Robert Whitenack
| IP | 348 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.603 |
| WHIP | 1.399 |
| BB/9 | 3.362 |
| SO/9 | 5.741 |
- Full name Robert John Whitenack
- Born 11/20/1988 in Queens, NY
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School SUNY Old Westbury
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Drafted in the 8th round (260th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2009 (signed for $125,000).
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Old Westbury righthander Robert Whitenack had a solid spring, going 5-2, 2.81 with 79 strikeouts and 25 walks in 67 innings. Whitenack has been heavily scouted and could be drafted anywhere from the fifth to the 10th round. His best pitch is an 80 mph knuckle--curveball with tumbling 12-to-6 action that some scouts rate as plus and others rate as plus-plus. Whitenack had scouts buzzing by running his fastball up to 92 mph early in the season in Florida, but he's pitched mostly in the 87-89 range down the stretch. Some scouts have seen Whitenack flash an average slider and an average change as well. He has a loose arm and a skinny 6-foot-5, 185-pound build that leaves room for projection, though some scouts aren't enamored of his narrow frame. The son of a retired New York City police officer, Whitenack shows tenacity on the mound.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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The only player ever drafted out of SUNY Old Westbury, Whitenack was making a case for being the system's top pitching prospect during a breakout 2011 seasonóuntil he blew out his elbow in June. Instead of getting consideration for a late-season callup, he had Tommy John surgery instead. Before he got hurt, Whitenack's fastball had jumped from the high-80s to 89-96 mph while keeping its hard sink. He scrapped a knuckle-curve for a more effective slider in the low-80s and had some success with his changeup. Whitenack's stuff didn't come all the way back in 2012, as his fastball resided around 90 mph and his slider lacked bite. The Cubs weren't concerned about his radar-gun readings or statistics. They just wanted to build his arm back up so he'd be at full strength in 2013, and they added him to the 40-man roster in November. If he can recover his 2011 form, he could develop into a No. 3 starter. -
Few Cubs pitchers enjoyed sustained success in 2011, with Whitenack a rare exception-- until he blew out his elbow in late May. The only player ever drafted out of SUNY Old Westbury, he signed for $125,000 as an eighth-rounder in 2009. He finished strong at Daytona in 2010 and needed just four starts there last April to earn a promotion to Double-A. Whitenack added 15 pounds in between the two seasons and his stuff got stronger as well. His fastball jumped from the high 80s to 89-94 mph with a high of 96 while maintaining hard sink. He traded his knuckle-curve for a low-80s slider and kept his effective changeup. With his big frame and long arms, Whitenack throws on a steep downhill plane, consistently finding the strike zone and inducing groundouts. At the rate he was going, he might have pitched his way to Chicago by the end of 2011. Instead, he had Tommy John surgery in June and won't return to the mound until the second half of 2012. The Cubs anxiously await his return because Whitenack looked like a possible No. 3 starter before he went down.
