Ryan Cook

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #18 prospect in 2012
  Cook never posted a sub-5.00 ERA in three seasons at Southern California, but he showed enough promise for the Diamondbacks to give him an $80,000 bonus after they took him in the 27th round of the 2008 draft. He had middling success as a starter in the lower minors before moving to the bullpen and zooming from Double-A to the majors last season, and the A's got him in the December deal that sent Trevor Cahill to Arizona. Cook showed better stuff in shorter stints, though no one expected it to jump as much as it did. He worked with an 89-93 mph fastball as a starter and suddenly had a consistent 95-97 mph heater as a reliever, topping out at 101. His fastball has riding four-seam life. Cook can miss bats with a hard splitter that he throws at 88-91 mph. He also has an 85-88 mph slider with more lateral movement than depth. He can throw the slider for strikes, but he doesn't always command it in the strike zone. Improved overall command is Cook's biggest need. After a taste of the big leagues, he'll contend for a role in Oakland's bullpen.