Derrick Turnbow

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #14 prospect in 2003
  There's still time for Turnbow to pay dividends. After spending all of 2000 in a mopup role in the Anaheim bullpen, his last two seasons have been marred by injuries. He broke the ulna in his right arm three starts into 2001, but his 99 mph fastballs indicated he was set to return last spring. Just when things were looking up, he experienced a setback and had pins permanently set in his ailing forearm. He spent a second straight season rehabbing and hit his stride by mid-August. Turnbow was up to 98 mph in the Arizona Fall League, and showed the resilience to hit 96 with just one day of rest. He has a second out pitch in his slider, though it's not reliable yet. He lacks a quality third offering. Turnbow is taller in his delivery than when he first joined the organization, allowing him to use more of a downhill plane on his pitches. The injuries have taken their toll on his arm action, which isn't as fluid as it once was. If he can hold up over a full season, the Angels' stockpile of late-inning power relievers could make him expendable. When he's right, he draws comparisons to Matt Anderson. Turnbow's command might prevent him from ever pitching in the ninth inning, however.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #13 prospect in 2002
  The Phillies may yet regret losing Turnbow in the major league Rule 5 draft in December 1999, but his future is clouded by continuing arm problems. After serving as a mop-up man during his mandatory year in the majors in 2000, he broke the ulna in his right arm three starts into last season and spent the year rehabbing. Turnbow was firing 95-98 mph gas last spring before his injury. He made so much progress by instructional league that scouting director Donny Rowland says three coaches were speechless watching Turnbow throw in the bullpen--and he was only at 80 percent. Later in the offseason, however, doctors found his arm was not healing properly, and they inserted pins to stabilize it. When healthy, his arsenal features plus-plus boring action on his mid-90s fastball, and a hard biting curveball. He made progress with his delivery during his rehab, going from a drop-and-drive style to a more efficient, taller delivery that allows him to throw on more of a downward plane. Turnbow has logged just 52 innings in two years, and the latest setback leaves his future timetable in doubt. The Angels hope he can return to the mound sometime in 2002.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #7 prospect in 2001
  Turnbow was one of the Phillies' better pitching prospects in 1999. They gambled no one would take him in the major league Rule 5 draft because it required jumping him from low Class A. But the Angels did and were able to keep him in the big leagues for all of 2000. Turnbow's best pitch is a 91-94 mph fastball with late life. That alone allowed him to post a 4.74 ERA as a raw major leaguer in limited duty. Both his curveball and changeup have the potential to be above-average pitches. Anaheim hasn't tagged a closer of the future, but Turnbow might be the guy. They had to relegate him to mop-up duty to keep him in the majors and retain his rights, and it cost him a crucial year of development. Though he wasn't fazed by the experience, it didn't help him. He has a long way to go in terms of his command and his secondary pitches. Turnbow needs to accumulate innings in 2001 so he can make the necessary improvements. He'll likely spend the season at Double-A Arkansas. He'll work as a starter, his role before the Angels drafted him.