Good morning, Sox fans! While I’m sure most of you are focussed on the return of Bears football, we’ve got ourselves some prospect news to talk about.
In case you may have missed it last night, the White Sox announced that right-handed pitcher Jonathan Stiever will be starting this afternoon’s series finale vs. the Tigers.
Stiever isn’t a big-name prospect like a Michael Kopech or Dane Dunning, but he’s definitely someone you should know. In order to help you familiarize yourself with the guy, I’ve put together a breakdown to address some key questions.
Who is Jonathan Stiever?
Stiever was a fifth-round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Indiana University. During his career with the Hoosiers, he became the team’s No. 1 starter as a sophomore and went on to be considered the state’s best baseball prospect in nearly a decade.
Since joining the White Sox organization, the 23-year-old has seen time with the Great Falls Voyagers (Rookie League), Kannapolis Intimidators (Low-A), and Winston-Salem Dash (High-A). He originally found himself ranked 29th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 prospects list for the organization in 2018, but has since climbed all the way to sixth.
Earlier this year, Stiever received his first non-roster invite to Spring Training but was limited due to soreness in his forearm. He was later named to the Schaumburg squad and has been throwing at the training facility leading up to today. Though he has become one of the organization’s top arms, a promotion of this magnitude didn’t seem likely for Stiever until 2021, assuming he would spend this year and some of next with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. But, it’s 2020 and the unexpected should be expected.
What pitches are in his arsenal?
Stiever has a mid-90s fastball that occasionally reaching as high as 98 mph. An above average spike curveball is mixed in nicely as his go-to secondary pitch, with a slider and a changeup that he’s continuing to develop also on the table. The right-hander is known for his solid command and throws plenty of strikes because of it.
What do his stats look like?
Let’s do a year-by-year breakdown, starting with his rookie campaign in 2018.
- Great Falls (Rookie): 0-1 record, 4.18 ERA, 28.0 IP, 13 G/GS, 3 BB, 39 K, 1.143 WHIP
Now to last season. Stiever started 2019 in Low-A Kannapolis before receiving a midseason promotion to High-A Winston Salem. It was with the Dash where the hurler started drawing some major attention.
- Kannapolis (Low-A): 4-6 record, 4.74 ERA, 74.0 IP, 14 G/GS, 14 BB, 77 K, 1.378 WHIP
- Winston-Salem (High-A): 6-4 record, 2.15 ERA, 71.0 IP, 12 G/GS, 13 BB, 77 K, 0.972 WHIP
You’re probably wondering, what changed given the near identical strikeout and walk rates? Chalk it up partly to new scenery, but primarily to the work of Winston-Salem pitching coach Matt Zaleski who adjusted Stiever’s delivery and how he used his pitches. The Athletic’s James Fegan detailed this transformation in an excellent article last August.
What does his stuff look like?
Recent videos are sparse but here are a couple from 2019 to give you an idea of Stiever’s stuff.
Courtesy: Winston-Salem Dash/Twitter
Why was he promoted?
This is probably a question on a lot of people’s minds, especially since this guy has never pitched above High-A. Starting with the roster move, this promotion obviously means that Stiever must be added to the 40-man. Fegan provided the specifics in a tweet last night.
Interestingly, the move comes just two days before the September 15th deadline for postseason eligible players. Because of this, Stiever is now able to appear in playoff games should the club decide to utilize him.
As for why he was promoted, this roster move essentially gives Stiever an opportunity to show us all what he has to offer. Pitching depth has been a talking point as we near October for both the rotation and bullpen, especially after a very quiet trade deadline. While making the leap from High-A to the Majors certainly isn’t easy, Stiever gets his chance to put together a solid outing against the rebuilding Tigers, and show whether he’s someone who could provide an extra layer of protection to a pitching staff that could use it.
Today’s outing by Stiever should definitely be of enough interest to warrant a secondary screen if you have Bears viewing plans. Hell, if Trubisky is struggling, this could make a late push for primary screen viewing come first pitch. Either way, this surprise start should have everyone excited. Let’s see what this guy can do.
Happy Stiever Day! Beat Detroit.
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Featured Photo: Winston-Salem Dash/Twitter
