Dale Thayer
| IP | 251 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.478 |
| WHIP | 1.215 |
| BB/9 | 2.367 |
| SO/9 | 7.637 |
- Full name Dale Scott Thayer
- Born 12/17/1980 in Fountain Valley, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Cal State Chico
- Debut 05/22/2009
- Drafted in the 47th round (1,404th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 1999.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Thayer is yet another free agent find for the Padres, as he went undrafted despite leading the Orange Empire Conference in saves at Santa Ana (Calif.) Junior College in 2001, and earning Division II all-America honors at Chico State in 2002. In his first pro season, managers named him the low Class A Midwest League's best relief prospect. Thayer gave up seven runs in his first outing of 2004, but then just five runs in his next 49 games, settling into the closer role at Lake Elsinore and earning a late promotion to Mobile. Thayer's hard slider is a true out pitch, breaking sharply across the plate. His fastball sits at 89-92 mph, leaving scouts to wonder if his velocity is enough to set up the slider at the higher levels. Short and stocky, Thayer doesn't get much of a downward plane on any of his pitches, so location is a key. The Padres are excited about the trio of relievers who pitched at Lake Elsinore in 2004, and Thayer will join Wilmer Villatoro and Natanael Mateo in the Mobile bullpen to open 2005.
