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Monday, June 01, 2015

Minor League Guy I Noticed: Seth Varner

I ran across Seth Varner today while looking around at Reds minor league numbers.  He was the Reds' 2014 10th-round selection out of Miami University in Oxford, and hails from Batavia Ohio.  And he's absolutely carving up the Midwest League right now:

He's actually a nice example of why using K%-BB% is safer than K/BB ratio: his K/BB ratio is a ridiculous 14.0 right now, whereas his K-BB% is a less ridiculous, but still very-commendable 23%.  He just isn't walking anyone, and he's getting plenty of strikeouts.  His .350 BABIP is a bit high given his other performance, and accounts for the FIP-ERA gap.  So, by the stats, we have a lefty with outstanding control, excellent strikeout rates, and just one year removed from his drafted season.  And he's not on anyone's prospect lists.

So, I popped Doug Gray a tweet.  Dutifully, he gave a nice response:

I guess that explains it!  In a subsequent tweet, he did point out that he's a lefty, so maybe he's got a shot at a relief role someday.  But apparently I didn't identify the Next Big Thing, probably.

I'll still be cheering for him!

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