Kyle Drabek
Encyclopedia
Kyle Jordan Drabek is an American
Major League Baseball
pitcher
with the Toronto Blue Jays
. He made his first major league start on September 15, 2010 against the Baltimore Orioles
.
He is the son of former major-league pitcher and 1990 National League Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek
. He also wears a single-digit uniform number (4), a rarity amongst pitchers.
. While there he was an Aflac
, USA Today
, and Louisville Slugger high-school All-American at pitcher and shortstop
. Drabek was paired up on a Houston summer team with fellow Texas prospect and current Cincinnati Reds
outfielder Jay Bruce
. While in high school, Drabek was named 2005 and 2006 Texas 5-A
player of the year. During the 2006 spring season, the Highlanders won the Texas 5-A State Championship. During his high-school career, Drabek compiled a record of 30-1 on the mound while belting 27 home runs. In the 2006 Texas regional semifinal, he set The Woodlands High School record for most strikeouts in a game by a pitcher (19), recording a no-hitter.
He first wore his MLB
number (4) as a wide receiver
on The Woodlands varsity football
team. He wore number 1 for baseball.
, Drabek was selected in the first round by the Philadelphia Phillies
as the 18th overall pick. He had been ranked as the twelfth-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America
, but was drafted in a lower position because, at the time of the draft, there were concerns about personal incidents. Marti Wolever, director of scouting for the Phillies, stated of the issues that the Phillies "feel very good about this selection. We think everything is behind him and we're moving on." The Phillies opted to develop Drabek as a pitcher in their farm system
.
Drabek learned from the experiences of his father. He also described his father's involvement to be "like having a pitching coach who lives with you ... He taught me so much, not only about the physical part of the game but the mental part too."
He made four pitching appearances in the Gulf Coast League
(for rookie
s) since his comeback from Tommy John surgery
. He was then promoted to the Short-Season A Williamsport Crosscutters
. After a dominant start to the season with the Class A–Advanced Clearwater Threshers
, Drabek was promoted to the Class AA Reading Phillies
on June 1, 2009. He was invited to the 2009 All-Star Futures Game
, in which he pitched one inning.
Drabek received the Paul Owens Award from the Phillies in a pre-game ceremony at Citizens Bank Park
on September 15, 2009. The annual award is presented to the top pitcher and the top position player in the Phillies' minor-league system.
Drabek was one of the key players involved in "The Doc Deal", the trade which sent Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay
to the Phillies in exchange for Drabek, Travis D' Arnaud
, and Michael Taylor
in early December. He was officially announced as a member of the Blue Jays on December 16, 2009. Drabek threw the second no-hitter in New Hampshire Fisher Cats history on Independence Day
, 2010. The final score was 5-0 over the New Britain Rock Cats
, as he walked two and struck out three.
Drabek was voted the 2010 Eastern League pitcher of the year. Drabek attributed some of his success to a more consistent delivery, for which the point of release for different pitches appeared the same to batters. “In the beginning, it was like I had different movements for different pitches. Now, everything comes the same and everything stays the same.”
On April 2, Drabek earned his first Major League win against the Minnesota Twins
, throwing 101 pitches through 7 innings, with 7 strikeouts, giving up only 1 hit and 1 earned run. His father, Doug Drabek, also earned his first career win against the Minnesota Twins in 1986.
His worst career outing occurred on June 1, 2011, when he lasted only 0.2 innings versus the Cleveland Indians
. He would use 38 pitches, allowing 4 earned runs on 3 hits, 3 walks and 1 strikeout.
On June 14, the Blue Jays announced that Drabek had been optioned to AAA Las Vegas. Zach Stewart took his place in the rotation. Drabek was recalled from the minors on September 7.
(90-96 mph) and an excellent curveball
(79-83 mph) which he uses as his "kill pitch". He also throws many cutters
(89-94 mph) and a straight changeup
(83-86 mph).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
with the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. He made his first major league start on September 15, 2010 against the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
He is the son of former major-league pitcher and 1990 National League Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek
Doug Drabek
Douglas Dean Drabek is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Known for his fluid pitching motion and sound mechanics, he won the National League Cy Young Award in 1990.-Early life:...
. He also wears a single-digit uniform number (4), a rarity amongst pitchers.
High school
Drabek attended The Woodlands High SchoolThe Woodlands High School
The Woodlands High School is a public high school in The Woodlands CDP, unincorporated Montgomery County, Texas, United States and is a part of the Conroe Independent School District...
. While there he was an Aflac
Aflac
Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
, USA Today
USA Today All-USA high school baseball team
Each year, USA Today, an American newspaper, awards outstanding high-school baseball players with a place on its All-USA High School Baseball Team. The newspaper names athletes whom they believe to be the best baseball players from high schools across the United States...
