Tyler Pill
| IP | 22 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.318 |
| WHIP | 1.455 |
| BB/9 | 4.091 |
| SO/9 | 6.545 |
- Full name Tyler Stephen Pill
- Born 05/29/1990 in San Dimas, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 199 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School Cal State Fullerton
- Debut 05/27/2017
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Drafted in the 4th round (132nd overall) by the New York Mets in 2011 (signed for $200,000).
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Pill, the younger brother of former Fullerton star Brett Pill, has been a valuable two-way contributor for the Titans for three years, but his future in pro ball is on the mound. An elbow injury limited his pitching duties as a sophomore, and he played the outfield in the Cape Cod League last summer, but he returned to full strength as a junior and put together a fine season on the mound. Pill is physically unimposing but sturdily built at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. His frame and stuff evoke Ian Kennedy, and his tenacity is a major asset. He pitches with a fringy fastball that ranges from 88-91 mph and bumps 92, but it plays up a bit because of his deception and command. He throws an average curveball and a solid-average to plus changeup, and he has enough feel with both pitches to throw them to righties as well as lefties. He also mixes in an 86-87 mph cutter that runs in on lefthanded hitters. Pill does not have huge upside, projecting as a back-of-the-rotation starter, but his feel for pitching and makeup should get him drafted around the fifth round.
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Pill's older brother Brett plays first base in the Giants system and has logged 63 games for San Francisco. Both starred at Cal State Fullerton, with Tyler doing so as a two-way player. In that regard, he's similar to fellow Mets prospects Jake deGrom and Chase Huchingson as pro pitchers with backgrounds as college position players. Pill showed remarkable progress in his first season spent exclusively on the mound, going 9-5, 2.31 at two Class A stops and ranking seventh in the minors in ERA. He reminded scouts of Ian Kennedy in college because of his short but athletic build and command of the strike zone, and that comparison fit like a glove last season, as he threw any pitch in any count to keep hitters off balance. Pill works all four quadrants with an 88-90 mph fastball that bumps 92, with the improvement of his secondary pitches helping his fastball play up. He throws opponents off stride with a downer curveball and changeup, both of which grade as solid-average and serve as finishing pitches. He gets in the kitchen of lefties with an 87-88 mph cutter. If Pill develops more velocity, he might make it as a mid-rotation starter, and if not he could have a future at the back of a rotation or in the bullpen.
