MLB.com: Tyler Skaggs top left-handed pitching prospect
Jan 22, 2013, 9:52 PM | Updated: 10:09 pm
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system has been known for its surplus of quality arms, and while they dealt one of them in the offseason, there is not exactly a dearth of talent there.
And according to MLB.com Tyler Skaggs, who is one of their prospects, is the best left-handed pitching prospect in the game.
Skaggs was taken 40th overall by the Angels in 2009 and signed for $1 million. He was then traded to the D-backs in 2010 as part of the Dan Haren trade and he has established himself as one of the top young lefties in the game. Skaggs, who started the Futures Game in 2011, pitched well at two Minor League levels in 2012 before making his Major League debut. He has excellent command of all of his pitches, which include a plus curveball and changeup to go with a good fastball. When Arizona parted ways with Trevor Bauer in a trade with Cleveland, Skaggs became the no-doubt-about-it top pitching prospect in the D-backs system.
Skaggs made his Major League debut with the D-backs last season, going 1-3 with a 5.83 ERA in six starts. Still, his potential likely helped in the team’s decision to part with top prospect Trevor Bauer, and it’s apparent the team is not alone in its high hopes for the young lefty.