Today: NYY Prospect Ian Kennedy
The Yankees first round draft pick in 2006 (21st overall pick), righthander Ian Kennedy is one of the Yankees' young stable of rookie pitchers. Often forgotten in discussions that start with Joba Chamberlain and end with Phil Hughes, Kennedy is a quality pitcher in his own right.
A quality college starter with a successful career at USC already behind him, Kennedy zipped all the way through the Yankee system in 2007 with three stops and 164 strikeouts in 148 innings of work. Thanks to the decimated Yankee rotation, he got a shot with the big club in September, going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts, and earning a spring training chance at a full-time job for 2008
| Yr | Tm | Age | Lvl | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SH | GF | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | K/9 | WHIP |
| 2006 | Staten Island | 21 | A- | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6.75 | 1.50 |
| 2007 | Tampa | 22 | A+ | 6 | 1 | 1.29 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63.0 | 39 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 22 | 72 | 10.29 | 0.97 |
| 2007 | Trenton | 22 | AA | 5 | 1 | 2.59 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48.2 | 27 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 17 | 57 | 10.54 | 0.90 |
| 2007 | Scranton WB | 22 | AAA | 1 | 1 | 2.08 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 25 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 34 | 8.83 | 1.04 |
| 2007 | NY Yankees | 22 | MLB | 1 | 0 | 1.89 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 7.11 | 1.16 |
Kennedy works with average to above average stuff: his fastball, curve and slider are all acceptable pitches but none of them are plus offerings. The pitch he commands with the most success is his sinking change, which has the potential to be a true plus pitch in the Majors.
Kennedy's small size and compact windup limit his fastball to 90-92mph, though, which means that change does not work well unless it's perfect. What he does bring to the mound, though, is a high level of pitching smarts and guile, plus a terrific mound presence. He doesn't back down from big swingers and knows how to work the plate and adjust to shifting strike zones. He is among the best at getting the most from limited stuff.
Because he lags behind the other Yankee rookies in raw ability, Kennedy will have to fight and keep fighting to keep a rotation spot for 2008 and 2009, especially if the Yankees (as expected) add another veteran arm or two to replace the fading Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte. Kennedy's work ethic is terrific, though, so even if he suffers another trip or two to the minors, it's not likely to knock him down for long.
Update: Kennedy did win a starting job in 2008, but struggled out of the gate and was sent back down to Scranton on May 4th after going 0-2 with an 8.73 ERA in six starts. He returned for three more games in late May before being shut down with injured ribs and hip bursitis. He'll have a longer road back next time, as Joba Chamberlain has since taken over his spot in the rotation and isn't likely to give it up easily.
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