Brad Penny
| IP | 1925 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.287 |
| WHIP | 1.376 |
| BB/9 | 2.894 |
| SO/9 | 5.952 |
- Full name Bradley Wayne Penny
- Born 05/24/1978 in Blackwell, OK
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 270 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Broken Arrow
- Debut 04/07/2000
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Drafted in the 5th round (155th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1996.
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Penny is a potential high pick. He's a high-velocity pitcher with a good arm and frame but needs a lot of work on the finer points of pitching.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Background: Penny was acquired from the Diamondbacks along with Vladimir Nunez in the midseason Matt Mantei trade. Penny was the Diamondbacks' top prospect last winter and stood out at the Futures Game and the Pan American Games in the summer of '99. Strengths: Penny is a classic No. 1 power pitcher. His fastball tops out at 96 mph, and he can spot it to both sides of the plate well enough to eschew his curveball and changeup for long stretches. Weaknesses: Penny was slowed early in 1999 by shoulder tendinitis and was reluctant late in the year to throw his secondary pitches. His changeup needs more separation from his fastball, and his curveball tends to flatten out. The Future: After a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, Penny will go to spring training with a chance to make the Marlins rotation. More likely he will head to Triple-A for more seasoning. -
Background: When Penny was drafted, he was a slinger who fell off badly to the first-base side. Without adjustments, that's usually a recipe for a torn rotator cuff or labrum. But pitching coach Mark Connor, who like the rest of the Diamondbacks big league staff joined the organization before they fielded a team, succeeded in closing Penny's delivery and raising his arm slot. His success since then is easy to document. Pitching all but the last three weeks of 1998 as a teenager, Penny was the California League's MVP. Strengths: You can describe Penny in two ways--a power pitcher with great command or a control pitcher with great stuff. His fastball is in the 92-94 mph range with heavy sink and can go as high as 97 mph. Because of Penny's heavy fastball and his command of it, he allowed no road home runs in 1998 and just seven at hitter-friendly High Desert. His curveball has excellent action and Penny can spot it in the strike zone at will. Penny's changeup is also a solid pitch. As if he needs more superlatives, the Diamondbacks save their greatest praise for Penny's mound makeup. He is ultra-competitive with a nasty attitude towards hitters. Arizona personnel compared Penny's demeanor during games to Don Drysdale's and Bob Gibson's, lofty praise for a 20-year-old. Weaknesses: Arizona has unintentionally stacked its system with parks that are hitting havens. Penny will get tested again this year at Double-A El Paso. Aside from working on his fundamentals and staying healthy, he doesn't need specific work on much of anything. The Future: Penny and No. 2 prospect John Patterson are probably as closely matched as any organization's top two prospects, and those in the organization can't come to a consensus as to whom to call No. 1. At this point, Penny is a shade ahead. He figures to get the first call to Phoenix, but either one could have the better career. The Diamondbacks are stacked in starting pitching at the big league level and they tend to be conservative with young pitchers, so a full minor league season for Penny in 1999 remains likely.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Penny, who was ranked fifth on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects entering the season, was the more heralded of the two Diablos pitchers coming in. Like Patterson, Penny is a power pitcher. And like Patterson, he struggled with consistency. Early on he seemed to lack an out pitch, but his potential was readily apparent and managers liked his aggressive demeanor. "I liked the way he went about his business," DeFrancesco said. "He's competitive and he's got a plus fastball." "He's got to learn to handle the mental part of the game a little better," Maloney said. If Penny achieves that, he'll help someone other than the Diamondbacks. The Penny-Patterson duo was broken up when Penny was traded to the Marlins. He finished the season in the Eastern League.
