Maybe the Class A Clearwater Threshers don't exactly match what the big club has assembled. To carry the poker analogy a step further, call it three aces and a pair. A full house. Which still ain't bad.
The baby aces are righthanders Jarred Cosart, Brody Colvin and Trevor May. They are the highly touted prospects who get mentioned by Baseball America and attract the attention of fans who like to follow what's happening down on the farm.
The pair consists of lefthander Jonathan Pettibone and righty Julio Rodriguez, who in the early weeks of the season actually put up better numbers than their more-ballyhooed teammates.
"One thing about professional baseball, you can't deny results," said assistant general manager, player development and scouting Chuck LaMar. "When you look at just sheer arm strength, sheer stuff, then the Mays and the Colvins and the Cosarts, you get fascinated by them. Because of the arm strength. But really, when you start to break them down, all five have a chance to pitch in the major leagues.
"Julio has the least velocity but the most deception of all of them. And Pettibone is probably the most advanced, honestly, of any of the five and really has a feel for what he's doing and command of the fastball. The other three are still young 'stuff' guys that have to learn how to put it together. They all have their unique abilities and that's what makes it fun to work with."
That doesn't mean that all will go on to All-Star careers, of course, or even that they'll ultimately make it to the show. The washout rate for even the most talented minor leaguers is high, and pitchers are especially vulnerable. Cosart was shut down last year with an elbow strain but was able to avoid surgery. Colvin was sidelined with back problems after his first start this season. All any organization can do is assemble as many arms as possible and hope for the best.
