With the 58th overall pick in the 2013 First Year Player Draft, the Detroit Tigers select Kevin Ziomek, a left handed pitcher from Vanderbilt University. The Tigers like SEC pitchers, and while Ziomek isn't the normal hard-tossing type they go for, he still has some potential as a starting pitcher.
Ziomek has three pitches, though none of them stand out as being great. His fastball sits in the low-90s and he occasionally touches 94. He can locate the fastball and has good deception in his delivery. His changeup is the better of his secondary pitches, and Baseball America says it flashed plus last summer, but hasn't been quite that good this year. His arsenal is rounded out with a sweeping slider that's decent, though not great. His command is quite good; he's a polished player.
Ziomek's not going to wow anybody with his stuff, but he reminds me a bit of Drew Smyly out of Arkansas a few years back. Smyly has better stuff, but I could see Ziomek as a good fourth starter on a contending ballclub.
GIFs
FYI, the radar gun was acting funky in this game. Don't trust the readings you see on the GIFs. --Rob
Fastball:
Slider:
Changeup (I think):
More Roars:
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•FanPost: Slow down with the Jhonny Peralta worries
