19 replies to this topic

[PeeplesPerson]

Brock Huntzinger, RHP



Born: July 2, 1988
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 215
Hometown: Pendleton, Indiana
High school: Pendleton (Ind.) High School
Acquired: 2007 Amateur Draft (third round, 114th pick overall)
Position: Pitcher
Throws: Right

Huntzinger was a highly regarded right-handed pitching prospect coming out of high school. Prior to his senior campaign, he was named to the Rawlings/Perfect Game All-High School First Team (Central Region), and he certainly lived up to the hype. Here's how Huntzinger's hometown newspaper summed up his accomplishments shortly after the 2007 draft:

Huntzinger helped the Class 3A Arabians (20-6) capture the Hoosier Heritage Conference title in his final prep season, marking the team’s fourth championship in five years. The 210-pound ace posted a 7-1 record in 10 appearances and logged two saves. Huntzinger amassed 95 strikeouts, walked seven versus 202 batters faced and carried a 0.29 ERA. In his four-year prep career, Huntzinger was 26-6 and compiled 257 strikeouts in 201 innings pitched. Registering in the mid-90s with his fastball and newly installed slider, Huntzinger pitched under the attentive eyes of several MLB scouts this season.

It's worth noting that Huntzinger's slider is a relatively new acquisition, because it's already one of the best weapons in his arsenal. Here's the scouting report from SoxProspects.com:

Big righty with an easy over-the-top motion. His delivery starts off real slow but the ball comes out of his hand smoothly, wasting little motion. Very polished and advanced for his age. Fastball sits around 89 mph, tops out at 92 mph, and has some late movement on it. While the velocity is essentially low 90s, its deceptively fast because of his easy delivery. His fastball topped out at 95 mph in high school, but has lost a little life due to minor tweaking of his mechanics. The organization expects the he might get back up to 95 mph in the next couple years. Also mixes in a tight slider that sits between 79-83 mph. His slider is a wipeout pitch - when its up in the zone, it flattens out and almost acts as a slurve. When he keeps it down, less-advanced hitters will look overmatched. His changeup is still a w work in progress and sits between 77-79 mph. Pounds the zone with excellent command and control. Needs to work on pitching out of the stretch and maintaining velocity deep into games, or he may project more as a reliever. Hard worker, loves the game. Probably can pack some muscle to his frame.

Huntzinger, who had committed to pitch for Indiana University, signed with the Sox for $225,000 on June 29, 2007, and got his feet wet by pitching 7 innings over 4 games for the GCL Sox before shutting it down for the year. This year, he was assigned to Lowell, where he is off to an impressive start.

Here are his numbers through July 9, 2008:

Brock Huntzinger

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LOW	NYP	2	0	0.69	5	5	0	0	0	26.0	16	2	2	1	2	22	0.72	.172

Lowell has had him pitching primarily in five-inning stints, though he went six on July 9. It will be interesting to see whether Huntzinger maintains his dominance as more advanced college hitters begin to fill out team rosters throughout the NYPL. If he does, will the organization promote him to Greenville for a few starts before the season ends?

I'll do my best to post regular updates after Huntzinger's starts, as well as links to any writeups about him in the papers.

[Cuzittt]

Lowell has had him pitching primarily in five-inning stints, though he went six on July 9. It will be interesting to see whether Huntzinger maintains his dominance as more advanced college hitters begin to fill out team rosters throughout the NYPL. If he does, will the organization promote him to Greenville for a few starts before the season ends?

Past history with the Sox says this is unlikely, especially for a HS pitcher in his second year (first full year).

[PeeplesPerson]

Huntzinger pitched five scoreless innings today against Auburn. He struck out three and walked none. Brock allowed three hits, all singles. Of balls in play, four resulted in ground outs and seven in air outs, included two popups. His ERA has dropped to 0.58.

