Amir Garrett
- Thread starter SI1996
- Start date
Career high tonight on the mound. Struck out 12 batters. Way to go AG
Midwest League • Lo A
Amir Garrett, lhp, Dayton (Reds). Garrett, who as J.J. Cooper reported decided to give up basketball for baseball, looks like he made the right choice. The 6-foot-5 lefthander dominated Lake County Wednesday night, pitching a complete-game, seven-inning, three-hitter, walking only one and striking out 12. Garrett sits at 92-94 mph, touching 96 and he pairs it with a slider that flashes plus on a more consistent basis.
Amir Garrett, lhp, Dayton (Reds). Garrett, who as J.J. Cooper reported decided to give up basketball for baseball, looks like he made the right choice. The 6-foot-5 lefthander dominated Lake County Wednesday night, pitching a complete-game, seven-inning, three-hitter, walking only one and striking out 12. Garrett sits at 92-94 mph, touching 96 and he pairs it with a slider that flashes plus on a more consistent basis.
beast of the east
Active member
Long way to go, but a big league arm, a lefty, and at 6'6, a point of release that adds another yard to his fastball. This could be the best $1 million the Reds ever spent
beast of the east
Active member
Unlike many pitchers though, at 22 he doesn't have a lot of innings in his arm. Many kids at 22 have been pitching for a dozen years, and have micro ligament tears, and the beginnings of shoulder problems. With $1 million invested in him, I don't think the Reds were close to cutting him loose. He's tall, lefty, and a live arm, and almost no experience. His upside is so huge, and lefty's in general develop more slowly. My guess is that if he can close out the season strongly he will be moved up to the next level soon. They will probably allow him to stay down at this level this season so he experiences success and closes strongly, rather than promoting him and getting knocked around.
From BA:
CINCINNATI—The Reds have always believed that lefthander Amir Garrett had a bright future in baseball, it just took a while for the 6-foot-5 Garrett to commit.
Despite signing a $1 million bonus after the Reds took him in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft, Garrett continued his flirtation with basketball.
It wasn’t unreasonable as Garrett was a top-100 recruit in the 2011 high school basketball class and the California native went to St. John’s to play basketball in the Big East.
Garrett played in 22 games for the Red Storm as a freshman, but decided to transfer after his sophomore year, eventually winding up at Cal State Northridge. Although he enrolled at CSUN and attended classes there, he never played for Reggie Theus, sitting out a year after transferring. Despite the possibility of playing for the Matadors, Garrett attended his first spring for the Reds this year, but still kept the basketball door open.
It wasn’t until Aug. 8 that Garrett took to Twitter to make a public declaration of his decision to focus solely on baseball.
In his first start as a one-sport athlete, Garrett threw seven scoreless for the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League, allowing three hits and a walk, while striking out a season-high 12 batters.
Garrett finished the season 7-8, 3.64 in 27 starts, striking out 127 and walking 51 in 133 1/3 innings. The Reds added him to their 40-man roster, showing their commitment.
It’s easy to see why: he’s long, lefthanded, has a fresh arm that can reach the upper 90s, but still pitch comfortably in the 91-95 mph range. He has a slider that’s improving, as well as a changeup.
“It really helped his progress when he committed solely to baseball,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “He’s a got a great arm. He just hasn’t pitched that much. I think he can definitely help us down the line.”
CINCINNATI—The Reds have always believed that lefthander Amir Garrett had a bright future in baseball, it just took a while for the 6-foot-5 Garrett to commit.
Despite signing a $1 million bonus after the Reds took him in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft, Garrett continued his flirtation with basketball.
It wasn’t unreasonable as Garrett was a top-100 recruit in the 2011 high school basketball class and the California native went to St. John’s to play basketball in the Big East.
Garrett played in 22 games for the Red Storm as a freshman, but decided to transfer after his sophomore year, eventually winding up at Cal State Northridge. Although he enrolled at CSUN and attended classes there, he never played for Reggie Theus, sitting out a year after transferring. Despite the possibility of playing for the Matadors, Garrett attended his first spring for the Reds this year, but still kept the basketball door open.
It wasn’t until Aug. 8 that Garrett took to Twitter to make a public declaration of his decision to focus solely on baseball.
In his first start as a one-sport athlete, Garrett threw seven scoreless for the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League, allowing three hits and a walk, while striking out a season-high 12 batters.
Garrett finished the season 7-8, 3.64 in 27 starts, striking out 127 and walking 51 in 133 1/3 innings. The Reds added him to their 40-man roster, showing their commitment.
It’s easy to see why: he’s long, lefthanded, has a fresh arm that can reach the upper 90s, but still pitch comfortably in the 91-95 mph range. He has a slider that’s improving, as well as a changeup.
“It really helped his progress when he committed solely to baseball,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “He’s a got a great arm. He just hasn’t pitched that much. I think he can definitely help us down the line.”
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
Not to knock Amir for any of his decisions...but in the end, will it all be worth it?
What if he never makes it to the bigs and is a career minor leaguer? Will it all be worth it to make 25-30K a year, and then end up being retired at 34yrs old with no college degree?
