Dan Haren Stats & Scouting Report

IP	2419
ERA	3.754
WHIP	1.181
BB/9	1.86
SO/9	7.489

Full name Daniel John Haren
Born 09/17/1980 in Monterey Park, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Pepperdine
Debut 06/30/2003
Drafted in the 2nd round (72nd overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001 (signed for $530,000).

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The righthanded half of Pepperdine's dynamic 1-2 punch, Haren was dominant at times with a fastball that touched 96 mph but more frequently was 90-93. He has a good approach with three pitches--fastball, curve and a dominating splitter--that he routinely threw for strikes. He projects as a No. 3 starter in the big leagues and is viewed by area scouts as a poor man's Mark Prior or Josh Karp. He's a horse at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and played a dual role for Pepperdine as the team's DH.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Haren came out of Pepperdine in 2001 with teammate Noah Lowry, a lefthander who was drafted ahead of him but endured a season of shoulder problems in 2002. Haren, meanwhile, led the minor leagues in innings and jumped up the Cardinals' prospect list. He was West Coast Conference player of the year his junior season at Pepperdine, where he also was a DH. Haren showed flashes in his first professional summer but wore down, losing 15-20 pounds in the process. There was no such problem last season. Haren was a workhorse and finished the year with 22 quality starts in 28 games. He opened as the ace of the staff at Peoria, which featured many of the organization's most promising prospects and won the Midwest League title. But he quickly earned a promotion to high Class A Potomac, where he held his own for a mediocre team. Haren's biggest strength is that he has no glaring weakness. At 6-foot-4 he has the frame of a workhorse and clean mechanics. He has three solid pitches and can command them all, and his big body allows him to generate a good downward plane on his pitches. His fastball is 88-92 mph, with a lot of 90s and 91s, and he can occasionally touch the mid-90s. He got better tilt on his slider last season and used his changeup more. He also throws a splitter that was one of his better pitches in college, though the Cardinals asked him to keep it in his back pocket for now. If he brings it back, it would be another effective weapon. Haren works quickly and pitches inside, going after hitters with a good understanding of how to attack their weaknesses. He also has a little bit of funk in his delivery, which creates deception. Haren tired at the end of the season, understandable under a 194-inning workload. The organization says its goal is to protect arms while getting pitchers to the big leagues, and that Haren's frame and mechanics allowed him to pile up more innings than another pitcher might. Given the organization's injury history, though, that bears watching. Otherwise, he just needs experience against more advanced hitters. He still projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter, but now it looks like Haren will reach the big leagues more quickly than expected. He'll open the season in Double-A and could move up if he pitches well there.
Haren teamed with lefthander Noah Lowry, a first-round pick of the Giants, to give Pepperdine one of the best pitching tandems in college baseball in 2001. Haren also DHed for the Waves, hitting .308-5-47 in 224 at-bats, and was named West Coast Conference player of the year. Haren has a big body and a quick arm, and he could get bigger, giving him the potential to be a special pitcher. He threw at 89-93 mph after signing but touched 96 at Pepperdine. He has a good feel for a changeup and maintains consistent arm speed with it, and he works inside effectively with outstanding command. The long college and pro season wore Haren down, and he was at 195 pounds by the end of the summer with New Jersey, meaning he lost about 15-20 pounds. The Cardinals want to see him hold his weight so he can stay strong and durable for a full pro season. His curveball and splitter still need work. Though Haren was tired, the Cardinals still loved what they saw and are excited about his potential. He'll move into a Class A league in 2002 and should become a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

Minor League Top Prospects

Haren spent less time in the league than the other candidates in the Top 10, lasting just eight starts and winning six of them. He was clearly dominant en route to joining the Cardinals rotation at the end of June. He turned in quality starts in four of his first six big league tries before tiring in August. The 2001 West Coast Conference player of the year as a pitcher/DH at Pepperdine, Haren lived up to his billing as the organization's top prospect by using his downhill 89-92 mph fastball and power slider to overpower SL hitters. Haren also used a splitter and changeup, and he commanded all four offerings. "When hitters are coming back to the dugout mumbling to themselves, you can tell they're overmatched," Jacksonville manager Dino Ebel said. "That's how he made our guys talk. You heard the word 'nasty.' He had good movement on his fastball down and he threw it for strikes."
The Cardinals have traded several prospects to bolster their big league club in recent years, fueling postseason runs and leaving their system bare. The lone exception in 2002 was their Peoria affiliate, which posted the MWL's best regular-season record and won the league championship. Four of the last five spots on the Top 20 are occupied by Chiefs, and catcher Yadier Molina and shortstop John Nelson also received consideration. Peoria's best prospect may have been lefthander Chris Narveson, who ranked No. 5 on this list a year ago but missed much of this season recuperating from Tommy John surgery. He didn't pitch enough innings to qualify for the Top 20. The Cardinals aren't shy about working their pitchers hard, and Haren proved his durability by leading the minors with 194 innings between the MWL and the high Class A Carolina League. More than just a workhorse, Haren owns three potential plus pitches in his 92-93 mph fastball, his curveball and his changeup. He'll also mix in a slider and splitter. He has good command and has quickly adapted to pitching inside against wood bats. Haren projects as a solid No. 3 or 4 starter.
Scouts love Haren's endurance as much as his velocity and command. He began the year in the low Class A Midwest League finished it in the CL, working 194 innings over 28 starts. That's an imposing workload for someone in his first full pro season, but Haren handled it without a problem. Haren throws a low-90s fastball with sinking life to both sides of the plate. His slider is relatively new but has become his primary out pitch. His changeup needs some work, and he doesn't beat himself with walks. "He's got a big league arm," Potomac manager Joe Cunningham said. "He goes right after hitters. He has no fear whatsoever. When he has command of all his pitches he has a chance to dominate."