Season stats:

Brock Huntzinger

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LOW	NYP	3	0	0.58	6	6	0	0	0	31.0	19	2	2	1	2	25	0.69	.171

Huntzinger's simply dominating the competition so far at this level--a very promising start to the season!

Edit: For context, Huntzinger's WHIP and ERA are both good for second in the league, though he has two more appearances than the league leader (P.J. Dean of Vermont).

Edited by PeeplesPerson, 14 July 2008 - 09:20 PM.

[PeeplesPerson]

Another win for Brock today as he pitched 6 innings of 1-hit ball in a rain-shortened affair against the Tri-City Valley Cats. The complete line: 6IP, 0ER, 4K, 3BB, 8/6 GO/FO. Huntzinger's ERA is now at 0.49, good for tops in the league. The 3 walks were uncharacteristic and more than doubled his season total.

Season stats:

Brock Huntzinger, 2008 Season Stats

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LOW	NYP	4	0	0.49	7	7	1	1	0	37.0	20	2	2	1	5	29	0.78	.154

[youkfan20]

Huntzinger looks like a beast so far. Can't wait to see more of him in MILB ST next year.

[PeeplesPerson]

These comments from poster Cem21 over at SoxProspects.com may be of interest to those who haven't had a chance to see Huntzinger pitch first-hand:

Huntzinger has been interesting. He's pretty much pounded the zone with fastballs this season. Around 75% or so in the outings I have seen and listened to on the radio. Huntzinger has pretty good fastball command for his age. He's able to locate on the black pretty well to freeze hitters/produce weak contact. He gets swings and misses on it up in the zone along with late foul balls. Huntzinger's fastball moves very well when it is down and hitters have just had trouble with it in general. All the while: His fastball has been pretty much clocked 87-89. It will jump up to 90-91 on some offerings, maybe touch 92 on a pitch, but by and large it sits around 88. It looks a lot faster. It jumps on the hitters and you'd swear it's a 95+ heater when you see the reactions from the hitters.

His secondary pitches need a little refinement and that is why I personally think you'll see him spend the season at Lowell. He's thrown his slider, but off the top of my head, I can't remember it being thrown for a strike. Usually it is down in the dirt and when it has been in the zone it's more of a slurve. He's gotten good results when it is down in the dirt. Huntzinger's change is raw. Best way to describe it. Not much in terms of seperation from his fastball. Sometimes, it is tough to tell if it is actually a change up because it has come in at 85 with the previous fastball being 88.

SoxProspect posters are debating what the organization should/will do with Huntzinger this season and next in this thread.

[BCsMightyJoeYoung]

From BP's Kevin Goldstein today :

While Boston is known for big spending in the draft, they've also done well with their more 'standard' picks, for lack of a better term. They didn't pay extra for Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, or Michael Bowden in 2005, or for Justin Masterson the following year. Last year's third-round pick who signed for a slot-level $225,000 bonus, Huntzinger is a big, projectable right-hander from Indiana with excellent command of low-90s fastball, a slider that flashes plus, and a changeup still in the developmental stages. That combination has been one of the stories of the New York-Penn League this year, as Huntzinger went six one-hit innings on Sunday to lower his ERA to a minuscule 0.49 in seven starts for the Spinners. In all seven outings, Huntziner has gone five-plus innings, allowing one run only once, and has yet to give up more hits than innings pitched as the league is batting .154 against him. That kind of consistency is hard to find at this level, and he's another name to know in a very good system.

http://www.baseballp...?articleid=7834

[free for awhile I believe]

[PeeplesPerson]

There was a short article on Huntzinger's success in the NYPL in his hometown newspaper today. Brock gave a little insight into the things he's been working on this year:

“My changeup has gotten 100 times better than before. I never actually threw a changeup, but here you have to because anybody can hit a fastball,” said Huntzinger, who owned the state’s lowest ERA at 0.16 to conclude his prep career before signing with Boston on June 12, 2007. “Everything is coming along well. I have a lot more confidence in my changeup then I ever have.”

