Prospects on the Move: Tyler Skaggs heads to Anaheim
By Jay Blue
Sept. 20, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs (37) throws during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Rumors throughout the day have surrounded a three-way trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox have finally come to fruition. Mark Trumbo heads to Arizona while Tyler Skaggs and Hector Santiago head over to LA with Adam Eaton going from Arizona to the White Sox. A pair of players to be named later will also be heading to Arizona from Los Angeles.
Skaggs is obviously the key piece to this deal in terms of prospects and the young lefty (who has exceeded his MLB minimum number of innings and is not prospect-eligible anymore) is seen as a pitcher with a fairly high ceiling despite the fact that he has yet to contribute significantly to a major league team. He’s still only 22 and, with 68 major league innings under his belt (with significant improvements in 2013), Skaggs can be a solid contributor to the Angels.
The youngster is predominantly known for two pitches, his four-seam fastball that averages in the low-90s and a 12-6 curve that comes in around 74 mph. He also threw a changeup around 82 mph this season. Skaggs has some interesting trends, according to Brooks Baseball. He started throwing a sinker in July of 2013 and saw a drop in velocity (to the high-80s) but also posted his best numbers of the ML season in July. Skaggs was up and down a fair bit in 2013, even making a start in High-A Visalia before getting called back up to the big league club. He finished the season with Triple-A Reno struggling a fair bit in the minors.
The big question for the Angels (who also get a solid lefty swingman in 25 year old Hector Santiago) is whether they can help fix Skaggs’s control issues. While not horrible (hovering over 8%), Skaggs could be a mid-rotation starter if he settles down. On the other side, Skaggs’s injury problems and velocity drops late into the season could lead him to a bullpen career if they continue.
According to Jack Magruder, the Diamondbacks will be getting 24 year old prospect A.J. Schugel who had an excellent season in 2012 in Double-A but got hit hard in Triple-A Salt Lake City with a 7.05 ERA in 89 1/3 innings in 2013.