Derek Law, RHP. 6'3", 218 lbs. DOB: 9/14/1990.
AZL 1-0, 3.18, 5.2 IP, 1 BB, 9 K's.
Low A 0-3, 2.31, 35 IP, 10 BB, 48 K's, 3 Saves.
High A 4-0, 2.10, 25.2 IP, 1 BB, 45 K, 11 Saves.
AFL 1-0, 0.00, 12.1 IP, 6 BB, 16 K.
Derek Law was the Giants 9'th round draft pick in 2011 out of Miami-Dade JC where he racked up 121 K's against just 16 BB in 92 IP. He pitched well that summer for the AZL Giants and was assigned to Augusta for his first full professional season. He pitched very well for Augusta in 2012 with a line of 5-2, 2.91, 55.2 IP, 23 BB, 67 K.
The Giants may have been sleeping on him a bit because for some inexplicable reason, he was sent back to Augusta to start the 2013 season. They woke up around mid-season after a rehab stint for an ankle injury in Arizona and promoted him to San Jose where he almost immediately became the closer and ran up the crazy good numbers you see above. The Giants sent him to the AFL to get in some more innings and he dominated there too!
Law has an unconventional delivery, but one I like a lot. It's really a very simple delivery where he torques his body on his back leg briefly showing the back of his uniform to the batter. He comes to a brief but complete stop, then explosively unwinds in a sudden, straight-over-the-top delivery that makes it look like the ball is coming out of a pitching machine. The stop followed by the explosive delivery makes it virtually impossible for hitters to time the pitches. Some scouts apparently think he is a "stabber" but I would disagree in that he gets his entire body in the flow of the delivery with excellent follow-through even though it appears to be sudden.
His fastball goes 92-96 MPH on a severe downward plane, but he is also able to elevate it for K's. He also has a sharply downward breaking curveball and a slider. There is one still picture of him about to deliver a pitch that is held in a split-finger grip. As one scout quoted in BA put it, "he's downhill with funk and finish, and his breaking ball is filthy."
Law will almost certainly get a spring training invite. He may leapfrog over AA and start the season in Fresno with an outside chance of making the big club out of spring training. I've always liked his numbers. I like him even more after seeing video of him in action. I think he will give MLB hitters fits for 1-2 innings at a time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I've seen The Lawman pitch a handful of times this past season, and love the guy. He pounds the zone- you better hit it, or get lucky, because he just doesn't walk many batters. I've noticed that he has an unmistakeable confidence to his demeanor on the hill, and seems to work at a brisk pace.
ReplyDeleteFrom an outsider's perspective, I'd definitely agree with the view that the organization has slept on him a bit, but none of us know what goes on behind the scenes. Either way, he'll be an exciting prospect to watch this season.
sakata is back as sj manager....very good for the org
Deletebonds got less votes this year than last for hof...all praise the protectors of the game
bacci
I see CSN Bay Area, and perhaps SFgate though I haven't checked, try so hard to get the A's as much PR as possible with Frank Thomas, making it as if he was with them his entire career.
DeleteIn the meantime, their readers are still waiting for the first Giants position by position breakdown.
Interesting about Sakata. Didn't he leave the organization a few years ago because he felt passed over for a promotion? Looks like Machemer got the boot from Richmond with no apparent landing spot. I've always felt bad vibes coming out of the AA teams whenever Machemer has been the manager, so I'm not sorry to see him go.
Deletemaybe they sent mach back to what he does best....development. and he will be doing the roving instructor bit...will see if his name pops up during the spring
Deletethe guy just isnt a good fit for kids who are a step away from the bigs
time heals all wounds and lenn knows he always has a home with the giants org. and he is a great fit for the cal league
plus maybe he is kicking himself for leaving and losing out on a cut of 2 ws bonuses
bacci
One of the reasons I appreciate this blog is DrB, you are the only one, or one of the few, who would talking about hitting or pitching mechanics...the way Crawford holds his bat, or Brown yesterday and Law today, instead of imagining the baseball reality just through numbers...and also about the human stories, how tough minor league baseball life can be for some of those young kids.
ReplyDeleteThanks, BLSL. It's all a learning process for me to. It's kind of me thinking out loud, only through writing.
DeleteMaybe there are others, but 3 guys made big jumps in 2013 - Escobar, Flores and Law.
ReplyDeleteMore pleasant surprises in store for 2014, one hopes.
Nasty funky relievers are exciting. Sounds like Hideo Nomo crossed with Josh Collmenter stretched on a rack and throws a little harder. The total absence of walks is thrilling. Fast track express. You can just hear the entrance music, by The Clash.
ReplyDeleteNomo crossed with Collmenter is not a bad description of Law's delivery. His stop is not as exaggerated as Nomo and he does not get the extreme extension of Collmenter, but there are definitely elements of both in the delivery.
DeleteThe quartet of Romo, Lopez, Casilla and Affeldt isn't getting any younger (or inexpensive), so the Giants really are in need of some fresh arms in the pen. Between Law, Hembree, Osich and Hall, I believe a couple of those guys will emerge to provide some reliable youth in the coming years. All 4 of those guys currently have what no other usual Giants reliever has anymore... high-end velocity. I for one am looking forward to that battle this spring. May the filthiest arms prevail.
ReplyDeleteTalking about relievers,
ReplyDeleteI just noticed Jake Dunning is not even among the HM in the Top50 list. I will be surprised if that was on purpose.
Where would you rank him? He had an excellent year at PCL, and pitched decently in his limited opportunities.
I noticed quite a few guys who were left off the list (HM included), and I just assumed that Doc considered these guys as graduates. JCP and Kieschnick are guys who disappeared as well.
DeleteMaybe. I can see the point for JCP and Kieschnick, but Hembree is on the list, with similar experience at the MLB level.
DeleteAnyway, I am curious to hear what people think of Dunning.
Tell the truth I sort of forgot about some of these guys who spent considerable time in the majors but are still technically prospects. Once again, the important part of this exercise is getting to know the prospects better not obsess over their exact order. Guys who have spend a significant amount of time in the majors just aren't as interesting. We have talked about JCP, Dunning and Roger K quite bit in other posts so I think my opinions on them are well known. I would not rank any of them in the top 10 or even top 20, but JCP and Dunning would probably be top 50 if I had included them. I'm not going to redo the list for them, though.
Delete