Kam Mickolio Stats & Scouting Report

IP	31
ERA	4.935
WHIP	1.645
BB/9	4.935
SO/9	9.581

Full name Kameron Kraig Mickolio
Born 05/10/1984 in Wolf Point, MT
Profile Ht.: 6'9" / Wt.: 255 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Utah Valley
Debut 08/20/2008
Drafted in the 18th round (531st overall) by the Seattle Mariners in 2006.

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Mickolio hails from Montana and just started playing baseball before his senior year in high school, when he played American Legion ball. Previously, he had focused on basketball, as he's 6-foot-9 and Montana has no high school baseball. He started his college career at Eastern Utah Junior College, and the Cardinals actually drafted him in the 35th round in 2003, after his freshman season there. Mickolio had made progress since then, and some scouts had seen him throw well this spring, such as when he shut out Nevada. It was the first shutout ever at Reno's Peccole Park against the Wolf Pack, and some reports had the 250-pounder touching 92-93 mph. He more frequently sat in the 85-88 range, and while his slider and his changeup had made strides, they remain below-average. Mickolio has size that can't be taught and if he can establish a downward angle on a fastball in the low 90s, he'll be an interesting project.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

New GM Kevin Towers wasted no time in beginning his makeover of the Arizona bullpen, sending Mark Reynolds to the Orioles for David Hernandez and Mickolio. The Mickolio scouting report is starting to sound like a broken record, but when you can throw a fastball at 95-96 mph and touch 98 with nasty life in the zone, you'll get every possible chance to succeed. Mickolio was one of the players the Orioles got from the Mariners in the Erik Bedard trade before the 2008 season, and he has received big league looks in each of the last three seasons. He won a quick promotion to Baltimore last April, but he didn't throw enough strikes and got lit up in the big leagues, going back down after just three appearances. He was shut down for about six weeks in June and July with a shoulder strain. The dominant Mickolio reappeared in the Arizona Fall League, as he posted a 0.75 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 12 innings, including a scoreless inning in the league championship game. When he's on, Mickolio can pile up the scoreless innings, unleashing power fastballs and hard sliders from an intimidating 6-foot-9 frame and unorthodox crossfire delivery. He uses his changeup on occasion, though it's a below-average pitch and not an essential part of his arsenal. His ultimate success depends on his ability to repeat his delivery and establish better command. He shows it in flashes but so far has not done it consistently in the majors. The Diamondbacks are counting on him to contribute right away.
Though he'll play most of the 2010 season at 26, Mickolio is young in terms of his experience and his arm. He didn't play baseball until American Legion ball in 2001, before his senior year of high school in Montana, then he attended college in Utah for four years before the Mariners drafted him in 2006. He came to the Orioles in the Erik Bedard deal in February 2008 and has pitched in the majors in each of the last two seasons. Mickolio has a pure power arsenal and is an intimidating presence on the mound, driving fastballs down on a steep downhill plane. His fastball sits around 95 mph and peaks at 97-98, and he was much more consistent with his slider last season. He even had enough confidence in his changeup to throw it in the big leagues on occasion. The Orioles try to walk the line between tweaking his funky crossfire delivery and letting him do what works for him. He was shut down the last two Septembers with a tired arm. He needs to sharpen his command and must do a better job of understanding hitters and how to attack them. His changeup still grades as below-average. Mickolio has the stuff to pitch in the back of a major league bullpen, and if he develops a better feel he could be a closer. He should win a spot in the big league bullpen this spring.
Mickolio grew up in Montana, which has no high school baseball, and didn't play the sport until American Legion ball before his senior year. He rocketed through the minors in two seasons, having come to the Orioles in the Erik Bedard deal. He made his big league debut in August. Think Bobby Jenks, a big guy who came out of the wilderness with pure power stuff, only bigger. Mickolio is not subtle, reaching 96-97 mph with his fastball from an unorthodox crossfire delivery, and complementing it with a slider that's a well above-average pitch when it's on. Mickolio's delivery is all over the place, and the Orioles have worked on several tweaks to give him something more balanced and repeatable. They won't try a major overhaul because they don't want him to lose his arm speed or risk injury. His slider is at its best about one out of three outings, and his changeup and slurve aren't effective yet. If Baltimore is patient with Mickolio and gives him time to develop, he has the stuff to set up or close in the big leagues. He could use more seasoning in Triple-A, but his arm will be mighty tempting to the big league staff.
A native of Montana, where there's no high school baseball, the 6-foot-9 Mickolio played only basketball until the summer before his senior year of high school, when he began playing American Legion ball. He showed enough promise in his first year at Eastern Utah Junior College in 2003 that the Cardinals drafted him in the 35th round, and he made even more progress after transferring to Utah Valley State. A true scouting success story, Mickolio jumped from 18th-round pick in 2006 to Triple-A in 2007. The definition of uncomfortable to hit, Mickolio throws his power sinker at 92-97 mph from a low three-quarters arm slot. The ball bores in on righthanders and his cross-body throwing motion gives him plenty of deception. Mickolio needs to find more consistency with his slider, which shows good depth at times, but as a reliever he can get by if the pitch is merely average because his fastball is so good. He'll also need to improve his changeup to combat lefthanders, and he still needs to do a better job commanding his stuff in the strike zone. All the ingredients are present for Mickolio to be a big league reliever, potentially an eighth-inning guy if he slightly improves his three pitches.

Minor League Top Prospects

A native of Montana, where there's no high school baseball, the 6-foot-9 Mickolio played only basketball until the summer before his senior year of high school, when he began playing American Legion ball. He showed enough promise in his first year at Eastern Utah JC in 2003 that the Cardinals drafted him in the 35th round, and he made even more progress after transferring to Utah Valley State. With his enormous size, Mickolio was an imposing bullpen arm for Everett this summer. His height allows him to pitch on a downward angle and induce plenty of groundballs, as evidenced by his 49-18 ground-fly ratio. He works in the low 90s with a heavy fastball that has plenty of life and touches 94 mph. Mickolio also flashes a decent slider now and then, though he still has plenty of work to do on it and his changeup. His slider lacks tight rotation and doesn't miss many bats, and he needs to do a better job commanding his stuff within the strike zone. But considering how far Mickolio has come in his short pitching career, it's not a huge stretch to project him as a major league reliever.