Jerry Blevins
| IP | 495 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.545 |
| WHIP | 1.236 |
| BB/9 | 3.545 |
| SO/9 | 9.236 |
- Full name Jerry Richard Blevins
- Born 09/06/1983 in Johnson City, TN
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 182 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Dayton
- Debut 09/16/2007
- Drafted in the 17th round (516th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2004.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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A 17th-round pick of the Cubs in 2004, Blevins racked up high strikeout rates up through Double-A in the Cubs system before the A's acquired him and Rob Bowen in a midseason 2007 trade for catcher Jason Kendall. Blevins made his big league debut that September, then won a gold medal pitching with Team USA at the World Cup in Taiwan. After three months in Triple-A in 2008, he became a regular in the A's bullpen in July. Blevins' fastball sits at 90-92 mph and tops out at 94. His 72-75 mph curveball at times is a swing-and-miss pitch that gives lefthanders trouble. Hitters have difficulty seeing the ball out of Blevins' hand because his delivery provides some deception and he repeats the same arm slot on his fastball and curveball. He's primarily a two-pitch pitcher, though he'll occasionally mix in an 80-83 mph changeup to keep righthanders off balance. His height creates downward angle to the plate, though he's a flyball pitcher. He should continue in his role as a middle reliever in Oakland in 2009. -
Blevins was steadily climbing through the Cubs system when they packaged him with catcher Rob Bowen and shipped him to Oakland for catcher Jason Kendall in July. While he made just five appearances above high Class A when he was traded, Blevins shot through the A's system, whiffed 20 in nine postseason innings for Sacramento and finished the season in the big leagues. A tall lefthander whose fastball tops out in the mid-90s, Blevins creates good deception and downward angle, taking advantage of his 6-foot-6 frame. His changeup has good depth and is his second-best pitch, giving him a weapon against righthanders. His sweepy curveball showed flashes of being an average offering, but still needs work. The A's admittedly rushed Blevins after the trade to help their depleted bullpen. He'll have a shot to win a relief job in spring training, but probably will begin the season back in Triple-A.
