Brad Peacock, BA’s #9 International League Prospect

As predicted earlier this week, Brad Peacock appeared on a second list (wouldn’t want to draw up 20 unique prospects for each level – who’d want that?) issued by the folks at Baseball America — coming in at #9.

As expected/feared, Peacock was the sole National on the list.

Here’s the highlight from the scouting report:

Displaying excellent arm action, Peacock sits at 93-94 mph and touches 97 with his sinking and tailing fastball. While scouts preferred his changeup to his curveball in the Eastern League, the reverse was true in the IL, where evaluators rated his curve as a plus pitch. He tends to lose his delivery at times, which led to struggles with his command in Syracuse.

As you might expect for a late bloomer such as Peacock, the opinions vary regarding his future. As we saw earlier this week, John Manuel of BA thinks he could be the #3 starter for the Nationals. Keith Law has been adamant since last fall that he’s a reliever not a starter.
And, of course, I was able to find a scouting report that says he could be either.

Ultimately, I think the silver lining is that it’s nice to have a pitcher that looks like he’s going to contribute one way or another as opposed to the long line of guys that might be able to fulfill a narrowly defined need. As always, if I spot something in this evening’s chat, I’ll update this post.

UPDATE:
One question in the chat, but not about Peacock…

Q [Jim from Miami]: What are your thoughts on Tom Milone? He had a nice season in Syracuse then pitched fairly well in 5 starts in Washington. Do you think he can be a contributor for the Nationals, both short-term and long-term?

A [James Bailey]: Milone has exceptional control and command. He walked just 16 hitters in 148 IP for Syracuse while striking out 155. That’s outstanding at any level. His command was the best in the league, and his changeup may have been. But … his fastball runs only 88-91 mph. He doesn’t have the same margin for error that a lot of the guys who throw harder have. I think he can be a contributor as a back-of-the-rotation guy or long man.