Article: Twins Draft Preview: Kyle Funkhouser

[Nick Nelson]

You can never have too much pitching.

 

It's an old cliche that continues to be repeated, and for good reason: it's true. So even with Minnesota's system experiencing a renaissance of sorts in terms of quality arms, you can be certain that the Twins are closely evaluating several starting pitchers as they look ahead to this year's draft.

 

One name they're surely in on is Kyle Funkhouser.Who Is This Guy?

 

The University of Louisville has churned out some high-profile arms in recent years, with one example being Nick Burdi, Minnesota's second-round selection last June. Many believe that Funkhouser is the best talent to come along yet.

 

A sturdily built right-hander at 6'3" and 220 lbs, Funkhouser headed to Louisville after being named Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois as a senior in high school. He found immediate success in the collegiate ranks, appearing in 22 games (six starts) as a freshman and posting a 2.14 ERA while averaging more than a strikeout per inning. The following season, Funkhouser became a full-time starter and won a school-record 13 games with a 1.94 ERA, while also boosting his K-rate and allowing only two homers in 120 innings.

 

Entering this season, he was widely viewed as a Top 5 pick in the MLB draft, but his stock has wavered a bit. At this point, most expect him to be available when the Twins pick at No. 6.

 

Why the Twins Will Pick Him

 

A deep and robust well of pitching talent in the minors is critical to any organization's long-term success, and the Twins -- who have used three of their last four first-round picks on position players -- could give their collection of pitching prospects another jolt by adding Funkhouser to the mix.

 

As an extremely successful hurler at a major college program, the 22-year-old is about as close to the majors as any starting pitcher in this year's draft. That might entice the Twins, who are suddenly shifting back into a competitive mindset with a winning record and top prospects on the verge of graduating.

 

Funkhouser's calling card has been throwing the ball past hitters. With a power fastball that sits in the mid-90s, he attacks aggressively. His 122 strikeouts last year were third-most in Louisville history, and he started his 2015 campaign with a 12-K performance against Alabama State in February.

 

Scouts have lauded his size and his mechanics as the kind prototypical big-league starters bring to the table, and he already has a solid repertoire of four pitches he can use.

 

Funkhouser didn't commit fully to baseball until his junior year in high school, and didn't start throwing his slider – now considered his best secondary offering – until he was in college, so there's still seemingly some room for growth and improvement despite his age.

 

Why the Twins Will Not Pick Him

 

Funkhouser has been enduring a difficult stretch in recent weeks. In the latter half of the college season, his velocity has dropped and his results have deteriorated; his ERA has risen from 1.96 to 3.29 over his last six starts.

 

"You've got to be a little bit concerned," he said earlier this week. "I've been pitching so well for so long. This is pretty much the roughest couple weeks of my career, honestly."

 

With the draft approaching, the timing could not be worse for him, as clubs must now weigh Funkhouser's mysterious struggles along with pre-existing questions about his iffy command.

 

It could be an opportunity to bring in a premium young arm at a relative value. Or it could be too large a risk at the sixth pick.

 

Most recent mock drafts – including Jeremy's here earlier this week – have Funkhouser going in the teens.

 

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[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

I wouldn't pay too much attention to his previous years numbers. The loss in velocity scares too much for a pick this high. I'm guessing there is an underlying injury there. Unless the velocity comes back before the draft magically, stay away. Take the best bat available, that is a competent fielder.

[Nick Nelson]

I don't remember where, but I saw someone compare Funkhouser to Michael Wacha -- a guy who everyone thought would be a top pick, but fell to the Cards at 19 in 2012 because of some question marks leading up to the draft. We all know how that turned out.

 

Not saying it's the same situation, but something to keep in mind when evaluating a guy's recent results compared to his long-term track record.

[jimmer]

Ow, we want the Funk
Give up the Funk
Ow, we need the Funk
We gotta have that Funk

[Mike Sixel]

He's plummeting down boards, just don't see it.

[jimmer]

 

He's plummeting down boards, just don't see it.

Not going to stop me from singing the song

Edited May 28, 2015 by jimmer

[d-mac]

Stay away here. His K/9 and BB/9 are pretty pedestrian for a college pitcher at 6 overall. 

[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

It would be one thing if his numbers were just a little worse this year, as that's not a big deal, as long as he's the same pitcher. But, a pitcher isn't the same guy he used to be once he starts losing velocity. He can still be good, but can't be viewed as he was before.

 

Verlander, Sabathia, Lincecum, etc. doesn't matter their handednes or size, once they lose velocity they just can't be viewed as what they once were. You can still be a good pitcher womithout great velocity, but every pitcher tends to be not quite as good with every tick on the clock they lose. It makes their breaking and off speed stuff less tricky too.

 

Jonathon Gray was a beast in college a few years ago. He's lost velocity and had been a shell of what people thought he'd be.

[Einstein1]

He's on ESPN2 right now.  

[Steven Buhr]

 

He's on ESPN2 right now.  

Yeah he and Thomas Eshelman are having quite the pitchers duel. Impressive.

[Einstein1]

 

Yeah he and Thomas Eshelman are having quite the pitchers duel. Impressive.

Yep, fun game to watch.  

 

Funkhouser was the more impressive of the 2, his fastball was sitting mid 90's (94-97 range), nice breaking ball, nice offspeed pitch.  Eschelman was far from overpowering (I didn't see him hit the 90's on the radar) but he has great control and was really keeping Louisville off balance.

 

 Zach Burdi, Nick's brother is pitching right now for Louisville, he throws just as hard as his brother.

[notoriousgod71]

Funkhauser was the guy I wanted going into the season. Unfortunately he has not been good the past month. We draft too high to pick him in the first but I don't see him lasting until our second pick.

 

I think he'll end up having a Lackey-like career.