Tom Windle
| IP | 544 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.169 |
| WHIP | 1.404 |
| BB/9 | 4.153 |
| SO/9 | 7.577 |
- Full name Thomas Joseph Windle
- Born 03/10/1992 in Maple Grove, MN
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Minnesota
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Drafted in the 2nd round (56th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 (signed for $986,500).
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After spending most of his first two college seasons in the bullpen, Windle starred as a starter in the Cape Cod League last summer and has done so again this spring, tossing the first nine-inning no-hitter in Minnesota's storied history against Western Michigan on March 8. He has a strong 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame and a pair of plus pitches in his fastball and slider. He usually works at 90-94 mph with his heater, delivering it on a steep downward plane. His slider is an out pitch in the mid-80s, and he can bury it on the hands of lefties or the back foot of righties. Scouts don't love Windle's delivery, which features some stiffness and recoil, and some wonder if he has the third pitch, athleticism and command to be a big league starter. He has improved his arm speed with his changeup and his ability to locate his pitches this year. He has the ceiling of a No. 2 starter, or of a closer if he winds up in the bullpen. A 28th-round pick of the White Sox out of a Minnesota high school three years ago, Windle has a twin brother Sam who plays hockey at Bemidji State (Minn.).
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Windle, a Dodgers second-round selection in 2013 out of Minnesota, joined the Phillies along with righthander Zach Eflin in December 2014 as compensation for Jimmy Rollins. Windle started 2015 in the prospect-packed rotation at Double-A Reading but eventually moved to the bullpen after displaying poor command and mechanics and running up a 5.35 ERA in 14 starts. Windle pitched much better out of the bullpen, recording a 1.69 ERA and fanning 21 in 27 innings. He works primarily with a combination of fastball and slider, with the former sitting between 93-95 mph with tail and sink. His slider is a mid-80s offering that morphs into something more akin to a cutter at higher velocities, and he must refine the pitch in his relief role to combat lefthanded hitters. He also throws a changeup in the low 80s, but the pitch has been put on the back burner while he establishes command of his two primary pitches. Windle's delivery is funky and deceptive, but he has a tendency to get severely out of whack, and lefthanded hitters have had too much success against him to this point. He could return to Reading or be pushed to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League. -
Like fellow Dodgers lefty Chris Reed, Windle was a reliever in college. But after two seasons in Minnesota's bullpen, he impressed scouts as a starter the next summer in the Cape Cod League and started for the Gophers as a junior before the Dodgers made him a second-round pick in 2013. He had a solid first full season in 2014 in the hitter-friendly high Class A California League. Windle entered pro ball with two effective pitches in his fastball and slider. He throws 88-93 mph with downhill plane and the ability to sink, run and cut his fastball. His 82-86 mph slider is above-average when he keeps it down, with sharp tilt and two-plane depth. Windle can also backdoor his slider to righthanders, but the Dodgers pounded on him to improve his changeup, which went from below-average and very hittable early in 2014 to flashing average once he started to use it more in games. Windle throws slightly across his body and his delivery has effort, but it lends him some extra deception without preventing him from throwing consistent strikes. The continued development of Windle's changeup will dictate whether he can remain in the rotation, with a chance to be a No. 4 starter, perhaps a tick better. If not, he has plenty of stuff to be effective in a return to the bullpen. He will go to Double-A Tulsa to start 2015. -
Windle spent most of his first two years at Minnesota in the bullpen, but he excelled as a starter in the Cape Cod League the summer after his sophomore year and during the 2013 college season as a junior. He threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in school history against Western Michigan in March, then in June went to the Dodgers in the second round. He signed quickly for $986,500 as the No. 56 overall pick, then pitched well in the low Class A Midwest League. Windle has a loose, lanky build and a quick arm, delivering 89-94 mph fastballs that he can cut and tail with downhill angle. His out-pitch is a hard-breaking slider in the mid-80s, a plus pitch that he will throw to lefties and righties. He'll mix an occasional curveball as well, but the slider is his primary breaking pitch. Since moving from the bullpen to the rotation, Windle has improved his changeup, but it's below-average and isn't a pitch he uses much. He throws slightly across his body, which gives him some deception, but his delivery isn't smooth and he has trouble keeping all of his long levers in sync. Stiffness and recoil in his mechanics give scouts pause about his durability and potential to develop his changeup, and he sometimes lands on his heel and spins off. He'll move through the system as a starter, but his fastball/slider mix could play well in a high-leverage relief role.
Draft Prospects
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After spending most of his first two college seasons in the bullpen, Windle starred as a starter in the Cape Cod League last summer and has done so again this spring, tossing the first nine-inning no-hitter in Minnesota's storied history against Western Michigan on March 8. He has a strong 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame and a pair of plus pitches in his fastball and slider. He usually works at 90-94 mph with his heater, delivering it on a steep downward plane. His slider is an out pitch in the mid-80s, and he can bury it on the hands of lefties or the back foot of righties. Scouts don't love Windle's delivery, which features some stiffness and recoil, and some wonder if he has the third pitch, athleticism and command to be a big league starter. He has improved his arm speed with his changeup and his ability to locate his pitches this year. He has the ceiling of a No. 2 starter, or of a closer if he winds up in the bullpen. A 28th-round pick of the White Sox out of a Minnesota high school three years ago, Windle has a twin brother Sam who plays hockey at Bemidji State (Minn.).
Best Tools List
- Rated Best Slider in the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014
