A.J. Griffin Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Arthur Joseph Griffin
Born 01/28/1988 in El Cajon, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School San Diego
Debut 06/24/2012
Drafted in the 13th round (395th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2010.

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San Diego's Sunday starter, senior Griffin is a mature righthander with a fastball that ranges from the high 80s to low 90s. He has a tendency to elevate the pitch and giving up home runs but has had an excellent career, going 14-6 the last two seasons after racking up 25 saves his first two years. He also has a good changeup and throws two breaking balls.

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Griffin was a closer for his first two seasons at San Diego, amassing 28 saves, before moving into the rotation as a junior in 2009. The A's returned Griffin to the bullpen in his 2010 pro debut to limit his innings. He got back to starting in his first full pro season and saw action at all four full-season levels, tying for the most strikeouts (156) in the system and striking out eight over six innings in a spot start for Sacramento on June 12. Griffin isn't overpowering, pitching at 89-92 mph with his fastball, but he makes up for it with feel and quality secondary stuff. He has outstanding fastball command, knows when he should add and subtract velocity and has strong pitching acumen. His above-average changeup rates as his best pitch, featuring sinking action and quality arm speed, and he'll throw it in any count. He can also spin a solid downer curveball. Griffin repeats his high three-quarters delivery well. He has a real competitive streak, sometimes to a fault, as Oakland would like him to control his emotions on the mound better. Coming off his whirlwind 2011 season, Griffin is expected to open 2012 in Double-A, where he'll try to continue on his track to be a mid-rotation starter.