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Connor Sadzeck Scouting Report: Texas Ranger minor league pitcher Connor Sadzeck ranked #22 on the LSB Community Prospect Rankings.
In the days leading up to Opening Day, I'm going to offer write-ups on the 31 players who made the Rangers' LSB Community Prospect Rankings Top 31. I've done this the last couple of years, and I don't want to re-invent the wheel, so some of this will be a repeat of what I've written before, particularly regarding draft history or performance pre-2013. Also, this is not based on my personal observations -- I'm not a scout, and haven't seen most of these guys. I'm just aggregating the numbers and what others say about these players.
So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Connor Sadzeck...
Connor Sadzeck is a 22 year old 6'5" righthanded pitcher. Sadzeck was drafted in the 45th round of the 2010 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but opted to go the junior college route instead, attending Howard College in Big Spring, Texas. Sadzeck was selected in the 11th round of the 2011 draft by the Rangers, and received a well-over-slot bonus of $350,000 to sign.
Sadzeck didn't pitch as a pro until 2012, when he was assigned to Spokane, and did okay for a guy a year younger than most of his competition, putting up a 4.06 ERA in 62 innings over 15 games. However, he more combined walks and HBP (47 walks, 12 HBP) then Ks (58). Still, he allowed opponents to hit just .200 off of him, and allowed just two homers.
Sadzeck spent all of 2013 in low-A Hickory, and the same trend emerged there, as well. He put up a sparkling 2.25 ERA in 132 innings over 24 starts, but struck out just 78 batters while walking 51, hitting 13 and throwing 23 wild pitches. But he only allowed 4 homers on the year, and held opponents to a .216 batting average.
Doing a write-up on Sadzeck is one of the more difficult write-ups I've done, simply because I know so little about him, and he's not been written up that much. TepidP did a write-up on Sadzeck last summer that is probably the most comprehensive bit I've seen on Sadzeck, and I'd encourage you to read that linked piece to get more in-depth info on him. For those too lazy to click through, the summary is, Sadzeck is big, can throw hard, and spent the 2013 season learning how to pitch, rather than just throw.
Sadzeck is someone that Tepid has beaten the drum for for a while, and if you are looking for a prospect in the Ranger system who may be poised to take a big step forward in 2014, Sadzeck is a pretty good candidate. He seems likely to start the season in high-A Myrtle Beach, and if he can continue to build on the progress he made in 2013, he could establish himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the Rangers system by the end of the year.
