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Meet Your '09 ASU Baseball Team: Starting Pitchers

By ASUBoyd

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ASU Starting Pitchers:

Mike Leake, 6-0, 180, RHP, Jr.

via www.azcentral.com

Our #1 starter. MLB Draft: Selected in the seventh round (218th overall pick) by the Oakland Athletics in the 2006 MLB Draft, but chose to come to ASU. Pre-Season 1st Team All-American

Stats:

Career Pitching Stats at Arizona State:

Year ERA G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER BB SO Opp/Avg
2007 3.69 25 13 2 13 2 1 127.0 126 59 52 29 94 .258
2008 3.49 19 16 2 11 3 1 121.1 118 61 47 20 104 .254
TOTAL 3.59 44 29 4 24 5 2 248.1 244 120 99 49 198 .256

Career Batting Stats at Arizona State:

Year Avg. GP/S AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO OBP SB/A PO A E F%
2007 .176 25/4 17 1 3 1 0 0 5 4 .235 0 1 1 .200 0/0 30 29 2 .967
2008 .340 31/14 47 16 16 3 1 2 11 27 .574 12 3 9 .500 2/4 77 46 9 .932
TOTAL .297 56 64 17 19 4 1 2 16 31 .484 12 4 10 .427 2/4 107 75 11 .943

Widely considered either a 1st or 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft, Leake has 5 pitches. His fastball, a sinker, a slider, a curve, and a change. He is a stud and should only improve on the numbers he put up as a sophomore.

Josh Spence, 6'1, 170, Jr. (Tr.) LHP

Spence, a native Australian, was 27-7 in his junior college career with 327 strikeouts vs. 43 walks. He was a 25th-round pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2008 draft. MLB Draft: Selected in the 25th round (768th pick overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft.

Career Pitching Stats at Central Arizona:

Year ERA G GS W L SV IP H R ER BB SO
2007 1.10 20 16 13 3 2 131.1 86 23 16 24 149
2008 1.69 27 17 14 4 7 138.2 109 37 26 19 178
TOTAL 1.40 47 33 27 7 9 270.0 196 60 42 43 327

Spence, the #2, has already pitched two starts, the last one against #10 Missouri where he put together a 7 inning, 13 K performance, throwing 125 pitches!

"For Spence to pitch that well, 13 strikeouts, you don't see that with a guy throwing 82 miles an hour," ASU coach Pat Murphy said. "He'll throw his fastball 85-86 (mph), and it looks like 106 because you're seeing so much slow stuff."

A typical lefty in terms of stuff, he certainly fools hitters. One of the top JC recruits in the country, already proving he can pitch at this level. 13 innings pitched, 19 Ks so far, so good.

Seth Blair, 6'2, 190, Soph., RHP

Sophomore coming off a pretty weak debut season. Pitched well in the cape cod league. MLB Draft: Selected in the 47th round (1,388th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft.

Career Pitching Stats at Arizona State:

Year ERA G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER BB SO Opp/Avg
2008 6.96 19 10 0 4 2 1 54.2 79 52 42 22 34 .338

Will most likely improve upon his not-so-stellar frosh season.

Jason Franzblau, 5-10, 200, Sr., RHP

Will be the 4th starter if we go to a 4 man rotation. So far we have been on a three man rotation. Transfer from Winthrop.

Career Stats at Winthrop:

Year ERA G GS W L SV IP H R ER BB SO
2006 3.30 22 6 4 1 0 62.2 60 31 23 28 42
2007 3.13 19 16 8 4 1 112.0 109 51 39 28 90
Totals 3.20 41 22 12 5 1 174.2 169 82 62 56 132

Career Pitching Stats at Arizona State:

Year ERA G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER BB SO Opp/Avg
2008 5.62 15 6 0 0 1 1 32.0 35 23 20 16 29 .273

Overall Career Stats:

Year ERA G GS W L SV IP H R ER BB SO
2006 3.30 22 6 4 1 0 62.2 60 31 23 28 42
2007 3.13 19 16 8 4 1 112.0 109 51 39 28 90
2008 5.62 15 6 0 1 1 32.0 35 23 20 16 29
Totals 3.58 56 28 12 6 2 206.2 204 105 82 72 161

Has not started since 2007, but will probably produce decent enough.

This makes up the 2009 rotation. Leake and Spence are a wicked 1-2 punch, and the last two guys should imrpove upon their 2008s. While the starting rotation is pretty new, it has started off awfully strong.

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