Born: April 10, 1993 (21)
Height: 6-4 Weight: 200+
Throws Left
Drafted in the 7th round 2011, and signed out of Lawrence FS KS high school with a bonus of $800,000
Surprised to see that there's no thread for this kid. He's been in the system since 2011 and even has a DUI arrest (charges dropped.) He's making his first start at Salem today and is a high-ceiling young lefty, with control/character issues and we could be ignoring the next Bo Belinsky.
Kukuk wasn't signed until mid-August of his draft year, and then, the following spring was suspended from baseball activities after a DUI arrest in Ft. Myers in May 2012. (Charges dropped because of lack of probable cause for being stopped) So he lost out on almost a year of early development.
Kukuk is however a high-ceiling prospect with a fastball with movement, that sits in the low-90s and touching 94/95. He has slider-in-progress that is slightly sloppy but has fooled a lot of 19/20 year-olds. And has worked successfully on a change-up. He's been hard to hit, so far, by batters in the GCL and Low A. His K/9 rate has always been over 9. His problem has been control; last year, in 24 starts at Greenville his BB/9 was 6.8, but in 24 IP at the same level, this year, he lowered his BB/9 to 4.5 and that earned him his promotion to Salem.
He's described as having an "easy delivery," and youtube clips confirm this; the type of pitcher who looks like he's making a lazy warm up toss until the ball comes in at 93. The DUI arrest may have been the proverbial blessing-in-disguise for a 19 year old kid who thought he knew it all (and had $800 grand in the bank). Although less of a certainty, he may have the highest ceiling of any Sox pitching prospect at A+ or above (even Owens), although the thing to watch is if he can get his BB/9 to 4.0 or lower.
Height: 6-4 Weight: 200+
Throws Left
Drafted in the 7th round 2011, and signed out of Lawrence FS KS high school with a bonus of $800,000
Surprised to see that there's no thread for this kid. He's been in the system since 2011 and even has a DUI arrest (charges dropped.) He's making his first start at Salem today and is a high-ceiling young lefty, with control/character issues and we could be ignoring the next Bo Belinsky.
Kukuk wasn't signed until mid-August of his draft year, and then, the following spring was suspended from baseball activities after a DUI arrest in Ft. Myers in May 2012. (Charges dropped because of lack of probable cause for being stopped) So he lost out on almost a year of early development.
Kukuk is however a high-ceiling prospect with a fastball with movement, that sits in the low-90s and touching 94/95. He has slider-in-progress that is slightly sloppy but has fooled a lot of 19/20 year-olds. And has worked successfully on a change-up. He's been hard to hit, so far, by batters in the GCL and Low A. His K/9 rate has always been over 9. His problem has been control; last year, in 24 starts at Greenville his BB/9 was 6.8, but in 24 IP at the same level, this year, he lowered his BB/9 to 4.5 and that earned him his promotion to Salem.
He's described as having an "easy delivery," and youtube clips confirm this; the type of pitcher who looks like he's making a lazy warm up toss until the ball comes in at 93. The DUI arrest may have been the proverbial blessing-in-disguise for a 19 year old kid who thought he knew it all (and had $800 grand in the bank). Although less of a certainty, he may have the highest ceiling of any Sox pitching prospect at A+ or above (even Owens), although the thing to watch is if he can get his BB/9 to 4.0 or lower.
