Drafted in the 6th round (186th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2004 (signed for $155,000).
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While Layden has hit in the middle of Duke's lineup for three years, he's a much better prospect on the mound and could sneak into the first five rounds. He has good velocity, at times throwing in the 91-92 mph range, and throws an excellent hard slider, a potential plus major league pitch. It's in the 83-86 mph range--his last one in a no-hitter against Old Dominion was 83--and has good depth. Layden, a 16th-round pick out of a New York high school, lacks fastball command because of a severe head jerk in his delivery, which could be difficult to fix without overhauling his mechanics completely. He fits the profile of a lefty bullpen specialist.
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After pulling double duty as a starting pitcher and first baseman at Duke, Layden is finding out that less can be more. The Cubs made him a full-time reliever in 2005, and that may be his ticket to the majors. He's a lefty who throws from a deceptive low angle, and all of his pitches seem to dance. Layden's two primary pitches are a low-90s fastball and a hard slider. He also employs a changeup to keep righthanders honest. He does a tremendous job of keeping the ball down in the zone, as evidenced by his 3.3-1 groundball/flyball ratio last year. To keep climbing the ladder, Layden mainly needs to throw more strikes. The effort in his delivery and the movement on his pitches make that a challenge at times. He'll probably begin this year in high Class A, and he could move quickly if he develops better control.
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