When Doug Fister was 22 he was pitching in Everett - Beavan at 22 was in the Bigs. Fister is 6'8" - Beavan 6'7". In the minors Fister ran a 2.1 BB/9 and a K/9 of 6.6 - minors total for Beavan 1.5 BB/9 - 5.3 BB/9 for a significantly better K/BB (3.11 Fister, 3.59 Beavan).
And the whole 'located 91 fastball' thing - as with Fister's plateau leap, Beavan's very capable of incrementally increasing his average fastball velocity. Maintain the command with a Dr. Elliot driven increase of 2-3 MHP?
Beavan was drafted 17th overall and the reports at the time were: ESPN:
17
Texas Rangers
Blake Beavan
RHP
Irving HS, Irving, Texas
Beavan is a very hard thrower with an unusual delivery; he has a stiff landing, and a lot of scouts aren't high on him because of that. But he gets good sink on his fastball, which he runs up into the mid-90s. It's not a surprise that he went to the Rangers, which has a need for power arms with good sink, especially in their ballpark.
and MiLB.com:
Focus Area
Comments
Fastball:
Beavan was clocked up to 96 mph.
Slider:
Beavan threw sliders in the 81-84 mph range, though they weren't as sharp as his fastball.
Changeup:
He didn't throw many changeups, but when he did they were inthe 82-83 mph range.
Control:
Beavan commanded his fastball to both sides of the plate extremely well, rare for a young pitcher of his body type.
Poise:
Beavan showed good poise in a scrimmage-type setting. In the past, he's showboated at times on the mound, but there was none of that in this four-inning outing.
Physical Description:
Beavan is big and strong with incredible arm strength and above-average athleticism.
Medical Update:
Healthy.
Strengths:
Command of a plus, plus fastball.
Weaknesses:
His secondary offerings. Both his slider and changeup were below average in this outing.
Summary:
Beavan is a very confident young man who knows all eyes are on him. He didn’t do anything to disappoint in his senior season. He was virtually unhittable all year with a plus fastball and slider coming from a big, athletic frame. He beat Cuba in Cuba for team USA last summer, so clearly he has no problem with pressure situations. His size and his arm strength alone would be enough, but throw in some decent command and excellent stuff and he won’t likely make it past the first 20 picks of the first round.
Key take-away - "clocked up to 96 mph." - The velocity is there. It's just getting him to repeat the delivery with the added oomph.
And at 22, I'm not willing to write him off yet.
- Ben.