He’s also tweaked his approach, slowing down his delivery while focusing on the bigger picture — consistency.

“I’ve changed my mechanics a little bit, just slowing things down, trying to refine everything. The biggest thing I’ve been working on is commanding my fastball. Command is the biggest thing I’m working on. It’s kind of like a work in progress,” Huntzinger said.

[SouthPaw21]

Kevin Goldstein did a chat over at Baseball Prospectus (Free Week), and talked about Brock

Jack (Boston): Brock Huntzinger has been putting up video game numbers in Lowell. Is there any chance he will be promoted to Greenville before the year is up?

Kevin Goldstein: What's the rush? He's doing very well for sure, and maybe you do it, but it's no crime to let him just dominate for now and build for his full-season debut.

[SoxScout]

Single-A Lowell starter Brock Huntzinger was promoted to Greenville after yesterday’s game. The Red Sox’ 2007 third-round pick was 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA for the Spinners. . . .

Herald

[SoxScout]

After making his Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League debut last month with the Lowell Spinners, Brock Huntzinger seemingly had no where else to go but up.

Saturday, the Boston Red Sox organization decided that time was now, promoting the right-handed pitcher to the Low A Greenville Drive, a member of the South Atlantic League, following an impressive stint for the Spinners.

"It's a done deal," said Pendleton Heights head baseball coach Bill Stoudt, who spoke with Huntzinger shortly after the announcement. "It's a good thing. He's so determined to get (to the majors) and advance as fast as possible. Again, it's going to be a new challenge. He just hopes that things go well."

Tuesday, Huntzinger threw a side session in the bullpen as the Spinners returned to Lowell after completing a road series in Vermont.

Today, he will fly to Georgia to join the Greenville. He is projected to start his first game for the Drive on Sunday.

"It's been a good situation," Huntzinger remarked on July 18 while a member of the Spinners. "It's been a lot of fun. I'm having pretty good success right now, so hopefully that keeps up."

http://www.theherald...eyword=topstory

Edited by SoxScout, 30 July 2008 - 01:13 AM.

[PeeplesPerson]

Brock Huntzinger has pitched twice since my last update. He picked the win on July 25 in his last start for Lowell, pitching five innings against the Vermont Lake Monsters and giving up five hits and just one run. He struck out three and walked two. Huntzinger fared less well in his Greenville debut on August 4. He pitched just three innings, allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits, one walk, and four home runs, and was tagged with his first loss of the 2008 campaign. Charleston hitters hit Huntzinger to the tune of .417--definitely not an auspicious introduction to the Sally League! Time will tell how much of this was nerves or perhaps rust from the extended layoff between starts.

This table includes Brock's final stats for Lowell, plus his Greenville stats--it tells a tale that Janus would appreciate:

Season stats:

Brock Huntzinger, 2008 Season Stats

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LOW	NYP	5	0	0.64	8	8	1	1	0	42.0	25	3	3	1	7	32	0.72	.168
GRE	SAL	0	1	21.00	1	1	0	0	0	3.0	8	8	7	4	1	0	1.00	.471

[PeeplesPerson]

Huntzinger showed improvement in his second start for Greenville tonight, pitching five innings (against old friend Miguel Socolovich, no less) and picking up his first win in the Sally League. He gave up two runs on five hits, including one home run, walked one batter, and struck out two.

Brock Huntzinger, 2008 Season Stats

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LOW	NYP	5	0	0.64	8	8	1	1	0	42.0	25	3	3	1	7	32	0.72	.168
GRE	SAL	1	1	10.13	2	2	0	0	0	8.0	13	10	9	5	2	2	0.91	.361

[PeeplesPerson]

Further signs of adapting to the new level in Huntzinger's third low-A start, which took place against W. Va. on Friday night.

The line: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Huntzinger did not figure in the decision.

