Pat Misch Stats & Scouting Report

IP	200
ERA	4.815
WHIP	1.42
BB/9	2.565
SO/9	5.22

Full name Patrick Theodore Joseph Misch
Born 08/18/1981 in Northbrook, IL
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: L
School Western Michigan
Debut 09/21/2006
Drafted in the 7th round (213th overall) by the San Francisco Giants in 2003 (signed for $20,000).

View Draft Report

LHP Pat Misch was drafted in the fifth round by the Astros a year ago and chose to return to Western Michigan for his senior year. He missed several starts with minor elbow soreness and was back at full speed late in the season. He is expected to be drafted in about the same area again, as he's shown excellent command of three pitches, though his fastball has been only around 87 mph.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

No matter when he's handed the ball, Misch competes and throws strikes. While he'll never intimidate out of the bullpen with his mid-80s fastball and mild-mannered appearance, he was much appreciated by Giants manager Bruce Bochy as other pitchers labored in deep counts or issued walks. Misch became more than just a September callup last season, and made himself the answer to a trivia question when he started the Aug. 4 game at San Diego in which Barry Bonds hit his 755th career home run to tie Hank Aaron. Misch should have earned his first major league victory in that game--he struck out eight and allowed two runs over five innings--but the bullpen blew his decision. His best pitches are a slow curveball and an above-average changeup, both of which he commands and will throw in any count. While Misch's big league ceiling appears limited, he has a few things going for him: He's durable, versatile and athletic. He originally committed to play soccer at Miami (Ohio) before the school dropped the sport. Misch's development of a cut fastball has helped him combat righthanders to the point that he could be a candidate to start again, though he fared poorly in that role in the big leagues, going 0-2, 6.41 in four outings. He has an excellent chance of opening the season as a long man in the San Francisco bullpen.
Misch seemed on the verge of breaking through into San Francisco, following Noah Lowry's lead as a finesse lefty who could use his savvy and average stuff to get big leaguers out. But in his second full pro season, Misch got hammered in Triple-A and had to retreat to Double-A to regain his footing. While Lowry is an obvious comparison as a homegrown lefty, Misch has different stuff, with his fastball, curveball, slider and changeup all grading out as average. His curve has become his best pitch, but he doesn't really have a plus offering. That, plus his tendency to nibble, was his undoing at Fresno. Giants officials say Misch was too stubborn for much of the season and didn't make adjustments in how he set up hitters, who figured out his pitch patterns and punished him. He recovered a bit in Double-A, but not enough to earn a spot on the 40-man roster. Misch made it through the Rule 5 draft but will have to earn San Francisco's trust again with a more successful stint in Triple-A this year.
The Giants pushed Misch aggressively in 2004, and he responded better than anyone could have expected. Signed as a senior in the seventh round the year before--after failing to come to terms with the Astros as a fifth-rounder in 2002--Misch skipped two levels and pitched in Double-A. San Francisco counted on his maturity and savvy command of a four-pitch mix to help him survive the jump. Misch was Norwich's most consistent pitcher, only twice failing to reach the fifth inning, and he tied fellow Giant Alfredo Simon for the minor league lead with four complete games and three shutouts. At times, all four of Misch's offerings are average big league pitches. His curveball and changeup are usually his best offerings, and he commands them as well as his 86-89 mph fastball and his slider to all four quadrants of the strike zone. Though he set Western Michigan records for whiffs in a game (19), season (99) and career (265), Misch won't be a big strikeout pitcher as a pro. He's similar to Giants mainstay Kirk Rueter. Misch will begin this year in Triple-A and should be among the first pitchers promoted when San Francisco needs reinforcements.
Misch got caught in Houston's temporary draft embargo in 2002. Shortly after taking him in the fifth round, the Astros suspended negotiations with all their unsigned picks, and he decided to return to Western Michigan for his senior year after posting a 1.34 ERA in the Cape Cod League. Poised for a big year in 2003, Misch stumbled instead and went 3-4, 4.42. He's a lefthander who pounds the strike zone and pitches inside aggressively with average stuff, and his approach works much better against wood bats. He was a strikeout pitcher for Western Michigan, setting single-game (19), season (99) and career (265) school records for whiffs, but pitches more like Kirk Rueter. Misch throws an 86-89 mph fastball for strikes and moves it all over the zone. He also throws a slider, curveball and changeup. None stands out consistently, though he gets strikeouts with his breaking pitches. Misch may start his first full season in high Class A and could move quickly through a system starved for lefthanded pitching after trading Ryan Hannaman, Francisco Liriano, Damian Moss and John Thomas in 2003.

Minor League Top Prospects

Misch and teammate Jesse Floyd, a righthander signed as a nondrafted free agent out of Lamar, gave opponents the same look from different sides. Both relied on command and changing speeds to make up for the lack of a true plus pitch. "Neither was overpowering and both were solid pitchers," Strain said, "but because Misch is lefthanded, he gets an extra point." Misch can cut his 88 mph fastball and run it in on hitters' hands. His breaking ball isn't overpowering but moves straight down to generate groundouts, which helped Misch move through lineups. He also uses his changeup effectively.