Dyson is a name that wasn't called during the 1st round of Baseball America's first mock draft. However, he's a name that might end up going in the first round on draft day and this weekend (May 16th, 2009) he had one of his best collegiate outings of the season against a strong LSU squad. Whether he climbs as high as the Sox pick at 23 or if he stays at the current projections, which would have him going sometime in the supplemental to early 2nd round (again, where the Sox could target him), your talking about a guy that prior to this weekend, most scouts saw as a future reliever. However, this weekend might have changed my opinion and made him a better prospect who has the upside of the rotation but the safeside of being a valuable reliever.

 

Why I'd target him?

It's his stuff, plain and simple. Dyson features a very hard fastball, which sits in the mid 90's and his second to last outing he touched 97-98 multiple times, and that includes his final two pitches, which were a 98 and 97 MPH fastball (to end a strong 7 inning performance). The velocity didn't shock the scouts, it was his secondary stuff which shocked them. Dyson has been a fastball pitcher all season, rarely showing any secondary pitches, but this week he broke out a very good looking (albeit raw) hammer curve, some of which were plus pitches. The velocity good on the hammer curve upper 70's to low 80's and I think its something the Sox minor league pitching coaches can ideally help him further develop that pitch. He also flashed a decent change-up, one that could turn into a very solid 3rd pitch. So as a whole, in a matter of a start, Dyson went from being a one pitch reliever to a potentially three pitch starter, one of those pitches being a very very plus fastball.

 

While the 23rd pick is probably too early to take him, unless he really shows further development with that secondary stuff in his conference tourney and in the playoffs, I wouldn't look passed him being a solid pick in the compensatory rounds.

 

Below is a quote from him, via Baseball America:

"The changeup is probably the hardest pitch for me to throw," Dyson said. "It definitely helps out a lot. I rarley throw it, it’s just not really consistent. In the sixth inning, I used it a couple of times warming up, and it was pretty good. I hadn’t really thrown it until then, but I used it a couple times that inning.

"I kind of brought (the curveball) out of the bag last week a little bit. I hadn’t really thrown a breaking ball throughout the fall and the spring. I’m just kind of bringing it along now and getting used to throwing it."

A hard fastball and hammer curve is a money combination. Assuming he can get the curve over consistently for strikes, he seems like a late 1st rounder.

That might be a little too much to ask for at this point, given he might only have 2 more starts this season, which does mean there is at least a decent shot he's available with our compensatory pick.

Dyson flat out dominated this weekend:

RHP Sam Dyson (9 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 13 K)

He seems like a guy we might be targeting at either 23 or 38. Great arm, but has some inconsistencies/mechanical flaws and needs refining, similar to Poreda, Hudson, and Carter.

 

Kyle Heckathorn is in the same boat, and I'm gonna do his draft report today.

I'd be shocked if the 38th pick isn't used on a hard throwing guy. 23 will likely be a position player it would seem.