Atlanta Braves Scouting Report on LHP Tyler Pike
The Atlanta Braves picked up Tyler Pike as the PTBNL in the deal that also brought Alex Jackson to the Braves. What is his future with the organization?
Who Is He?
The Atlanta Braves targeted Pike as their player to be named later in the deal that sent Robert Whalen and Max Povse to Seattle for Alex Jackson.
The Mariners drafted Pike in the 3rd round of the 2012 draft out of high school in Florida. They started him in their Arizona Rookie League team, where he threw 50 2/3 innings, posting a 1.78 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 21/57 BB/K ratio.
The Mariners sent Pike to their low-A team in the Midwest League in 2013, and he showed well as a 19 year old, making 22 starts, throwing 110 1/3 innings with a 2.37 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 57/90 BB/K ratio.
Pike hit one of the rough spots in Seattle’s development in 2014 when he was assigned to their high-A affiliate in the California League in High Desert, a notorious pitcher killer. Pike got hit hard, but the Mariners still bumped him up to AA Jackson in the Southern League, where he showed his changed approach to work in the Cal League get hit hard by more advanced hitters.
Overall, Pike made 27 starts in 2014 between high-A and AA, throwing 110 1/3 innings with a 6.44 ERA and 1.75 WHIP, sporting a rough 80/90 BB/K and showing his general wildness with 15 hit batters and 15 wild pitches after totaling 6 and 9, respectively, in his first 161 professional innings.
Pike struggled to get the control back in 2015, though he did get his strikeout stuff working again, pitching for the same levels, though the Mariners moved from High Desert to Bakersfield. He totaled 28 starts with 133 2/3 innings thrown, posting a 4.31 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a 75/121 BB/K ratio.
The Mariners in their new development system under new GM Jerry Dipoto, had Pike repeat high-A one more time and left him there with a consistent coach to work on his approach. The results were notable as he made 25 starts, throwing 125 2/3 innings, posting a 4.01 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 68/134 BB/K ratio.
Next: Pike's scouting report