Scott Chiasson Stats & Scouting Report

IP	11
ERA	11.455
WHIP	2.182
BB/9	6.545
SO/9	7.364

Full name Scott Christopher Chiasson
Born 08/14/1977 in Norwich, CT
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Eastern Connecticut State
Debut 09/19/2001
Drafted in the 5th round (137th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 1998.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Athletics traded Jay Witasick for Chiasson in 1999. The Cubs plucked him with the No. 1 pick in the major league Rule 5 draft at the 2000 Winter Meetings, then dealt third baseman Eric Hinske to Oakland last spring to keep Chiasson. Southern League managers named Chiasson the best relief prospect in the league. West Tenn pitching coach Alan Dunn made adjustments to Chiasson's mechanics. Combined with a move from starting to relieving, his fastball went from 90-94 mph to 95-97. Chiasson uses a hard slider and has added a splitter. He pitches on a good downhill plane. Chiasson's slider is an effective pitch, but sometimes it flattens out when he drops his arm angle. He hasn't developed much of a changeup, though that isn't as crucial now that he's in the bullpen. Pitching well in six September appearances did Chiasson a lot of good in his bid to open 2002 with the Cubs. He'll compete for a middlerelief role in spring training.
The Cubs had the first pick in the major league Rule 5 draft at the 2000 Winter Meetings and used it to pluck Chiasson from the Athletics system. He's with his third organization in three years. Chiasson really took off in the final three months of 2000, going 9-2, 2.16 in the final three months and throwing a combined no-hitter in the high Class A California League playoffs. The key was that he slowed down a maximum-effort delivery, giving him more command of his low-90s fastball and hard slider. His changeup is still in development. Chicago has to keep Chiasson in the majors all season or offer him back to the A's for half of his $50,000 draft price, so he'll be given a shot to stick in the bullpen. Considering what a disaster the Cubs' relief corps was last year, he has a good chance of claiming a job.

Minor League Top Prospects

The Cubs struck gold with Chiasson in the major league Rule 5 draft last December. Primarily a starter in the Athletics organization, he dominated in his first extended stint as a closer, placing third in the league in saves. He relished his role and improved as the season progressed. Chiasson gained velocity, increasing his fastball to the 93-96 mph range with good life. Though his slider tended to be a little flat at times, he compensated by adding a splitter. "He's a power guy with good movement on most of his pitches," Romero said. "He's a big guy with a good downhill plane. I like his fastball, but he also has a pretty decent slider as well."