Prospect Rumblings for 8-23-10

One guy that has gone completely unnoticed is Nationals left handed pitching prospect Tom Milon. He’s a typical Nats pitching prospect, meaning he’s more of a pitchability guy with a good feel for pitching rather than somebody who gets guys out with pure stuff. In any case, he’s been a particularly good roll of late. His numbers in July and August:

July – 29 IP, 27 H, 1 HR, 5 BB, 34 K
August – 20 IP, 20 H, 2 HR, 0 BB, 32 K

His upside is that of a back of the rotation starter, but I wonder if he’s picked up an extra pitch or added a little velocity to his fastball because he’s never missed bats at the rate he’s missing bats now.

Sleeper Alert!! Thomson was a 12th round pick in the 2010 MLB draft and he’s gotten off to an excellent start in his pro career. He was used as both a reliever and starter in college, but was most recently used out of the bullpen. The A’s moved him to the starting rotation and the results have been tremendous. We’re talking 47 strikeouts and eight walks in just 33 innings with Vancouver and a 5-inning, 10 strikeout performance in his first A+ start with Stockton.

Thomson comes equipped with a deceptively sneaky fastball that he will move around the strike zone. It’s tough to pick up out of his hand and gets on you quick. The pitch has good tailing movement as well. He makes things uncomfortable for hitters because he’s not afraid to pitch inside, and he’s not afraid to brush them back at the eye level. Thomson’s slider is a little inconsistent, but it’s a useable offering especially if he’s commanding it. I haven’t hear much about his change-up nor did I see it watching one of his starts early this season. He’ll also bust out a curveball every once in a while.

The big key for Thomson is his command. Historically, his command has been all that great, but it’s held up fine so far as a pro.