Today: SD Prospect Steve Garrison
Steve Garrison is a polished pitcher in the San Diego minor league system. He's probably the top lefthanded Padres pitching prospect today. Drafted by Milwaukee out of the Princeton-sponsored Hun H.S. (New Jersey) back in 2005, Garrison is probably the most advanced 21 year old in the system.
First tested in rookie ball at the age of 18, Garrison (then a Brewer), Garrison struck out 28 in 34 inning, posting an ERA of 2.86 in 11 appearances. He played all of 2006 at West Virginia in the Sally League, going 7-6 and striking out just under 8 per inning, then moved up to high-A Lake Brevard Country the next season. Again, the teenager's ERA was a nice-looking 3.44 despite the higher level of play. He was still winning when he was traded to the Padres as part of a package for reliever Scott Linebrink, and actually improved his ERA in seven more starts for Padres' affiliate Lake Elsinore.
| Yr | Tm | Age | Lvl | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SH | GF | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | K/9 | WHIP |
| 2005 | AZ Brewers | 18 | R | 2 | 2 | 2.86 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 34.2 | 39 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 7.27 | 1.27 |
| 2006 | West Virginia | 19 | A | 7 | 6 | 3.45 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88.2 | 86 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 22 | 77 | 7.82 | 1.22 |
| 2007a | Brevard County | 20 | A+ | 8 | 4 | 3.44 | 20 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 104.2 | 105 | 58 | 40 | 6 | 28 | 74 | 6.36 | 1.27 |
| 2007b | Lake Elsinore | 20 | A+ | 2 | 3 | 2.79 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42.0 | 32 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 28 | 6.00 | 0.90 |
Garrison has a smallish frame for a pitcher, but as a lefthander that's not often held against him. His fastball barely tickles 90 on the speed gun, but he locates it so well that it's a very effective pitch. His curve and (remarkably) his changeup are already plus pitches, too, making him an incredibly polished prospect for such a young player with no college time. He's learning to command his curve enough to use it as a strikeout pitch, but until then he's going to have to succeed on location, guile and a lot of ground balls. Far more than a throw-in, the pitching-savvy Padres scouted him for more than a year before plucking him from the Brewers' system.
If he continues to hold up against better hitting and progress at his accelerated rate, he should have a shot at a big league assignment as early as mid-2009, and a middle-of-rotation opportunity by 2010.
Update: Promoted to AA San Antonio to open 2008, Garrison has done nothing to remove the lustre from his prospect status. With a 6-5 record and 3.63 ERA at the higher level, the now 21-year-old pitcher is striking out just under 8 per inning. He's probably behind Mat Latos and Wil Inman on the depth chart, but not by much.
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