Justin Haley
| IP | 25 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.76 |
| WHIP | 1.64 |
| BB/9 | 3.24 |
| SO/9 | 5.04 |
- Full name Justin Case Haley
- Born 06/16/1991 in Sacramento, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School Fresno State
- Debut 04/05/2017
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Drafted in the 6th round (211th overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2012 (signed for $125,000).
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Haley came to Fresno State via Sierra (Calif.) JC and was a pleasant surprise in the team's rotation this spring, going 7-4, 3.28 with 94 strikeouts and 39 walks over 93 innings. Haley has a workhorse build at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. He pitches in the 91-93 mph range and tops out at 95. Because of his size, his fastball has heavy downhill action. He mixes in a solid breaking ball and shows flashes of a quality changeup. Haley competes well and projects to be picked in the 5-7 round range, about 40 rounds higher than his 46th-round selection by the Indians in 2010.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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A workhorse starter at Fresno State, Haley spent five seasons in the Red Sox system and advanced to Triple-A for the first time in the second half of 2016. The Twins acquired him--with Rule 5 draft restrictions--at the 2016 Winter Meetings when they traded their pick, righthander Miguel Diaz, to the Padres for Haley and cash. Owner of possibly the coolest pre-pitch setup in the minors, Haley sets up on the third-base side of the rubber, with his other foot straddling the rubber. With the ball in his glove raised in front of his face, he looks in for the sign with his pitching hand cocked at his waist, fingers dancing back and forth like Wyatt Earp ready to draw. He gets the sign for the pitch and then locks, loads and fires. As a starter, Haley's velocity ticked up in 2016 as the season warmed up. Late in the season he was sitting 90-92 mph, but his fastball plays up because he locates it well. He also has an above-average slider as well as a useable curveball and changeup. He dominated in Double-A in 2016 and was solid in Triple-A as a starter. He also looked sharp in the Dominican League in winter ball. Because he has Triple-A experience, Haley has a strong case to make the Twins' Opening Day pitching staff if he has a good spring. -
Haley underwhelmed in his first full pro season in 2013, and he spent the early stages of 2014 piggybacking with other starters in the high Class A Salem rotation, but he performed his way into a starting role and excelled. After he walked 5.3 batters per nine innings in 2013, Haley dropped that figure nearly in half (2.7 per nine) while at Salem before six solid season-ending starts at Double-A Portland. Haley angles the ball down at the bottom of the zone with a fastball that typically sits 90-93 mph and touches 94, and he features has some deception in his delivery that allows somewhat pedestrian stuff to play up. Haley's breaking ball and changeup played as average offerings in 2014, and while his stuff is hardly eyepopping, his performance could make him a potential No. 5 starter in time.
