Scott Kazmir Stats & Scouting Report

IP	1701
ERA	4.021
WHIP	1.351
BB/9	3.635
SO/9	8.561

Full name Scott Edward Kazmir
Born 01/24/1984 in Houston, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Cypress Falls
Debut 08/23/2004
Drafted in the 1st round (15th overall) by the New York Mets in 2002 (signed for $2,150,000).

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If Kazmir were a few inches taller than his listed 6 feet, he would be the favorite for the No. 1 overall pick. He's still in the mix for the Pirates and could go as high as No. 2 to the Devil Rays. Even if he's not big, his stuff is, as his lightning-quick arm reminds scouts of Ron Guidry. His lively fastball, which reaches 96 mph, and slider are both well above-average pitches, and his hard curveball gives him a third plus offering. His huge hands and long fingers help him throw his quality breaking stuff. Kazmir also shows a feel for a changeup, and he has easy command of all of his pitches. The lone question is whether he'll have the durability to take the ball every five days instead of every seven as a pro. With his ability and the way he dominated every time out this spring, it will be hard for teams at the top of the draft to pass on Kazmir.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Devil Rays were able to swipe Kazmir from the Mets at the trade deadline last year. He struggled early in 2004 with his mechanics and an abdominal strain. Once healthy, he breezed through the minors. Kazmir has an overpowering 93-97 mph fastball that he complements with a nasty slider with outstanding bite, giving him better pure stuff than any young lefty in the game. His changeup has good fade and depth, showing the makings of becoming a third plus pitch. A good athlete with a clean delivery, he has a steady mound demeanor. After dealing Kazmir, Mets officials anonymously questioned whether his size would allow him to remain healthy and in the rotation, and they also knocked his makeup. Kazmir still needs to refine his command and his changeup. He will compete for a job in Tampa Bay's rotation and could develop into either a No. 1 starter or the next Billy Wagner.
The Mets have been careful with their prized arm, as Kazmir has yet to throw more than seven innings in any game and the Mets held him to a 75-pitch limit for much of the 2003 season. He finished it in style, winning the clinching game in the high Class A Florida State League playoffs. Kazmir's 94-96 mph fastball ranks as one of the best in baseball and he throws it with a relatively easy motion. His 81-84 mph slider is also a well-above-average pitch, and it has good tilt and a sharp break. It projects to get nastier in the future, because he should throw harder as he fills out. His fastball/slider combination can be unhittable, as Kazmir proved by easily leading minor league starters with 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Kazmir also shows a major league changeup at times. Kazmir wasn't economical with his pitches to start the season, wasting pitches looking for a strikeout. Some scouts wonder if Kazmir's build will lend itself to the durability needed for a starter, and he had a tender elbow at the start of the season. He must make his changeup more consistent, and his curveball needs a lot of refinement to become a big league pitch. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Mets started Kazmir back in high Class A in 2004 to avoid the April chills in the Double-A Eastern League. Wherever he starts the season, expect him to spend most of the year in Binghamton. He could see Shea Stadium at some point in 2005.
Kazmir may have had the best arm in the 2002 draft. His reported bonus demands scared off several teams before the Mets got him with the 15th overall pick, and signed him for a reasonable $2.15 million. After breaking Josh Beckett's Texas prep record for strikeouts and earning Baseball America's High School Player of the Year award, he overpowered hitters in the short-season New York-Penn League in 18 stirring innings. Kazmir has two plus-plus pitches: an electric fastball that sits in the 93-95 mph range and hits 97, plus a hard slider that he throws at different speeds. He shows an excellent feel for his changeup. Kazmir is a superb athlete with an easy delivery, superior arm quickness and strong leg drive. The Mets focused on speeding up Kazmir's delivery in instructional league. He has been so successful that he has little experience dealing with baserunners. His small frame is the only concern raised by scouts, but he has been durable and injury-free so far. The Mets say they are determined not to push Kazmir too fast, though that may be easier said than done. He's ticketed for low Class A Capital City in 2003.

Minor League Top Prospects

Not many managers got to see the Kazmir who caused an uproar when the Mets foolishly traded him to the Devil Rays in July for Victor Zambrano. By that point, Kazmir was back to the fireballing lefty who blows away batters with a 95-mph fastball and a nasty slider. A month and a half later, he was outdueling Pedro Martinez in Fenway Park. But while in the FSL, Kazmir was bothered by a rib injury that limited his velocity and his command. Kazmir pitched at 90-95 mph in St. Lucie, compared to 93-97 in the majors. His slider also had more bite once he was fully healthy, and his changeup potentially could become a third plus pitch. Command and durability are the biggest question marks with Kazmir, but no lefty in the minors has better pure stuff.
Perhaps no pitching prospect entered this season with higher expectations than Kazmir. Though he was the 15th overall pick last June, he generally was regarded as one of the top two or three players available. BA's 2002 High School Player of the Year overmatched the short-season New York-Penn League after signing, fanning 34 in 18 innings. The Mets have been careful, keeping Kazmir on a strict pitch count during the first two months of the season. He averaged just over four innings a start before earning a promotion to high Class A in July. That limited him to four wins, but his 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings and .185 opponent average were more reflective of his dominance. Kazmir's fastball is explosive, topping out at 97 mph and hitting 94 consistently. His hard slider is a second plus offering, and he improved his changeup. "The biggest thing for him was the command of his offspeed stuff," Augusta manager Russ Morman said. "The second time we saw him, he was able to get his breaking ball over."