, and Louisville Slugger high-school All-American at pitcher and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
. Drabek was paired up on a Houston summer team with fellow Texas prospect and current Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
outfielder Jay Bruce
Jay Bruce
Jay Allen Bruce is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. He was selected 12th overall in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft....
. While in high school, Drabek was named 2005 and 2006 Texas 5-A
University Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
player of the year. During the 2006 spring season, the Highlanders won the Texas 5-A State Championship. During his high-school career, Drabek compiled a record of 30-1 on the mound while belting 27 home runs. In the 2006 Texas regional semifinal, he set The Woodlands High School record for most strikeouts in a game by a pitcher (19), recording a no-hitter.
He first wore his MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
number (4) as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
on The Woodlands varsity football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team. He wore number 1 for baseball.
Minor League Baseball
In the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft2006 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 6 and 7. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.-First Round Selections:...
, Drabek was selected in the first round by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
as the 18th overall pick. He had been ranked as the twelfth-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
, but was drafted in a lower position because, at the time of the draft, there were concerns about personal incidents. Marti Wolever, director of scouting for the Phillies, stated of the issues that the Phillies "feel very good about this selection. We think everything is behind him and we're moving on." The Phillies opted to develop Drabek as a pitcher in their farm system
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
.
Drabek learned from the experiences of his father. He also described his father's involvement to be "like having a pitching coach who lives with you ... He taught me so much, not only about the physical part of the game but the mental part too."
He made four pitching appearances in the Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
(for rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
s) since his comeback from Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
. He was then promoted to the Short-Season A Williamsport Crosscutters
Williamsport Crosscutters
The Williamsport Crosscutters are a Short-Season A classification minor league baseball team based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
. After a dominant start to the season with the Class A–Advanced Clearwater Threshers
Clearwater Threshers
The Clearwater Threshers are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the Florida State League. Since 2004, the team competes in the West Division....
, Drabek was promoted to the Class AA Reading Phillies
Reading Phillies
The Reading Phillies are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Since the 1967 season, they have been the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies....
on June 1, 2009. He was invited to the 2009 All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
, in which he pitched one inning.
Drabek received the Paul Owens Award from the Phillies in a pre-game ceremony at Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
on September 15, 2009. The annual award is presented to the top pitcher and the top position player in the Phillies' minor-league system.
Drabek was one of the key players involved in "The Doc Deal", the trade which sent Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
to the Phillies in exchange for Drabek, Travis D' Arnaud
Travis D' Arnaud
Travis d'Arnaud is an American professional baseball catcher in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He was acquired in 2010 as part of the deal which sent pitching ace Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies...
, and Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor (baseball)
Michael D. Taylor is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics.-Baseball career:...
in early December. He was officially announced as a member of the Blue Jays on December 16, 2009. Drabek threw the second no-hitter in New Hampshire Fisher Cats history on Independence Day
Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another nation or state, and more rarely after the end of a military occupation...
, 2010. The final score was 5-0 over the New Britain Rock Cats
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats are the Double-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club. They compete in the Eastern League and play their home games at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.-History:...
, as he walked two and struck out three.
Drabek was voted the 2010 Eastern League pitcher of the year. Drabek attributed some of his success to a more consistent delivery, for which the point of release for different pitches appeared the same to batters. “In the beginning, it was like I had different movements for different pitches. Now, everything comes the same and everything stays the same.”
2011
The Blue Jays announced on September 12, 2010 that Drabek would be promoted to make his major league debut on September 15. At the time, he was considered the Blue Jays top pitching prospect and amongst the top prospects in baseball.On April 2, Drabek earned his first Major League win against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, throwing 101 pitches through 7 innings, with 7 strikeouts, giving up only 1 hit and 1 earned run. His father, Doug Drabek, also earned his first career win against the Minnesota Twins in 1986.
His worst career outing occurred on June 1, 2011, when he lasted only 0.2 innings versus the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. He would use 38 pitches, allowing 4 earned runs on 3 hits, 3 walks and 1 strikeout.
On June 14, the Blue Jays announced that Drabek had been optioned to AAA Las Vegas. Zach Stewart took his place in the rotation. Drabek was recalled from the minors on September 7.
Pitching style
Drabek throws a hard fastballFour-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family...
(90-96 mph) and an excellent curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
(79-83 mph) which he uses as his "kill pitch". He also throws many cutters
Cutter (baseball)
In baseball, a cutter, or cut fastball, is a type of fastball which breaks slightly toward the pitcher's glove side as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more motion than a typical fastball. Some...
(89-94 mph) and a straight changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
(83-86 mph).
External links
- Kyle Drabek Scouting Report at Project Prospect