Kyle Blair
Profile: RHP - 6'3" - 200lbs -BT:R - TH:R - 2011 Age: 22
Repertoire:
• FB2 91-93: Plus arm-side run but lacks command within zone. (50-60)
• SL 83-85: Gets solid depth and he can throw it under the bats of lefties. (60-60)
• CH 82-84: Shows some fade and sink, and he has a solid feel for the pitch. (45-55)
Background:
A fifth round pick of the Dodgers in 2006, Blair opted to go to college at The University of San Diego - not to be confused with San Diego State, where fellow AL Central prospect Addison Reed went. Blair has plenty of game of his own and the Indians picked him up in the 4th round of the 2010 draft and signed him for a well over-slot 600K.
On the mound Blair shows a good demeanor and is a hard worker. His delivery isn't the cleanest and the lack of repeatability has led to persistent command problems throughout his career. Thankfully, despite a somewhat ugly 3/4 motion, there aren't any major injury red flags.
I like the movement on Blair's fastball as it has good arm-side run and he can work the pitch on the corners when he has his good command. He pairs the fastball with a hard slider that gets solid depth, though it profiles as more of a ground ball pitch than a true swing-and-miss offering. He also has shown a curve and has shown feel for a solid/average changeup.
Projection:
If he can iron out some of his command issues he could be a 3rd starter. Otherwise he'll be more of a back-end type.
Corey Ettinger is a Senior Writer for Baseball Digest as well as a proud contributor to both 612Sports.net, 312Sports.com, and 313sports.com. He also provides extensive analysis of the American League Central Division at his own blog, AL Central In Focus. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @Coreyettinger for the latest updates, random thoughts and general tomfoolery.
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