Christian Friedrich Stats & Scouting Report

IP	296
ERA	5.382
WHIP	1.52
BB/9	3.557
SO/9	7.48

Full name Christian Louis Patrick Friedrich
Born 07/08/1987 in Evanston, IL
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 222 / Bats: R / Throws: L
School Eastern Kentucky
Debut 05/09/2012
Drafted in the 1st round (25th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2008 (signed for $1,350,000).

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Part of a prospect-studded Falmouth rotation that also included Aaron Crow and Shooter Hunt last summer, Friedrich struck out Buster Posey, Jason Castro and Gordon Beckham in his final inning in the Cape Cod League playoffs. Like Crow, Friedrich operated in the mid-80s as an undrafted high school senior in the Chicago area before blossoming in college. He now maintains solid-average 89-91 mph velocity throughout a game and can touch 94, but his money pitch is an over-the-top curveball with huge 12-to-6 break. Blisters have periodically bothered Friedrich this spring, so he has been using his slider more than he has in the past, and it has become a weapon at 80-82 mph. He also has a decent changeup that he'll need to incorporate more often in pro ball. While Friedrich throws strikes and can command his fastball to both sides of the plate, he sometimes leaves it up in the zone. He gets away with a lot of those mistakes because his deceptive delivery and the fear of his curveball allow his fastball to get on hitters quickly. He doesn't have the ceiling of San Diego's Brian Matusz, but Friedrich is clearly the second-best lefty available in the draft.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The 25th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Friedrich signed for $1.35 million and breezed to high Class A by the end of his first full pro season. But he hasn't progressed as the Rockies have hoped since then, spending the last two years going 9-16, 5.02 in Double-A. After missing a month with elbow inflammation in both 2009 and 2010 and having a strained lat muscle end the latter season, the good news was that Friedrich stayed healthy last year. He relaxed his grip and arm while working on his changeup and realized that he had been muscling his pitches too much. When he had success, Friedrich relied on two plus pitches, an 89-93 mph fastball that touched 95 and a big-breaking curveball. Last year, he lost a tick of velocity on his heater but began to change speeds with it. With more of a finesse fastball approach, he didn't use his curve as much and it suffered. Friedrich has some feel for his decent changeup but doesn't always locate it where he wants. He also mixes in a slider, though it has more rolling action than bite. He did a better of throwing strikes last year but his command must improve. Friedrich learned a lot about pitching in 2011 and the time has come to implement it. Colorado showed its faith by protected him on its 40-man roster and will send him to Triple-A in 2012.
Undrafted out of a suburban Chicago high school, Friedrich went 25th overall in the 2008 draft and signed for $1.35 million after three years at Eastern Kentucky. He ranked second in the minors with 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings in his first full season, but he has missed a month in each of the last two years with elbow inflammation. His 2010 season ended on Aug. 19 because of a strained lat muscle. Friedrich offers a pair of plus pitches and mixes his entire arsenal well. His fastball ranges from 89-93 mph, touching 95, and he loves to challenge hitters with it. His curveball has big bite when he finishes it but needs to get more consistent. He shows feel for a changeup and locates it well, and he has worked on a slider to give hitters a different look. Tulsa pitching coach Bryan Harvey worked with Friedrich to get him to stay back longer in his delivery, allowing him to create a better downhill plane on his pitches. His main challenge is to stay healthy. Provided he's durable enough, Friedrich can be a No. 3 starter, and he's nearly ready for the big leagues. He'll open 2011 in Triple-A and figures to reach Colorado before the season ends.
Friedrich went from undrafted as an Illinois high schooler to a first-round pick in 2008 after three years at Eastern Kentucky. The Rockies didn't expect him to be available with the 25th overall pick and gladly signed him for $1.35 million. In his first full pro season, he rated as the top prospect in the high Class A California League and ranked second in the minors in strikeouts per nine innings (12.0). Friedrich has added velocity, pitching consistently in the low 90s and topping out at 95 last season. He has a 12-to-6 curveball and a hard slider, both emerging as plus pitches. He rarely threw his changeup before pro ball, but it is becoming an average offering. He does a good job of throwing strikes, but Friedrich must continue to improve his fastball command. Once he can locate his fastball consistently, he'll be ready for the big leagues. He missed a month at midseason with left elbow inflammation, but it's not a long-term concern. Friedrich will open 2010 in Double-A Tulsa, where he would have finished last season if the Rockies hadn't decided to handle him carefully after his elbow problems. If he develops as quickly as he did in 2009, he could make his major league debut by the end of the season.
Undrafted out of high school, Friedrich bloomed at Eastern Kentucky into one of the best lefthanded pitchers at the college level in 2008. The son of a dentist whose client list includes several Cubs execs such as GM Jim Hendry, Friedrich was 20-7, 1.83 in his three years at Eastern Kentucky, and caught the attention of scouts by dominating the wood-bat New England Collegiate and Cape Cod leagues. Friedrich has a feel for pitching, with a solid-average fastball ranging from 89-92 mph. He complements his fastball with two good breaking balls--a big-time curveball that has a 12-to-6 movement and a solid-average slider. His changeup is evolving, as it's not a pitch he has needed at the amateur level. It should develop into an average pitch down the line with his feel for pitching. At times Friedrich's fastball command can be spotty, an important area for improvement as he lacks overpowering velocity. Friedrich figures to be a solid big league starter and could find his way to Coors Field at some point in the 2010 season. He could move quickly, akin to Jeff Francis' rapid rise, and while this year figures to begin at high Class A Modesto, it's not out of the question he could earn a midseason promotion.

Minor League Top Prospects

Friedrich was bothered by elbow inflammation in 2009 and again this year, breezed through both Class A levels in his first full pro season in 2009, though the Rockies shut him down early because of elbow inflammation. His elbow bothered him again this year, as he missed almost a month early in the season and was inconsistent when he did pitch. Just as he was putting things together, and he got hit in the elbow by a batted ball in a mid-July start and got just 16 innings the rest of the way. Friedrich's fastball touched 95 mph last year, but it sat at 88-92 mph this season. His fastball shows cutting movement and he loves to challenge hitters with it. He has shown a hard slider and big curveball--which is probably the better breaking pitch-- as well as some feel for a changeup, but all of his secondary stuff regressed and lacked consistency this season. Friedrich has big league stuff, but he's still learning to pitch and must prove he can stay healthy. He was incorporating minor mechanical changes to improve his command before he got hurt. He leans too much on his fastball and needs more trust in his offspeed pitches, and he can get too emotional on the mound.
Friedrich ranked second in the minors be averaging 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings between low Class A Asheville and Modesto. Rather than blowing away with velocity, as many strikeout artists do, the imposing 6-foot-4 southpaw misses bats with outstanding secondary pitches. "He has a 90-91 fastball which can touch 93 and it has natural armside sink," Modesto manager Jerry Weinstein said. "His No. 1 breaking pitch is his curve, which is a plus pitch, but his slider is a plus pitch also. He also has a plus change."
Undrafted out of high school, Friedrich took off in three years at Eastern Kentucky and went 25th overall in the 2008 draft. He struggled in his first two pro starts as he battled the command of his fastball, but recovered to allow just six earned runs over his final six NWL starts to earn a promotion to low Class A. Best known for his overhand 12-to-6 curveball, Friedrich actually has two above-average breaking pitches. He also has a tight slider that can creep into the low 80s. He sets up his breaking stuff with a fastball that rests at 89-90 mph and tops out at 92, and his deceptive delivery makes his heater appear quicker. Friedrich's biggest needs are to keep his fastball down in the zone and to trust his changeup more often.