Scout.com Player Profile
2006 Ranking: 17
Position: RHP
DOB:
3/8/1983
Height: 6-1
Weight:
190
Bats: R
Throws: R
School: Florida International
University
Became a
Cardinal: Selected in the 12th round of the June, 2004 First-Year Player
Draft.
|
2006 |
G |
SV |
IP |
H |
BB |
K |
ERA |
GO/AO |
AVG |
WHIP |
|
Springfield |
57 |
27 |
61.2 |
52 |
20 |
75 |
4.52 |
1.40 |
.226 |
1.17 |
Staff Comments
Jason Scott (33): Worrell fell 14 spots in my
rankings this year after blowing eight of 35 save opportunities for Springfield
in 2006. If you look past his 4.52 ERA, his K/BB ratio (75/20), opponents
batting average (.226), and WHIP (1.17) are all actually pretty good. However,
if you look even further than that, you will notice that he was not very good
with runners on base. With the bases empty, he posted a 0.46 ERA and opponents
hit .185 against him in 39 innings, but with runners on, opponents hit .298
against him and he posted a 11.51 ERA in 22.2 innings. It was even worse with
runners in scoring position. In that scenario, he posted 16.57 ERA with the
opposition hitting .339 in 14.2 innings. Not good for a closer.
Leonda Markee (25):
Worrell actually slid a couple of spots from our 2005 Top 40 and for me this is more a case of others moving ahead
than it is of Worrell ‘failing’. Seven names ahead of Worrell made their
professional debut in 2006. He is my 14th-ranked pitcher and had a
solid season in his AA debut season as Springfield’s closer. Worrell struck out
almost eleven batters a game while walking under three for a 3.75 K/BB ratio.
He compiled a 1.17 WHIP. What holds him back from being ranked higher is his
reliever status. As I mentioned in my comments on Mike Sillman, major league
closers most often start at some point in their professional careers and Worrell
has not. At this point his upside appears to be as a member of the bullpen in a
non-closing role. He is likely to begin the season in AAA Memphis.
Ray Mileur (23):
I ranked Mark a little higher than the others. He started the 2006 season as the
organization’s reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2005. Mark led all
the minors in '05 with 35 saves and a 2.25 ERA.
This season, Worrell was 3-7
with a bloated 4.52 ERA but he still managed to picked up 27 saves, appearing in
57 games (61.2 innings). He held opposing batters to a .226 batting average, but
20 walks and 10 home runs contributed to a higher ERA than you might have
expected out of Mark this season.
Worrell relies on a curveball, changeup and
slider to set up batters for his fastball, which he throws from 92-94 mph. "I'm
not a power pitcher, but I'm not a finesse pitcher either, I think I'm in the
middle," he said. "I throw a lot of strikes with all my pitches and I've had
success."
Mark may have hit a wall this season and he may have peaked on our
rankings at #17 last year. Worrell is not related to former Cardinal Todd
Worrell or Major League veteran Tim Worrell.
Brian Walton
(31): If you like the bottom line, 35 saves in 2005 (led the system and the
entire minors) and 27 more in Springfield in 2006, Worrell is your man. But,
despite a low-90’s fastball, slider and change-up and more than one strikeout
per inning, his unorthodox sidearm delivery concerns many.
Worrell allowed ten home runs in 61-1/3 innings and his
batting average with runners on base (.298) was of concern. Last year, Worrell
had an ERA of 2.25 at Palm Beach. This year, at Double-A, his ERA doubled
(4.52).
I think his best hope to reach the bigs would be as a
set-up man, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, though I am clearly not as high on
Worrell as several of my peers.
STAFF
COMMENTS KEY: Staff Member (Individual Ranking), NR = Not Rated
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