Columbus Prospects - BA SAL Top 20

RHSP Alex Cobb (pictured) was the only Catfish player to make the list, checking in at #16:

Cobb wasn't the flashiest pitcher in the league, but he made an impression by getting ahead of hitters and inducing groundballs. His 88-91 mph fastball has sink and deception, and he commands his 11-to-5 curveball well enough to throw it in any count. His splitter is a decent offering that he employs as a changeup.

They also cite his good feel for pitching and mound presence as reasons he could make it in the majors someday. Cobb was the Rays 4th round pick out of Vero Beach HS in 2006.

EDIT by Doug: Kevin beat me to it, so I'll just add his pic and say will Jesse Darcy ever get love? I'm not as high on Cobb as some other people are, so I won't argue with him being #16. Looking at the names on the list, we were lucky to get Cobb named. I'm looking forward to Cobb, Darcy, Garcia and Hinkle in Port Charlotte next year.

EDIT by Kevin: Not to start a debate here, but I just wanted to say that I'm higher on Cobb than most. I like the athleticism and I think he's a candidate for a velocity jump in 2009. He doesn't have a great projectable body, but I could see him working 92-94 with a plus curveball and good control.

EDIT by Doug: Debate is great. It's the low SO rate that worries me, and HR rate was high this year. But he is young, '08 was his age 20 season. Here are Cobb's career numbers since we're discussing him:

Team	G	GS	IP	ERA	FIP	DIPS	SO/9	BB/9	H/9	HR/9
'08 Columbus (A)	25	25	139.2	3.29	4.40	4.16	6.3	2.3	7.3	1.0
'07 Hudson Valley (A-)	16	16	81.1	3.54	3.61	3.58	6.9	3.4	8.6	0.4
'06 Princeton (R)	6	1	9.0	5.00	6.76	6.71	8.0	3.0	9.0	3.0

And a question from the chat:

Q: Ian from Georgetown PA asks: What was the main reason for Glenn Gibson not living up to the hype in Columbus this season?

A: Bill Ballew: The Rays were very high on Gibson entering this season, but he simply did not pitch very well. He walked a lot of guys by trying to be too fine at times, and when he did get the ball across the plate, batters hit the ball with consistency. The Rays aren't giving up on him, but his stock has dropped since this time last year.