Graham Stoneburner
| IP | 259 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.197 |
| WHIP | 1.112 |
| BB/9 | 2.293 |
| SO/9 | 7.158 |
- Full name Graham Chappell Stoneburner
- Born 09/29/1987 in Richmond, VA
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Clemson
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Drafted in the 14th round (435th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2009 (signed for $675,000).
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Stoneburner, a redshirt sophomore, has lacked consistency in his performance, though not with his velocity. He consistently hits 94 mph with his four-seamer, a sign that he's come back completely healthy from a torn ACL and back injury (fractured vertebra) from high school that caused him to miss his freshman season. At times, Stoneburner is just an arm-strength guy, with scattershot command and below-average secondary stuff. At other times, he throws strikes to all four quadrants at 94-95 mph, stays tall in his delivery well for a 6-foot, 185-pounder and keep the ball in the ballpark, as he'd allowed only two homers all spring. At times he shows some power on his slider, which still needs to add depth and tilt and doesn't project as anything more than an average pitch. His ability to pitch off his fastball was more successful in the bullpen, which was his primary role once the calendar turned to April. His changeup is a bit better than his slider, though it lacks life and is as straight as his fastball at times. Stoneburner's feel for pitching also is inconsistent, but his consistent velocity is as good as any college righthander in the Southeast, and he generally throws strikes, if not quality strikes. He had just 17 walks in 56 innings.
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Stoneburner, whose older brother Davis reached Triple-A with the Rangers as an infielder last year, pitched at Clemson with fellow Yankees farmhand D.J. Mitchell. After Stoneburner fell to the 14th round in 2009 as a draft-eligible sophomore, New York gave him a $675,000 bonus despite a spotty college track record and a long medical history that included a cracked back vertebra in high school and a torn knee ligament at Clemson. He rewarded the Yankees by leading the system with a 2.41 ERA in his first full pro season. He had more success as a reliever than as a starter in college, and despite his strong debut--when he worked exclusively as a starter--most scouts consider him a better fit in the bullpen down the line. His arm stroke gets long in the back, and while it lends him some deception, it also makes it tough for him to throw more than an average breaking ball consistently as a starter. Stoneburner's athletic ability and quick arm are both assets, and New York senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman compares the sink on his two-seamer to that of big leaguer Jake Westbrook, a former Yankees farmhand. Stoneburner's fastball sits at 90-91 mph and tops out at 94 when he starts. His velocity figures to hover around 94 if he comes out of the bullpen, and one pro scout compared Stoneburner to Yankee reliever David Robertson. He also throws a slider and a changeup that's still in development. If he shows enough aptitude with three pitches in spring training, he'll likely stay in the rotation for another year. He could begin 2011 in Double-A. -
The younger brother of Rangers minor league infielder Davis Stoneburner, Graham was a better prospect out of high school but went undrafted after a stress fracture in his back kept him off the field as a senior in 2006. He redshirted the following season at Clemson after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Stoneburner pitched with D.J. Mitchell in the Tigers rotation in 2008 but had more success working out of the bullpen last spring. His relief role, medical history and extra leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore helped drive him down in the 2009 draft, but the Yankees gave him a $675,000 bonus in the 14th round. Stoneburner has a compact, athletic build and generates electric stuff. His fastball sat in the mid-90s during the spring and again in instructional league. His slider was inconsistent at Clemson and the Yankees made it a point of emphasis after he turned pro. The slider looked nasty in instructional league, and he'll stick with it rather than developing a curve. Scouts who aren't high on Stoneburner consider him homer-prone because they think his four-seam fastball lacks life and his changeup lacks consistency. The Yankees have a hard time containing their enthusiasm, however. He'll get innings as a starter in low Class A this year but eventually will fit better as a power-armed reliever.
