- Full name Kyle Evans
- Born
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
Like Kinston teammate Shane Wallace, Evans got off to a quick start in the Carolina League last year before succumbing to elbow problems that required Tommy John surgery. Evans played some shortstop at Baylor before making a quick and smooth transition to pitching. He does a nice job of mixing his fastball, slider and changeup to keep hitters from getting comfortable. His feel for pitching and his deceptive delivery allow his stuff to work better than it looks on radar guns. Evans is a good athlete who throws strikes and isn't rattled easily. While may pitchers bounce back from Tommy John surgery better than ever these days, the operation still raises concerns about Evans' future. He has worked a total of just 93 innings in two years as a pro and won't get a full workload this year in high Class A. -
Evans, another product of new scouting director John Mirabelli's first draft, is a very athletic pitcher. He has a quality sinker, great makeup and good pitchability. He showed a lot of promise in his first year, reminding some of a young Charles Nagy. Evans moves his fastball around the strike zone, and mixes in a slider and changeup. He throws strikes down in the zone and is more of a pitcher than a thrower. That's somewhat surprising, because he's a converted infielder who's still learning the nuances of pitching. His inexperience on the mound is at times noticeable and costly, but that can be fixed. Evans' biggest need right now is for innings. He showed so much in his debut that he might skip Columbus and begin this season in the Kinston rotation.