Rated as the 4th best prospect in the Tigers system by Fangraphs, Casey Crosby got his first 3 starts in the big leagues this year. They didn't go very well, as he walked more batters than he struck out and gave up two homers in 12.1 innings. The 24 year old made 22 starts in AAA (the more pitcher friendly International League) and was slightly worse than league average in ERA/FIP/SIERA. He had a good strikeout rate, but struggled with walks and gave up slightly more homers and line drives than league average (despite a slightly better than league average GB rate).
When I saw the left-handed starter (against Lehigh Valley in AAA), he had a 88-93 MPH averagish fastball (I saw one 94 MPH). His main secondary pitch was a slow 70-71 MPH curve (with occasional 76-77 MPH, maybe a slow slider. Fangraphs and Brooks Baseball disagree on whether he threw a slider in the Majors or not). He also showed a 78-80 MPH change that he didn't have much feel or control over. The fastball command isn't great and velo isnt consistent (a lot of 88s, which makes him less interesting). He really should try to keep it low, as it was too hittable high. His best pitch is the curve but the change is promising with its movement. The mechanics are slightly strange, and he has the hip turn to give him some deception. It seems to be at least somewhat effective as it makes the fastball sneak up on the hitter (of course one wonders about repeatability). A lot of what Crosby becomes may rely on his changeup command, which may sound weird, but he really needs that third pitch and something to go to against righties.
As you can see, Crosby's curveball has some pretty impressive downward drop.
The stuff is there. Crosby should be a good big league starter with the stuff he has. He has a solid left-handed fastball with deception with one plus breaking pitch and another off-speed that could be good. He should be better than a below average AAA starter and I don't think his 3 MLB starts are reflective of his talents. However, it will all be about command. The problem doesn't seem to be delivery issues, as you would probably have seen a more inconsistent release point in the Majors:
If he can't harness his good stuff, he will continue to be frustrating. However, there isn't too many reasons to believe that he won't improve.
When I saw the left-handed starter (against Lehigh Valley in AAA), he had a 88-93 MPH averagish fastball (I saw one 94 MPH). His main secondary pitch was a slow 70-71 MPH curve (with occasional 76-77 MPH, maybe a slow slider. Fangraphs and Brooks Baseball disagree on whether he threw a slider in the Majors or not). He also showed a 78-80 MPH change that he didn't have much feel or control over. The fastball command isn't great and velo isnt consistent (a lot of 88s, which makes him less interesting). He really should try to keep it low, as it was too hittable high. His best pitch is the curve but the change is promising with its movement. The mechanics are slightly strange, and he has the hip turn to give him some deception. It seems to be at least somewhat effective as it makes the fastball sneak up on the hitter (of course one wonders about repeatability). A lot of what Crosby becomes may rely on his changeup command, which may sound weird, but he really needs that third pitch and something to go to against righties.
As you can see, Crosby's curveball has some pretty impressive downward drop.
The stuff is there. Crosby should be a good big league starter with the stuff he has. He has a solid left-handed fastball with deception with one plus breaking pitch and another off-speed that could be good. He should be better than a below average AAA starter and I don't think his 3 MLB starts are reflective of his talents. However, it will all be about command. The problem doesn't seem to be delivery issues, as you would probably have seen a more inconsistent release point in the Majors:
If he can't harness his good stuff, he will continue to be frustrating. However, there isn't too many reasons to believe that he won't improve.
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