Pomeranz Impresses at Akron

Last night, Indians 2010 first round pick (fifth overall) Drew Pomeranz made his AA debut for the Akron Aeros in Harrisburg against the Senators. He had been leading the Class-A Carolina League in ERA and was pitching for the first time since joining fellow prospect Jason Kipnis at the Futures Game in Arizona.

Pomeranz was solid, allowing just one run and three hits in 4 2/3 innings. He was pulled after his pitch count reached into the 90s, thus the early hook, but in that time allowed just one runner past first base on a lead off homer in the third. Pretty impressive for his AA debut, I’d say.

Perhaps even more impressive, however, is that he struck out Bryce Harper (you might have heard of him) both times he faced him, and once on three pitches. The main issue coming out of the draft was control for Pomeranz, but he walked just one in this outing and all reports say he threw all three of his pitches for strikes. He seems to be on the same path as 2009 first rounder Alex White, so we can probably expect him mid-2012 at the earliest.

All this being said, if Tribe fans want the team to make a huge splash at the trade deadline, it is going to cost at least Drew Pomeranz. Teams aren’t just going to toss out high caliber talent for non-impact prospects. So, when you start daydreaming about Carlos Beltran, remember that you’re going to be mortgaging your future starting rotation to acquire that kind of talent. Lunacy, in my opinion.