Brock Huntzinger, 2008 Season Stats

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LOW	NYP	5	0	0.64	8	8	1	1	0	42.0	25	3	3	1	7	32	0.72	.168
GRE	SAL	1	1	6.92	3	3	0	0	0	15.0	16	11	10	5	3	3	0.84	.296

[phrenile]

Huntzinger's home-town paper runs an article about him (Herald Bulletin):

...
One Red Sox scouting Web site projects Huntzinger to join Lester in Boston by 2012.

The hard-throwing right-hander has won seven of his first 11 pro decisions and posted a 3.09 ERA. He split last year between two Class A teams in the Red Sox organization.

Huntzinger was 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA in eight starts at lower level Lowell before finishing the season 2-3 with a 7.09 ERA at High-A Greenville. He threw 68 2/3 innings between the two stops and said fatigue was a factor late in the season.

“I felt really good about (the season),” Huntzinger said. “But I was scuffling a little towards the end. I threw a lot of innings, and I was getting tired toward the end. It’s a grind.”

Huntzinger, who will turn 21 in July, threw a 95-mph fastball at Pendleton Heights. His velocity has dipped to around 92 as a pro, but that’s been attributed to a change in his mechanics. He has a slider that acts more like a slurve high in the zone, and he’s been mastering a changeup since he was drafted.

Command is an issue, as it is for most young pitchers, but his early performances have sent expectations soaring.
...
Huntzinger said he expects to start the season back at Greenville, a city he enjoyed during his six starts with the Drive last year.

“I loved it,” he said. “It was awesome. Their field has the exact same dimensions as Fenway (Park, in Boston). I loved the town. It was big enough, but it wasn’t dirty and grimy.”

[champain2002]

In his first start of the season he allowed a run on four hits while striking out three in 5.0 innings in Greenville's 15 inning 2-1 victory over Hickory. Hickory had come into town after having won 3 out of 4 from Bowling Green in the first four games of their schedule, pitching a no-hitter, a shutout, and a 9-2 victory.
greenvilledrive.com
Hickory Crawdads website

[ItOnceWasMyLife]

Brock will start 2010 in high A Salem. With a name like Brock, he has to be good.

[SoxScout]

GREENSBORO, N.C.--Salem Red Sox RHS Brock Huntzinger has been voted the Carolina League's Topps Player of the Month for May in a poll of the managers.

In his six May starts, Huntzinger went 5-0, with an ERA of 1.59 in 34 innings. He allowed only six earned runs during the month, while striking out 16. The league batted .193 against him in May. Cumulatively for the season, Huntzinger is 5-3 in 11 starts with a 2.83 ERA.

34 IP, 16 K, 10 BB

[PaulinMyrBch]

Brock is on the Carolina League All Star roster, game Tuesday, June 22 here in Myrtle Beach.

Carolina League AS's play California League AS's.

Edit: He pitched the third inning, gave up a single and a bomb. Two outs were liners to first, one very hard hit. The fb was 90-91, the secondary (not sure what it was) was 82, all the hard hit balls were off the secondary.

Edited by PaulinMyrBch, 23 June 2010 - 04:13 PM.

[mabrowndog]

Article from Kevin Thomas on Brock's move to the bullpen

Sea Dogs pitching coach Bob Kipper remembers when he switched roles while pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And Kipper understood when Brock Huntzinger approached him recently about moving from the rotation to the bullpen.

Huntzinger, 23, a starter since he was drafted out of high school in 2007, appeared stalled as a starter.

"I really feel like I'm better suited for the bullpen," he said.

Huntzinger, like former Sea Dogs pitcher Alex Wilson, mixes a fastball and slider, with the change-up a work in progress.

Not surprisingly, the Red Sox have talked about moving both pitchers to the bullpen. And last week, both were taken out of their rotations, Wilson in Pawtucket and Huntzinger with the Sea Dogs.

The two were teammates at the beginning of last season. Wilson texted Huntzinger last week:

"I'm in the bullpen."

Huntzinger: "yeah, me too."

Wilson: "How do you feel about it?"

Huntzinger: "Whatever gets me up there."