Glenn Sparkman
| IP | 180 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 6 |
| WHIP | 1.594 |
| BB/9 | 2.9 |
| SO/9 | 5.55 |
- Full name Glenn Michael Sparkman
- Born 05/11/1992 in Victoria, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Wharton County Junior College
- Debut 06/30/2017
- Drafted in the 20th round (594th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2013 (signed for $100,000).
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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The surprise star of the Royals' 2014 farm system was Sparkman, a previously little-noticed 20th-round pick. After starting the year in the high Class A Wilmington bullpen, he pitched his way into the rotation and finished the year with the second best ERA in the minors at 1.56. A friendly home ballpark helped, but he performed slightly better on the road. Sparkman's success was based on a combination of his deceptive delivery and his ability to throw to all four quadrants of the strike zone. He leads with his elbow, then brings his hand and the ball forward with a quick over-the-top release. Sparkman gets more swings and misses than one would expect from a 90-93 mph fastball. He mixes in a potentially average changeup with a little late fade and a potentially average hard slider at 83-84 mph. The pitch doesn't have much depth but cuts enough to swerve away from the sweet spot of opponents' bats. His curveball is generally below-average and loopy. Sparkman's four pitches all play up because he has present above-average control and average command. He'll head to Double-A Northwest Arkansas as a starter.
