Dace Kime
| IP | 307 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.013 |
| WHIP | 1.476 |
| BB/9 | 3.84 |
| SO/9 | 6.977 |
- Full name Dace J. Kime
- Born 03/06/1992 in Fort Wayne, IN
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Louisville
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Drafted in the 3rd round (79th overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2013 (signed for $525,000).
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Defiance (Ohio) High already has sent Chad Billingsley and Jonathon Niese to the majors, and a third alumnus may be on the way. Kime nearly signed with the Pirates for $400,000 as an eighth-round pick in 2010, but he decided to attend Louisville instead. He's now the best prospect among a deep group of Bluegrass State college pitchers that could produce six picks in the first 10 rounds in June. Kime has spent most of his college career as a reliever, pitching his way out of midweek starting assignments at the start of his freshman and junior seasons. He did pitch well after the Cardinals put him back in the rotation when another Defiance product, Anthony Kidston, hurt his shoulder in late April. With a sturdy build (6-foot-5, 219 pounds) and a deep arsenal of pitches, Kime is equipped to succeed as a starter. He throws a lively 92-95 mph fastball that may lose a bit of velocity once he gets regular work in the rotation. He has the wipeout curveball that's the trademark of Defiance pitchers, and he mixes in a cutter and changeup. His control has improved this spring, though he'll have to show that it too can hold up with a heavier workload. A team that believes Kime can make it as a starter in pro ball could choose him as early as the third round.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Primarily a reliever in college, Kime's repertoire was deep enough that the Indians moved him to the rotation. He sits in the low 90s and tops out at 95 mph with a physical, durable body. Kime's curveball is his best pitch, featuring bite and top-to-bottom depth. He showed improved confidence and feel for his fading changeup as well. The Indians deemphasized his fourth pitch, a slider, early in 2014, but it's useable and did help him once he started throwing it more. Kime tended to get too high with his lead arm in his delivery, and the Indians worked with him to get in better position to be able to repeat his mechanics and thus his control, which will be crucial given that his fastball is fairly straight. Kime has the ingredients to be a starter, but he'll be looking for better results at high Class A Lynchburg in 2015. -
Kime had been on the Indians' radar since his high school days in the northwestern Ohio town of Defiance. He wound up being taken in the eighth round by the Pirates in 2010 but opted to attend Louisville. Kime was in and out of the Cardinals' rotation as a junior but had his best season, going 6-1, 2.99 to help Louisville reach the College World Series and net himself a $525,000 bonus in the third round from the Indians. Cleveland saw a potential starter in Kime thanks to his four-pitch mix, clean delivery and durable frame. His fastball reached 95 mph as a reliever and sat 90-92 in a starting role. The heater doesn't have much movement, which puts a premium on his fringy command. He does command his curveball well and it has the makings of a plus pitch with 12-to-6 bite. He also has a hard slider that acts similarly to a cutter--and sometimes gets labeled as one--along with a work-in-progress changeup. The changeup shows some fading movement, but it atrophied a bit when he was a reliever. Kime has the tools to be a mid-rotation starter and should open 2014 in the low Class A Lake County rotation.
Draft Prospects
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Defiance (Ohio) High already has sent Chad Billingsley and Jonathon Niese to the majors, and a third alumnus may be on the way. Kime nearly signed with the Pirates for $400,000 as an eighth-round pick in 2010, but he decided to attend Louisville instead. He's now the best prospect among a deep group of Bluegrass State college pitchers that could produce six picks in the first 10 rounds in June. Kime has spent most of his college career as a reliever, pitching his way out of midweek starting assignments at the start of his freshman and junior seasons. He did pitch well after the Cardinals put him back in the rotation when another Defiance product, Anthony Kidston, hurt his shoulder in late April. With a sturdy build (6-foot-5, 219 pounds) and a deep arsenal of pitches, Kime is equipped to succeed as a starter. He throws a lively 92-95 mph fastball that may lose a bit of velocity once he gets regular work in the rotation. He has the wipeout curveball that's the trademark of Defiance pitchers, and he mixes in a cutter and changeup. His control has improved this spring, though he'll have to show that it too can hold up with a heavier workload. A team that believes Kime can make it as a starter in pro ball could choose him as early as the third round.
