Tyler Pelland   |   AAA

[2004] - Pioneer League All-Star LHSP, Rookie League All-Star SP

Tyler Pelland had a scholarship to Clemson but opted to sign with the Red Sox for $240,000 instead. In 2003, the Reds traded Scott Williamson for Phil Dumatrait, a player to be named later, and cash. It has been rumored that the player to be named later was going to be Tyler Pelland all along, but the two teams had to wait until a full year after Pelland had been in the organization following the draft due to MLB rules. Although it is not yet known for sure, it is popular belief that the trade was a steal for the Red Sox. Tyler Pelland is an athletic left-hander with several high school and Vermont accolades. Ty's hobbies include fishing and hunting. Said to have a fierce mound presence, he compares to Kenny Rogers (on the field--not off). At one point, his fastball would top out in the high-80s, but recently, it has been clocked as high as 96 MPH. Pelland has a very promising curveball, as well, but it's taking time for his changeup to catch up to the rest of his stuff, which has been described as "nasty". If all goes well, he projects to be a number three starter in the bigs, but the big knock on him is his control, making the odds against him. In 2004, Pelland was a Rookie League All-Star and Pioneer League All-Star while with Billings, but his season quickly turned for the worse after a promotion to A-ball (Dayton). However, it should be noted that he led the Pioneer League in wins, was second in strikeouts, and fourth in innings pitched. Unfortunately, his lack of control showed as he led the league in wild pitches and was fourth in walks. The same year, while with Dayton, he was the youngest player on the team. 2005 saw him rebound a bit as he improved in nearly every facet of the game, and he was still very young for the league. In fact, he was the youngest professional baseball player from Vermont. So far, in 2006, things are looking good for Pelland. He was recently picked as the #8 prospect in the Reds system by Baseball America. And for the season, here's how his line looks: As you can see, the K-to-BB ratio is alarming, but Tyler Pelland should be an interesting prospect to watch. If control and consistency ever come to him, he should be a very solid starter for the Reds in the future.