Mark McLemore

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #24 prospect in 2008
  McLemore's stuff has come back since he missed a year following labrum surgery in mid-2005, and last year he posted his first winning record since he was a high school senior in 1999. All three of his victories came in the majors, where he had decent success as a middle reliever. He works with an 89-92 mph fastball with natural sink and backs it up with a tight, late-breaking slider and a changeup. He never has done a good job of maintaining his release point. He'll fly open early in his delivery and lose command, leading to too many deep counts, walks and pitches up in the zone. McLemore may start incorporating a true two-seamer so he can keep the ball down in the zone more often. His mental toughness has been in question throughout his college and pro careers, but he proved something by competing well with Houston. He's not going to be the three-pitch starter the Astros once hoped he could become. He'll head to Houston as a lefty reliever this year unless he bombs in spring training.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #27 prospect in 2006
  McLemore never has had a winning record in three seasons at Oregon State or in four seasons as a pro. He was starting to come into his own and ranked second in the Texas League in ERA last June when he had to be shut down with shoulder problems. He had surgery to repair his labrum in late July, and the Astros kept him on their 40-man roster rather than risk exposing him to the major league Rule 5 draft. Before he got hurt, McLemore was throwing three solid pitches as a starter. He had an 88-92 mph fastball with good sink, a tight slider with late tilt and a deceptive changeup. When his shoulder started bothering him, he got away from throwing his secondary pitches. McLemore's health and command will determine how far he goes. He has trouble maintaining a consistent release point, leading to deep counts and too many pitches up in the zone. Regaining his confidence, which took years to build, is another key. Houston expects him to be ready to go for spring training and likely will start him back in Double-A.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #25 prospect in 2005
  McLemore's arm always has been light years ahead of his confidence. He never had a winning record at Oregon State, where he went 3-9 in three seasons, and he dropped 17 of his 20 decisions in his first two years of pro ball. McLemore started to believe in himself when he opened 2004 with 12 consecutive scoreless outings out of the bullpen, and he finished the year by posting a 3.63 ERA in 14 starts after moving to the rotation. If he can believe in his stuff as the Astros do, he can reach the big leagues. He has good velocity for a lefty, as his fastball ranges from 88-93 mph. His breaking ball is deceptive and inconsistent. When it has true curveball break, it can be unhittable. Even when it's slurvy and has more sideways movement, he still keeps it down in the zone. He has good feel if not total command of his changeup, and took to throwing it more often as a starter. McLemore came down with shoulder tendinitis late last season--his 93 innings were a career high--but he's fine now. He just needs to avoid giving in to hitters. When he's reluctant to challenge them, he falls behind in the count, then too often lays a straight fastball over the heart of the plate. When he's aggressive and maintains his arm slot, he can flash a plus fastball and curve and an average change. The Astros hope he can build on his 2004 success this year in Double-A.

• December, 2007 Scouting Report
  McLemore's stuff has come back since he missed a year following labrum surgery in mid-2005, and last year he posted his first winning record since he was a high school senior in 1999. All three of his victories came in the majors, where he had decent success as a middle reliever. He works with an 89-92 mph fastball with natural sink and backs it up with a tight, late-breaking slider and a changeup. He never has done a good job of maintaining his release point. He'll fly open early in his delivery and lose command, leading to too many deep counts, walks and pitches up in the zone. McLemore may start incorporating a true two-seamer so he can keep the ball down in the zone more often. His mental toughness has been in question throughout his college and pro careers, but he proved something by competing well with Houston. He's not going to be the three-pitch starter the Astros once hoped he could become. He'll head to Houston as a lefty reliever this year unless he bombs in spring training.