Who is Paul Blackburn?: Paul Blackburn is a right-handed starting pitcher who stands at 6'1, 195 lbs. He was drafted 56th overall in the 1st round in 2012 by the Chicago Cubs and was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with Dan Vogelbach for Mike Montgomery and Alameda's own Jordan Pries. The Mariners then swapped Blackburn for former A's 3B/RF Danny Valencia. He was the M's #18 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Blackburn is a 3-pitch pitcher with a 2-seamer, curveball and a changeup that compliments his fastball well. He has a smooth downward pitching motion on all of his pitches which has helped Blackburn keep the ball in the ballpark.
Here's a scouting report from Fangraph's Eric Longenhagen:
"Mostly 88-92 mph, though he’s touched higher in the past. It’s a little bit straight, but he fills the strike zone with it and locates well to his arm side. Mid-70s curveball is the best secondary, 11-5 movement with solid depth, a fringe pitch now that projects to average. The arm action allows for some changeup projection but it’s unlikely to miss bats. He projects as an up and down spot starter."
According to Duncan Morrow from Athleticsnation:
"He's just about MLB ready, and he's been killing the minors – he's maintained an ERA between 3.48 and 3.11 in every stop he's made as a professional baseball player. His upside is limited due to a lack of strikeouts, but he makes up for it with plus-plus control and a good sinker. Think Kendall Graveman."
Main Takeaways: He's in the zone and keeps the ball in the yard. He's got a semi-low ceiling and will likely have a small impact with the Major League club. He's projected to be a fill-in starter. I think he's likely to pan out like Dillon Gee. A guy whose around the zone, doesn't strikeout a bunch of guys, back of the rotation kind of guy. Hopefully Blackburn will have better health throughout his career than Gee. According to Brooks Baseball, Gee throws a mid-70's curveball, 90 mph 2-seam/sinker, a slider and a mid-80's change which is parallel to Blackburn's arsenal. Blackburn's FIP numbers have gradually decreased since Rookie ball and have been consistent with his ERA. Thus, his mid-to-upper 3 ERA isn't a fluke.
Sources:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scouting-dan-vogelbach-and-co/
http://www.athleticsnation.com/2016/11/12/13609782/oakland-as-trade-danny-valencia-to-seattle-for-rhp-paul-blackburn
http://www.brooksbaseball.net/landing.php?player=518716&b_hand=-1&gFilt=&pFilt=FA|SI|FC|CU|SL|CS|KN|CH|FS|SB&time=month&startDate=03/30/2007&endDate=11/18/2016&s_type=2
Here's a scouting report from Fangraph's Eric Longenhagen:
"Mostly 88-92 mph, though he’s touched higher in the past. It’s a little bit straight, but he fills the strike zone with it and locates well to his arm side. Mid-70s curveball is the best secondary, 11-5 movement with solid depth, a fringe pitch now that projects to average. The arm action allows for some changeup projection but it’s unlikely to miss bats. He projects as an up and down spot starter."
According to Duncan Morrow from Athleticsnation:
"He's just about MLB ready, and he's been killing the minors – he's maintained an ERA between 3.48 and 3.11 in every stop he's made as a professional baseball player. His upside is limited due to a lack of strikeouts, but he makes up for it with plus-plus control and a good sinker. Think Kendall Graveman."
Main Takeaways: He's in the zone and keeps the ball in the yard. He's got a semi-low ceiling and will likely have a small impact with the Major League club. He's projected to be a fill-in starter. I think he's likely to pan out like Dillon Gee. A guy whose around the zone, doesn't strikeout a bunch of guys, back of the rotation kind of guy. Hopefully Blackburn will have better health throughout his career than Gee. According to Brooks Baseball, Gee throws a mid-70's curveball, 90 mph 2-seam/sinker, a slider and a mid-80's change which is parallel to Blackburn's arsenal. Blackburn's FIP numbers have gradually decreased since Rookie ball and have been consistent with his ERA. Thus, his mid-to-upper 3 ERA isn't a fluke.
Sources:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scouting-dan-vogelbach-and-co/
http://www.athleticsnation.com/2016/11/12/13609782/oakland-as-trade-danny-valencia-to-seattle-for-rhp-paul-blackburn
http://www.brooksbaseball.net/landing.php?player=518716&b_hand=-1&gFilt=&pFilt=FA|SI|FC|CU|SL|CS|KN|CH|FS|SB&time=month&startDate=03/30/2007&endDate=11/18/2016&s_type=2