Sure, he got a $1M signing bonus, but $1M isn't that much nowadays.....
What if he never makes it to the bigs and is a career minor leaguer? Will it all be worth it to make 25-30K a year, and then end up being retired at 34yrs old with no college degree?
Sure, he got a $1M signing bonus, but $1M isn't that much nowadays.....
Definitely worth it. Amir is presently on the Reds 40 man roster for Spring Training and is due to sign a new contract. Because he is now totally committed to baseball and how he performed last year, you can believe that he will get a substantial bonus.
Additionally, Amir has completed 3 years of college and plans to take classes every off season until he graduates. This means that by the time he is 25 or 26 years old he will have a college degree along with having earned a couple of million dollars. Seems like a good deal to me.
Amir is no different than the many juniors drafted from four year schools last year who elected to play pro baseball. He can always go back and get his degree, heck Minor League ball ended at the end of August (not counting play-offs) and unless he was sent to the Instructional League, he could have taken a full load of credits this fall.
Don't expect him to get any type of bonus. He is a minor league player, not a free agent, and will get the standard minor league pay. Bonuses are only for those coming out of college and in the Majors.
buckethead
Well-known member
just a recent blurb - sounds like he is doing well
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/cincinnati-reds/page/2
Reds prospect Amir Garrett has thrived after giving up basketball this past year, writes MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. Cincinnati selected Garrett in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft and allowed him to play college basketball as well, but the left-hander explained to Sheldon why he elected to give his full attention to one sport for the first time in his life. Reds player development director Jeff Graupe tells Sheldon that the shift to focus solely on baseball is a large reason behind Garrett’s 2.86 ERA over his final 14 starts. Now on the 40-man roster, Garrett will be in big league camp for the first time in 2015.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/cincinnati-reds/page/2
Reds prospect Amir Garrett has thrived after giving up basketball this past year, writes MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. Cincinnati selected Garrett in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft and allowed him to play college basketball as well, but the left-hander explained to Sheldon why he elected to give his full attention to one sport for the first time in his life. Reds player development director Jeff Graupe tells Sheldon that the shift to focus solely on baseball is a large reason behind Garrett’s 2.86 ERA over his final 14 starts. Now on the 40-man roster, Garrett will be in big league camp for the first time in 2015.
7. Amir Garrett, lhp
This is another write-up on him:
Born: May 3, 1992. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.:210. Drafted: HS—Henderson, Nev., 2011 (22nd round). Signed by: Clark Crist.
Background: When the Reds signed Garrett for $1 million as a 22nd-round pick in 2011 they hoped that one day he would give up his basketball career to focus on baseball. After playing hoops for two seasons at St. John’s and spending one year sitting out as a transfer at Cal State Northridge, Garrett attended spring training for the first time in 2014, decided to focus on baseball and went 5-4, 2.86 at low Class A Dayton during the second half.
Scouting Report: No Reds pitcher improved more in 2014. Garrett showed erratic control early, but in the second half he consistently showed a plus fastball (92-95 mph) that is pretty straight but that he can throw to both sides of the plate. He throws a slurvy slider that is a bigger breaker than ideal but it does have some power. Some scouts think it’s too much of a chase pitch, but most see it as an average offering with a chance to end up as plus. Garrett’s changeup is erratic, but at its best it’s a fringe-average offering that is a little firm. His control has improved dramatically, but his command still has a way to go. With extremely long legs and arms, the 6-foot-5 lefty has to work to repeat his delivery, and he’s slow to the plate.
The Future: Given that he’ll be 23 in 2015, Garrett could end up as a power reliever with a plus fastball and potentially plus slider. But he could grow to be a mid-rotation starter if he continues making strides.
This is another write-up on him:
Born: May 3, 1992. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.:210. Drafted: HS—Henderson, Nev., 2011 (22nd round). Signed by: Clark Crist.
Background: When the Reds signed Garrett for $1 million as a 22nd-round pick in 2011 they hoped that one day he would give up his basketball career to focus on baseball. After playing hoops for two seasons at St. John’s and spending one year sitting out as a transfer at Cal State Northridge, Garrett attended spring training for the first time in 2014, decided to focus on baseball and went 5-4, 2.86 at low Class A Dayton during the second half.
Scouting Report: No Reds pitcher improved more in 2014. Garrett showed erratic control early, but in the second half he consistently showed a plus fastball (92-95 mph) that is pretty straight but that he can throw to both sides of the plate. He throws a slurvy slider that is a bigger breaker than ideal but it does have some power. Some scouts think it’s too much of a chase pitch, but most see it as an average offering with a chance to end up as plus. Garrett’s changeup is erratic, but at its best it’s a fringe-average offering that is a little firm. His control has improved dramatically, but his command still has a way to go. With extremely long legs and arms, the 6-foot-5 lefty has to work to repeat his delivery, and he’s slow to the plate.
The Future: Given that he’ll be 23 in 2015, Garrett could end up as a power reliever with a plus fastball and potentially plus slider. But he could grow to be a mid-rotation starter if he continues making strides.