Travis Chick

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #10 prospect in 2006
  Four years into his pro career, Chick has played for three organizations. A little-known Marlins prospect when he was traded for Ismael Valdez in 2004, he quickly blossomed for the Padres and was one of the surprises of spring training in 2005. After he stalled in Double-A, San Diego sent him and Justin Germano to Cincinnati for Joe Randa last July. Though Chick's velocity was down in 2005, he still had a 91-92 mph fastball that touched 94. His hard slider has good bite and is an average pitch with above-average potential. Chick has a solid pitcher's frame. After dominating low Class A in 2004, Chick couldn't handle jumping to Double-A. He was a victim of big innings all season, unable to get out of jams. His slider was inconsistent, while his changeup remained below-average. He's more of a thrower than a pitcher. Chick has to hone his slider and maintain his mechanics to get back on track. He'll probably repeat Double-A in 2006. Unless his changeup develops, he projects as a power middle reliever.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #4 prospect in 2005
  The Padres got away with larceny when they acquired Chick from the Marlins for veteran Ismael Valdez in July. After starting the year in the bullpen, Chick found a groove after moving into the rotation at low Class A Greensboro and built upon that success after switching organizations. Chick's size, aggressiveness, velocity and ability to throw strikes remind some scouts of a young Curt Schilling. He consistently gets ahead in the count with a fastball that sits in the low 90s and touches 94-95. He has a hard slider and an advanced changeup for his age. Chick can depend on his fastball too much, and his changeup will improve more quickly if he uses it more often. He overthrows his slider, causing it to lose its horizontal break. He also works too high in the strike zone at times. Chick continued to impress in the offseason, as San Diego named him the MVP of its instructional league program. He'll likely begin the year in high Class A and could reach Double-A Mobile by midseason.