Dan Straily Stats & Scouting Report

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Straily was once cut from his high school team and received only one offer to play Division I baseball, from Marshall. Signed for $12,500 as a 24th-rounder in 2009, he didn't emerge on the prospect radar until 2012, when he took the minors by storm. He led all minor leaguers with 190 strikeouts in 152 innings and reached the majors in August, making seven solid starts. Straily's greatest strength is his command of four pitches. He mixes them well and can locate them to every part of the strike zone. His fastball doesn't overpower hitters, but he maintains his 91-92 mph velocity deep into games and touches 95. Straily's slider and changeup are his two best offerings and account for the bulk of his strikeouts. His slider has good depth, while his changeup is a weapon against lefthanders with its armside run and his deceptive arm speed. His curveball is below-average, though it's still useful as an early-count offering. Since turning pro, he has gotten better at staying on line to the plate and maintaining his conditioning. Though Straily's stuff may not be loud enough for a frontline starter, he can be a dependable mid-rotation presence. He has the inside track on a big league job in 2013.

Straily burst onto the prospect scene this season by leading the minor leagues with 190 strikeouts in 151 innings. His success comes more from pitchability than raw stuff as he lacks a true plus pitch, but he continued to thrive after joining the Oakland rotation for the stretch drive. His fastball sits at 89-91 mph and peaks at 93, playing up because he consistently locates it down in the zone with good downhill plane. He gets swings and misses with his average slider because he pitches off his fastball so well. He also shows feel for an average changeup and an aptitude for keeping hitters off balance.
No minor league pitcher made a bigger leap forward in 2012 than Straily, who went from unranked in Baseball America's Prospect Handbook to starting for the Athletics during their playoff drive. He led the minor leagues with 190 strikeouts in 152 innings even though he reported to Oakland in early August. Despite his gaudy strikeout numbers, Straily isn't overpowering pitcher. He works mostly at 89-91 mph and peaks at 93 with his fastball. He relies on command and an assortment of average secondary pitches to keep hitters off balance, using fastballs and curveballs to get ahead of hitters and sliders or changeups to put them away. His competitiveness and poise help his stuff to play up.

Background: Straily was once cut from his high school team and received only one offer to play Division I baseball, from Marshall. Signed for $12,500 as a 24th-rounder in 2009, he didn't emerge on the prospect radar until 2012, when he took the minors by storm. He led all minor leaguers with 190 strikeouts in 152 innings and reached the majors in August, making seven solid starts. Scouting Report: Straily's greatest strength is his command of four pitches. He mixes them well and can locate them to every part of the strike zone. His fastball doesn't overpower hitters, but he maintains his 91-92 mph velocity deep into games and touches 95. Straily's slider and changeup are his two best offerings and account for the bulk of his strikeouts. His slider has good depth, while his changeup is a weapon against lefthanders with its armside run and his deceptive arm speed. His curveball is below-average, though it's still useful as an early-count offering. Since turning pro, he has gotten better at staying on line to the plate and maintaining his conditioning. The Future: Though Straily's stuff may not be loud enough a frontline starter, he can be a dependable mid-rotation presence. He has the inside track on a big league job to open 2013.