Posts Tagged “tyler lyons”

The Cardinals are sending 7 players to the Arizona Fall League this fall (which is also known as “Prospect Finishing School”:

1B Matt Adams

OF Oscar Taveras (will be second youngest player in the league)

SS Ryan Jackson

RHP Keith Butler

LHP Justin Wright

RHP David Kopp

LHP Tyler Lyons

Tyler Lyons was drafted by the Yankees in the 10th round of the 2009 draft, but opted not to sign, instead returning to Oklahoma State for his senior season.  The Cardinals drafted him one round higher in 2010 and signed him.  However, Lyons did not pitch in 2010 and instead made his debut as a 23-year old in Palm Beach, joining the team just over two weeks after the season started.

In Palm Beach for the whole season, Lyons has been overshadowed by Maikel Cleto, Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller, Jordan Swagerty and even Carlos Martinez.  But, Lyons has had a quietly very effective season.  His profile has been raised a bit over the last week or so as azruavatar has mentioned him here and red baron mentioned him over at Viva el Birdos.

Lyons’ traditional numbers are good as he has gone 8-3 with a 3.76 ERA in the pitcher’s park and league.  However, his numbers only get better the further we look.  His K/9 isn’t outrageous at 7.3, but he has shown great control with only 2.8 BB/9.  That gives us a K/BB ratio of 2.62, which is over the magical 2.0 threshold.

His league and park adjusted numbers come up rosy as well, as his tRA+ is 109 for the season (both as a reliever and starter).  His BABIP is a little low at .289, but he is not allowing a lot of hard contact, only allowing 15.3% line drive rate.

The scouting reports all have Lyons sitting in the low 90s and not blowing anyone away with raw velocity, but as you will see below in the “scout at home” portion, he’s got good movement and control.  Lyons should be one of those prospects that quietly moves his way through the system and should eventually make an impact in the major leagues, especially because he is left-handed.

Now for the scout at home portion – here’s a video of Tyler Lyons throwing a bullpen session from Cape Cod in the summer of 2009.

In case you missed it, College Splits has a glowing review for the Cardinals draft. They also gave us all sorts of nerdy split data to nerd around with. As with the college hitters, here’s a few advanced stats for college pitchers.

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