Matusz on a tear

Yesterday I wrote about one of the hottest hitting prospects in the game. Today, I’ll focus on Baltimore’s stud pitcher Brian Matusz.

After tossing seven shut out innings last night Matusz has now won his first seven starts in Double-A.

In his first professional season since being taken with the fourth overall pick in 2008 Matusz has been simply dominating. His FIP between Advanced-A and Double-A is 2.70. He has averaged 9.64 strikeouts per nine innings. His command has been oustanding this season with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.87.

The tall, projectable left hander has also done a nice job of keeping the ball on the ground and preventing longballs. His ground ball ratio is 48.5 percent this year and his homerun-to-flyball rate is just 6.2 percent.

Matusz’s fastball currently sits between 92-94, although he has the potential to gain velocity as he matures. He also features a curveball and change-up that could develop into plus pitches. His curve is especially tough on lefties. His change-up can be deceptive and has a good speed differential from his fastball clocking in the low 80s.

Matusz signed a major league contract so he could find himself pitching in Baltimore rather soon. The Orioles are assembling a strong cast of young talent and they seem to be following the Tampa Bay Ray’s model of success. There is no doubting the thought of a Matusz-Weiters battery in the future is an exciting prospect for Oriole fans.