Simon Ferrer, Minor League Knuckleball Propspect

[editor's note, by Rox Girl]- Monique sent me this well formulated profile on Simon Ferrer, truly one of the Rockies' minors most unique talents and a player that I agree bears watching next season and in to the future. Remember, standard age measures don't very well apply to knuckleball prospects due to the unique nature of their game. If Ferrer's knuckler proves as successful at higher levels as it has in Tri-City and Asheville we should be in for a treat when he arrives at Coors. Of course, he'll probably have to skip the humidorless Sky Sox Stadium, but that's still a little ways off.

By Monique Moyal
Alamo, Calif.

An intriguing player within the Colorado Rockies minor league system is knuckleballer Simon Ferrer, whose numbers in single-A ball have been spectacular. While the pitching and hitting competition in the minors are obviously not the same caliber as those in the majors, the numbers speak for themselves.

In comparison to knuckleball greats of the past, Ferrer's numbers show immense promise as one of baseball's best-kept secrets. Picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in 2002, Ferrer began as a 2B/SS/3B and continued down that path until the Colorado Rockies discovered his talent in August 2005 at High-A Modesto. Only one year later Ferrer made the transition from a position player to pitcher and threw as if he had pitched all his life.

As an infielder, Ferrer had to compete with the likes of first round draft picks Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Stewart. In 2005, all three competed for spots in the infield at single-A Modesto. Both Tulowitzki and Stewart broke out of the pack, moving to AA-Tulsa. After 184 games in the infield, 25 year-old Ferrer turned to the knuckleball in hope of salvaging his career.

The next season found him in short season Tri-City, followed by a move to low-A Asheville after only 15 appearances. In Tri-City, Ferrer tossed 24.0 innings, allowing only six earned runs for a very good 2.25 ERA. During that time, he fanned 18 batters, walked 13 allowed 15 hits and notched a 1.17 WHIP.

Rounding out his 2006 campaign in Asheville, Ferrer threw 10.0 innings of relief in three games, without allowing an earned run. He finished the summer in Asheville with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP, while striking out eight batters and giving up only six hits.

In Asheville, Ferrer recorded the lowest ERA on the team. To put things into view, prospect Pedro Strop, another converted position player who in a comparable 13.1 innings of relief, posted a 4.73 ERA throwing 95 MPH.

SIMON FERRER MINOR LEAGUE CAREER LINE*
W    L    ERA    G    GS    CG    SH   
0     0    1.54   19    0       -       -

GF    SV    IP      H    R    ER    HR   
-      1      35.0   22   10    6      1

BB    SO    WP    BK    WHIP
15     26     2      0       1.06

*Information taken from thebaseballcube.com

Those skeptics who claim that these numbers are exceptionally low because of the difference in quality batters between the minors and the majors, need only compare the minor league numbers of major league knuckleballers.

Currently, there are seven knuckleball pitchers in professional baseball and arguably at the forefront is 22 year old Charlie Haeger of the Chicago White Sox. In 18.1 innings with Chicago, he posted a 1-1 record, allowed 12 hits, 10 runs -- seven of which have been earned -- no home runs and struck out 19 batters.

At the age of 21 in high-A Winston-Salem last season, Haeger tossed a 3.20 ERA in 13 games, for a total of 81.2 innings. In that time, he gave up 82 hits -- averaging less than one hit per inning -- 33 runs, 29 earned, struck out 64 and posted a 1.49 WHIP. He then moved to AA-Birmingham for 85.2 more innings to round out 2005. Haeger opened 2006 with 26 games in AAA-Charlotte before receiving the call from the White Sox.

At the age of 23 in low-A Welland, Tim Wakefield posted a 3.40 ERA in 18 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He did not move to high-A Salem until the next season, with 10 wins and a 4.73 ERA in 23 games. During his entire minor league pitching career, which spanned seven full seasons, Wakefield posted a 4.34 ERA.

Wakefield, in 13 major league seasons, has hovered around a similar mark, with a 4.28 lifetime ERA. Another knuckleballer who started out young is R.A. Dickey. At the ages of 22 and 23, Dickey pitched two seasons in the minors with the Texas organization in Charlotte. He too had to pay his dues, with a 4.48 ERA over 10 years in the minor leagues.

Like Wakefield and Haeger, Dickey's numbers in the minors were essentially a precursor to his play in professional ball, posting a 5.55 ERA over four years currently in the majors.

Ferrer finished with a consecutive streak of 27.2 innings without allowing a single earned run. In that stretch, he allowed 11 hits and dished out 20 strikeouts. The career batting average against him is a meager .179.  All that and he is the first knuckleball pitcher in Rockie history. The history of the knuckleball, according to Charlie Hough, Simon's mentor, is that to succeed one must be a starting pitcher. The Rockie people deserve credit for trying to develop a knuckleballer in the light air of Coors Field.