I just came across this news story about Reds pitching prospect Kyle Lotzkar and thought I'd share it. Evidently, Lotzkar is working out at Advanced Athletics, which given the accents, I would say is back in Lotzkar's home country of Canada.
Thanks to "stabilizertraining" on youtube for originally posting the news clip.
It appears that Lotzkar has a very good work ethic and a real dedication to improvement, both of which are great attributes for prospects. Especially given his age, Lotzkar seems to have a good head on his shouders and maturity beyond his years. All too often, you see sublimely talented prospects who fail to get the most out of their natural ability, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case with Lotzkar.
I still have some concerns about his mechanics and his repertoire, but at least he's serious about his offseason workouts. I have to wonder if the Reds as an organization wouldn't benefit from implementing a "pre-hab" program for their pitchers similar to what the Oakland A's and others have done. However, until that time, we have to hope that Lotzkar's offseason workout program will improve his velocity and decrease his injury risk.
It'll be a very interesting 2008 season for a number of the Reds prospects. The 2008 season is "moving day" in the Reds organization, so it'll be interesting to see who rises and who falls.
Lotzkar will have a better career than Bailey. He will be a top 50 prospect in 2009, and top 10 in 2010.
ReplyDeleteHey Anon,
ReplyDeleteTime will tell. It's hard to imagine Lotzkar having a better professional debut. However, I do have concerns about his pitching mechanics and he still needs to develop a third pitch. He's got a good fastball, but needs more polish to his secondary offerings. He was able to dominate lower level prospects in 2007, but it'll be interesting to see how he fares against more advanced competition.
He's definitely got time on his side and had a nice debut, but he's got quite a ways to go before he reaches the majors.