying his 90-97 mph fastball and plus changeup. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he has the frame and live arm that scouts crave. There have been questions about his inability to develop an effective breaking ball. Though he has tremendous arm strength, his fastball can be straight and is delivered on the same plane as his changeup, making him easier to hit. Larrison has yet to master the art of location, but he has drawn favorable comparisons to former Evansville star Andy Benes, the No. 1 overall pick in 1988.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Once a promising starter, Larrison never reached his middle-of-the-rotation ceiling because of lack of command and Tommy John surgery in 2004. Moved to the bullpen in 2006, he has taken to the role. Larrison became a minor league free agent after the season but elected to re-sign with Detroit. He has very good life on his sinking fastball, which sits in the low 90s and touches 94 mph. He allowed just two home runs last season and had an excellent 3.0 groundout/airout ratio, thanks to the movement of his heater. He relies on the power sinker to the exclusion of his other pitches, but he's effective when he changes speeds. Larrison could re-emerge as a prospect, but only if he improves his command and refines his mechanics. He's still walking and hitting too many batters. He also uncorked a Toledo-high 12 wild pitches last year. His release point is very inconsistent, especially with his slider, which he rarely throws. Larrison ended the year on the disabled list with a sore shoulder but should be ready for spring training.
Larrison pitched well in his first two pro seasons, ranking right behind Jeremy Bonderman as the top prospect in the system. His progression has been mostly disappointing ever since. He has gone 19-32 in the last four seasons, had Tommy John surgery in August 2004 and dropped his last eight decisions and spent time on the disabled list with forearm stiffness in 2006. He did excel after two late-season callups to pitch relief in Triple-A, which may be his calling. As a starter, Larrison never came up with an effective breaking ball, allowing hitters to sit on his sinker and changeup. Both are quality pitches, but they arrive on the same plane and he gets in trouble when his sinker flattens out. Working out of the bullpen, he threw in the mid-90s after showing more average velocity as a starter. Whatever his role, Larrison needs to do a better job of repeating his delivery so he can throw more strikes as well as more quality strikes. In turn, that would help him miss more bats. He hasn't fared well under pressure in the past, failing to live up to first-round draft expectations in college and pressing when he got close to making the Tigers. Detroit thinks highly enough of Larrison that they kept him on the 40-man roster throughout the 2006 season and sent him to the Arizona Fall League afterward. He most likely will open the year back in the Triple-A bullpen, and he has to distinguish himself in an organization that has rafts of righthanded pitching.
Larrison picked up the victory at the 2003 Futures Game, but he arrived at the minor league all-star contest with a 5.32 ERA and in the midst of a three-month winless drought. It was a rare highlight for Larrison, who plummeted from his No. 2 ranking on this list a year ago. Going back to his college days, he has struggled to maintain success from season to season. Projected as a first-round pick entering his junior season in 2001, he didn't perform well under the pressure of his draft. He pitched well in high Class A in 2002 before laboring last year in Double-A. It's not a matter of stuff. Larrison has good command of a heavy 92 mph sinker and a plus changeup. But he can't put away hitters because he doesn't have an effective breaking ball. His fastball and changeup arrive on the same plane, another reason he's easy to hit. He was out of shape and needs to concentrate on physical conditioning. After nearly making Detroit's staff out of spring training in 2003, he pressed too much and tried to be too fine with his pitches, falling behind in the count too often. Though he was added to the 40-man roster in November, he'll have to pitch well this spring to avoid returning to Double-A.
Projected as a first-round pick in 2001, Larrison had a disappointing junior year at Evansville and scouts questioned his competitive nature. The Tigers were delighted to get him in the second round. After a shoulder ailment early in 2002, he overmatched Class A Florida State League hitters in the second half. He went 7-3, 1.25 in his final 12 starts. Larrison has an outstanding changeup and sets it up with a heavy, 91-93 mph sinker. Not only is his changeup deceptive and lively, but he's also able to throw it for strikes anytime during the count. At this stage, Larrison's breaking ball doesn't match the quality of his fastball and changeup. His shoulder woes cost him a month early in the season and raised durability concerns. He dominated the Cape Cod League in 2000 but couldn't back it up the following spring, so he must prove he can carry his success from 2002 to 2003. Larrison will join Jeremy Bonderman in the Double-A Erie rotation to begin 2003. If he fares well, Larrison will move up to Triple-A Toledo and could see Comerica Park by the end of the year.
The Tigers felt fortunate to get Larrison in the second round of last June's draft with the 55th overall selection. Coming off an impressive summer in the Cape Cod League, Larrison seemed like a certain first-round pick entering his junior year at Evansville. When he didn't dominate during the spring, his stock fell to a degree. After signing, Larrison pitched well at short-season Oneonta and displayed a live arm. His fastball usually works in the 92-94 mph range and has good sinking action, plus he throws it for strikes. The makings are there for Larrison to have a good breaking ball and changeup as well. Some scouts questioned his demeanor before the draft, feeling he's too passive on the mound. Detroit hasn't found that to be a problem, instead praising his work ethic and intensity. He'll probably open 2002 in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Four of Detroit's first six picks from the 2001 draft sustained serious injuries by the first month of the season. Third baseman Ryan Raburn (fifth round) broke his collarbone in an offseason accident, righthander Kenny Baugh (first) never got going before needing shoulder surgery and second baseman Michael Woods injured his knee in his first FSL game. Larrison (second) made just two starts for Lakeland before a hernia sidelined him for a month. He went out for two weeks in June with an elbow strain, but finished with a 6-2, 0.56 record in his last eight starts to provide a silver lining for the Tigers. Managers liked Larrison's aggressive demeanor. He came right at hitters with a 91-94 mph fastball with boring and sinking life. His curveball showed plus potential as a 78 mph downward biter.