Stephen Fife
| IP | 91 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.659 |
| WHIP | 1.473 |
| BB/9 | 3.264 |
| SO/9 | 6.923 |
- Full name Stephen J. Fife
- Born 10/04/1986 in Boise, ID
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Utah
- Debut 07/17/2012
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Drafted in the 3rd round (85th overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2008 (signed for $464,000).
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An Idaho native, Fife played in the Little League World Series in 1999, and two of his teammates have joined him this season as roommates and starters at Utah. Fife was just 160 pounds as a prep senior when the Utes first spotted him and he went to Everett (Wash.) CC for a year, pitching against wood bats. He put on 20 pounds that year and now checks in at a physical 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. He pitched middle relief for much of 2007 before earning a rotation spot late in the year, and entered this season as a possible eighth- to 12th-round pick. He's just learning to pitch with power stuff and started to emerge as a popup prospect in April, when he was on the losing end of a 1-0 duel with San Diego State man-child Stephen Strasburg. While Strasburg struck out 23 in that game, Fife pitched well enough to win and has been at his best since, one-hitting Utah and ramping up his velocity. His fastball sits in the 89-92 mph range and has touched 95, and he's shown the ability to maintain velocity deep into games, with several 93s in the eighth inning of a recent start. Fife throws two breaking balls, a true curveball he can bury or throw for strikes and a decent, early-count slider. His changeup also shows good sink, though he could refine his location and arm speed with the pitch. A late bloomer, Fife just has started to dominate, with 44 strikeouts in 41 innings since the Strasburg matchup. He started getting crosschecked in late April in a game with New Mexico and senior lefty Bobby LaFramboise, and other teams were scrambling to have him scouted heavily enough to pick him in the first three rounds. He had as much helium as any player in the West.
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A member of a Boise team that played in the 1999 Little League World Series, Fife didn't start pitching regularly until he was a high school senior. He went undrafted out of high school and Everett (Wash.) CC, and didn't really get noticed until he dueled Stephen Strasburg in April 2008, losing 1-0 as Strasburg struck out 23. Fife pitched his way into the third round of the 2008 draft and had a solid first full season, though he spent the first two months building up his shoulder strength after tests detected weakness during spring training. He fills the strike zone with three pitches, starting with an 88-92 mph fastball that tops out at 94 mph and features plenty of sink. His changeup surpassed his curveball last season, showing splitter action at times. His curveball wasn't the hammer it was in 2008, but it's at least an average pitch. Fife does a nice job of using his strong frame to power balls down in the zone. He has the stuff, command and frame to get the job done as a No. 3 starter. He'll advance to Double-A at some point this season. -
Though he played on a Boise team that advanced to the 1999 Little League World Series, Fife didn't start pitching regularly until he turned 17. His mound career was slow to build momentum, as he wasn't drafted out of high school or Everett (Wash.) CC, and he couldn't crack the weekend rotation in his first year at Utah. He blossomed rapidly last spring, went in the third round of the draft and signed for $464,000. Fife was worn down after pitching 92 innings for the Utes, so the Red Sox kept him in relief in his pro debut. Because he has a strong build and easily generates groundballs, keeping his pitch counts down, he should develop into a workhorse. Fife's main pitches are an 89-93 mph fastball that touches 95 and keeps its velocity late in games, and a curveball that he can throw for strikes or get hitters to chase out of the zone. He also has a slider he'll use as a get-me-over pitch early in counts, and a changeup with sink. Those latter two pitches still need work, as his slider is slurvy and he features spotty arm speed and command with the changeup. As a college pitcher who features solid stuff down in the strike zone, Fife could move fast. It's not out of the question that he'll reach high Class A in 2009.
