Kam Mickolio Pitcher
Anyone need an outside linebacker or speed-rushing defensive end? Mickolio, 23, has the build to qualify at 6-9, 256 pounds. But the Orioles will use him as a right-handed pitcher. The Mariners selected Mickolio in the 18th round of the 2006 draft. The Montana native worked out of the bullpen last year and dominated in Double-A, going 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA and two saves in 18 games. He earned a promotion to Triple-A and went 3-3 with a 3.75 ERA and one save in 14 games, with 28 strikeouts in 24 innings. That's impressive progress for a pitcher who didn't play baseball until the summer before his senior year in high school, when he joined an American Legion team. Baseball America rated Mickolio as Seattle's 18th-best prospect this year and noted that he throws a power sinker that registers between 92 and 97 mph from a low three-quarters arm slot. He doesn't give hitters a very good look from home plate because of a cross-body throwing motion. He needs to improve his slider and changeup to make him more effective against left-handed batters.
Quotable
Callis: "Right now, he lives off one pitch, but that pitch is a 92-97 mph sinker that makes him pretty nasty as a reliever."
MINORS
Team Year W L ERA G GS IP H ER HR BB SO
W. Tenn. (AA) 2007 3 1 1.82 18 0 29 2/3 24 6 0 12 27
Tacoma (AAA) 2007 3 3 3.75 14 0 24 19 10 3 10 28
Totals 6 4 2.70 32 0 53 2/3 43 16 3 22 55 Chris Tillman Pitcher
The 19-year-old right-hander was a second-round selection in the 2006 draft out of Fountain Valley, Calif. In two minor league seasons, the 6-foot-5 pitcher is 10-14 with a 4.93 ERA in 38 appearances (33 starts). Baseball America rated Tillman as Seattle's No. 3 prospect heading into this year. He has never pitched above the high Single-A level and made only eight appearances at low Single-A Wisconsin before the Mariners bumped him up. Tillman went 6-7 with a 5.26 ERA in 20 starts at High Desert of the California League. He's praised for having a clean delivery and an above-average four-seam fastball that touches 94 mph. His curveball, however, is regarded as his strikeout pitch. Tillman still is working on a changeup. The Mariners were likely going to start him at Double-A this year. Scouts mostly project him as a middle-of-the-rotation starter who could climb higher. At this young age, his ceiling still is being determined.
Quotable
Callis: "He's your classic young, projectable pitching prospect. He's 6 feet 5 and 195 pounds and he's just 19, so he can get a lot stronger."
MINORS
Team Year W L ERA G GS IP H ER HR BB SO
High Dsrt. (A) 2007 6 7 5.26 20 20 102 2/3 107 60 12 48 105
Wisconsin (A) 2007 1 4 3.55 8 8 33 31 13 1 13 34
Totals 2007 7 11 4.85 28 28 135 2/3 138 73 13 61 139