Prospect Profile #22: George Kontos, RHP

6'3", 215 lbs

Background:

George Kontos was the 5^th round selection of the Yankees in the 2006 draft out of Northwestern University. The precocious right handed pitcher signed for 158,000 dollars. Curiously the Illinois native actually had a rather mediocre college career- he never once posted an ERA below 5. The problem was all about control. His last year he walked 53 batters in only 93.1 innings. Critics were out in force after a guy with terrible results went as high as the 5^th round however the Yankees believed in his arm and felt he was worthy of the pick and bonus. It turns out the gamble was a good one because Kontos’s control problems were attributed to a bad blister that didn’t allow him to get on top of his breaking pitches in 07.

Kontos quickly put himself on the map by taking to short season Staten Island extremely well.  Although his mechanics were noticeably poor, Kontos dominated the short season league, going 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA and 82 Ks and 15 BBs in only 78 innings pitched. Obviously he managed to alleviate his control issues while posting a 9.4 K/9 ratio. Kontos credited his success to his 4 pitch repertoire (we’ll get to that later) and because he of it the Yankees resisted throwing him out as a reliever after he was drafted. The results obviously spoke for themselves.

Heading toward 2007 Kontos had built up a lot of innings. Including his time at Northwestern as well as with the Staten Island Yankees Kontos threw nearly 180 innings (probably over 200 when instructionals are included) in 2006. It was a concern enough for coaches to tell him to relax heading into the 2007 season but Kontos didn’t take his foot off the accelerator, adding nearly 10 pounds of muscle and working on his change up.

2007 started with a little hiccup for George. While in Tampa he had a little problem with the law, getting arrested outside of a bar in an altercation that involved police. It wasn’t a serious incident but noteworthy none the less. He debuted for A+ Tampa pitching well again, posting a 3.12 ERA over his first few starts while working on refining his pitches. Curiously the velocity was a tick down and while it was dismissed as an early season blip, Kontos was soon struck with a shoulder injury and missed 6 weeks of action. After returning he pitched well until a weird incident where he entered a game in relief for a rehabbing Phil Hughes threw him off his game. He struggled after that but still managed to finish the year with a 4.02 ERA, 9.67 K/9, 2.87 BB/9 and a 4.08 FIP.

After again pitching in instructionals Kontos headed off to winter ball in Hawaii. He worked diligently on adding his change up and curveball to the mix, the two pitches he worked on in Tampa that led to his mediocre year. Heading into 2008 Kontos was ready to bounce back in a big way.

The 22 year old had a rough go of it to start his AA campaign in Trenton. In his first 3 starts he allowed 7 ERs and 16 Hs in only 14 IP. He did bounce back to settle down and by mid July had his ERA down to 3.51 and was striking out nearly 8.5 batters per 9 innings. He eventually finished a very good year, posting a 3.68 ERA, 9.02 K/9, 3.38 BB/9 and a 3.60 FIP. He threw nearly 152 innings again and the work load was a concern again. His velocity was still slightly down from the 92-95 range but it wasn’t a big deal according to him.

After nearly being dealt to the Pirates in the trade that brought Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady to the Yankees, Kontos was ready to think about AAA and perhaps some time in New York in 2009. His elbow would have other plans.

Kontos started the year strongly in AA, with a 10 K/9 rate and a 2.66 ERA. He was moved up to AAA and had some difficulties adjusting before starting to settle in and find his grove. He had his ERA around 3.53 and his sights on the New York bullpen when the elbow blew up. Kontos went down with Tommy John surgery in June.

The doctor revealed to Kontos that he had torn the ligment in two places and had probably been pitching with a 50-60% tear for a while. It’s likely the drop in velocity was a result of the elbow problems that had clearly been around for some time. Kontos is currently waiting to get back in the mix sometime near May.

Analysis and Scouting:

Kontos enjoyed a large amount of success until his injury because he’s developed 4 serviceable big league pitches. Because his fastball and slider are such wipeout pitches, scouts have advocated him turning into a backend bullpen talent for most of his career. Knowing this, he worked diligently to develop a plus changeup and curveball.

He throws two fastballs, usually sitting 92-94 with his four and two seam fastball. The velocity dip in 08 and 09 may have had something to do with his elbow troubles, however its unclear how he’ll respond to the TJ surgery. His command had been erratic but had sharpened with both pitches considerably before the surgery.

His slider is his best offering, consistently ranked as one of the better sliders in the Yankee system. It has a sharp break to it and sits anywhere from 84-86. He’s also added a plus curveball that he throws to lefties that has really come along nicely. His changeup is his weakest pitch but still a very decent offering- its not a swing and miss type change but another offering to draw weak contact from hitters.

Where he once tried to blow everyone away with his fastball/slider combination, Kontos now has turned into a smart pitcher. He regularly challenges hitters inside and has become smarter about mixing in his other offerings to keep hitters off balance.

Maybe because of his increased workload or maybe because of the dormant elbow problems, Kontos has had some troublesome statistical trends. His walk rate has increased almost ever year, from a manageable 2.18 BB/9 in 2006 to over 3.5 BB/9 in 2009. And his 2009 success has some red flags around it as well. Although he managed a 3.55 ERA in AAA, his BABIP was an irregularly low .266 which was reflected in his 4.55 FIP. His MLE in 09 would have saddled him with a 5.95 FIP in New York- not very pretty.

Future Projection:

The future is still sunny, or at least partly sunny for Kontos. While its difficult to know how he’ll react to the TJ surgery, his 3-5 starter projection may not be in jeopardy. Regaining some of that lost velocity should help and if he can continue to develop the use of both his changeup and curveball, Kontos could turn into a decent backend of the rotation guy. If not, his plus fastballs and slider should do the trick for a bullpen slot. We’ll all be looking forward to May. I would guess Kontos would start off in AA again and if things go exceedingly well, work back up to AAA. Taking it slow and being prudent is definitely the wisest course though, however we're all looking forward to what a fully healthy Kontos can deliver.