Derek Ballinger  
Relief Pitcher | Chicago Cubs

Pitching
He's got a really stong arm, so he can blow it by you on occasion. Ballinger's fastball is a tick above average, in the 90-91 MPH range on most nights. He attacks lefties and righties with similar success.

Defense & Hitting
Ballinger does an average job of holding runners. He tends to fall off slightly to the first-base side of the mound, making him vulnerable to bunts toward third base. He makes up for that minor flaw by being aggressive in fielding his position. Ballinger is a surpisingly good hitting pitcher. And I'm not sure you can say this about a pitcher, but Ballinger has some pop in his swing.

2010 Outlook
The Chicago Cubs signed him to a long-term contract, but don't think they won't drop Ballinger like a hot potato if something better comes along.

          -- Ska Nyman, A-Ball Scout
 

 

Year Team AS EN CO HR GF vL Hm Sc CL FB CU SI SL CB SC KN Age Exp Delivery Slot CH PH SP FA Nyman Rating
2008 CHC 84 59 38 49 51 49 53 49 46 76 0 0 59 52 0 0 21 0 Overhand Low Minors 0 8 42 38 290
2009 CHC 87 59 41 54 51 49 53 49 46 76 0 0 59 53 0 0 22 0 Overhand Low Minors 0 0 5 44 305
2010 CHC 90 59 51 55 51 49 53 49 46 76 0 0 59 53 0 0 23 0 Overhand Low Minors 0 0 0 50 327
Ratings Delta   +3   +10 +1                         +1           -5 +6 +22
History generated by Biorhythm v2.6.86 on Sun Nov 14 13:28:08 EST 2004

Data printed in red denotes that player was in the top two percent for that category and year. Blue data denotes membership to the bottom two percent.