J.B. Wendelken Stats & Scouting Report

IP	5.1
ERA	8.44
WHIP	1.880
BB/9	1.7
SO/9	8.4

Full name Jeffrey Benjamin Wendelken
Born 03/24/1993 in Savannah, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 242 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Middle Georgia State
Debut 05/08/2016
Drafted in the 13th round (421st overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2012 (signed for $100,000).

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One of the nation's most effective relievers, Wendelken had allowed just one earned run in 44 innings, a 0.20 ERA. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound freshman has a short arm stroke and throws with lots of effort, but he repeats his delivery and attacks hitters with a 90-93 mph fastball. His short arm stroke gives him some deception, and at times he touches 94 mph.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Drafted by the Red Sox in 2012, Wendelken has been around long enough to be traded for two players who are now out of baseball: Jake Peavy and Brett Lawrie. Wendelken made his big league debut with Oakland in 2016, got hammered and then had Tommy John surgery that fall.

Scouting Report: The key to Wendelken's comeback was reworking his delivery and arm swing with minor league pitching coordinator Gil Patterson and rehab pitching coordinator Craig Lefferts. As a result, Wendelken added a tick of velocity and rounded out his arsenal. He topped out at 98 mph and averaged 95 in the big leagues and backed up his fastball with a plus breaking ball and now-usable changeup. His fastball gets swings and misses in the zone and his curveball induces chases in and out of the zone.

The Future: In his return to Oakland, Wendelken allowed one run in 17 innings and recorded an 0.78 WHIP, hinting at his potential to pitch high-leverage relief innings in 2019.
Wendelken joined the White Sox in July 2013 as part of the same three-team deal that brought Avisail Garcia and Frankie Montas to Chicago. He spent 2014 in the high Class A Winston-Salem rotation before returning to his relief roots in 2015 and advancing to Triple-A Charlotte. Though it's not always pretty, Wendelken gets results. His thick build, hooking arm action and short-arm delivery help him sell a plus changeup that parks in the high 70s and generates plenty of awkward swings and misses. He is unafraid to throw the pitch two or three times in a row. His fastball can reach 94 mph but sits more regularly in the low 90s, and he lacks the stamina to start. He tends to roll a one-plane, slurvy breaking ball to the plate in the low 80s, but it's more of a surprise pitch than a true weapon. The White Sox added Wendelken to the 40-man roster in November, and he could receive a big league trial in the bullpen at some point in 2016 if he pitches well at Charlotte.

Career Transactions

San Antonio Missions released RHP J.B. Wendelken.
RHP J.B. Wendelken assigned to San Antonio Missions from El Paso Chihuahuas.
El Paso Chihuahuas sent RHP J.B. Wendelken on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres.
El Paso Chihuahuas placed RHP J.B. Wendelken on the 7-day injured list.
San Diego Padres invited non-roster RHP J.B. Wendelken to spring training.
RHP J.B. Wendelken assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas.
San Diego Padres signed free agent RHP J.B. Wendelken to a minor league contract.