I’ve always been very interested in Major League scouting. I’m not a scout myself, but I thought I’d take a stab at learning the art this season. So for the rest of the season, I’m going to cover some hitters and pitchers who I feel are primed for big seasons and cover what they do well and what they might need some work on as well as cover their careers leading up to this season a bit. If anyone is more familiar with scouting than I, I would appreciate any suggestions or feedback.

Today, I will scout Los Angeles Dodgers right hander Chad Billingsley on Baseball Mastermind.

Profile:

Chad Billingsley: RHP, listed as 6′1″ 245 lbs on MLB.com.

Background:

Chad Ryan Billingsley was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1st round (24th overall) in the 2003 amateur draft under scouting director Logan White out of Defiance High School, Ohio. In his senior year with Defiance, Billingsley pitched 56 innings with a 1.49 ERA striking out 113 batters and walking only 16, going 6-1. He was signed by Marty Lamb, withing the Dodger’s organization.

He also went 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA for Team USA in the 2002 IFBA World Junior Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada. Team USA wound up finishing with the bronze medal that year.

In Billingsley’s pro debut in rookie ball, he pitched 54 innings with a 2.83 ERA, striking out 62 and walking 16 with a 5-4 record as an 18 year old in 2003. In 2004, Billingsley split time between advanced A ball and AA, finishing with 134 innings with a 2.55 ERA, striking out 158 and walking 71, finishing with a 11-4 record. In 2005, Billingsley was Baseball America’s #19 prospect and the #2 prospect within the Dodgers organization behind Joel Guzman, the #5 prospect. He repeated AA and finished with 146 innings with a 3.51 ERA, striking out 162 and walking 50 with a 13-6 record. In 2006, Billingsley was Baseball America’s #7 prospect and pitched 70.2 innings for AAA Las Vegas with a 3.95 ERA, striking out 78 and walking 32 with a 6-3 record. Billingsley was then promoted to the Dodgers where he began in the bullpen, but by the end of the season, was a member of the Dodgers’ rotation, finishing with 90 innings with a 3.80 ERA, striking out 59 and walking 58. In 2007, Billingsley started the season in the bullpen again, to keep his innings totals down, and finished the season pitching 147 innings with a 3.31 ERA, striking out 141 and walking 64 with 12-5 record. Coming into the 2008 season, Billingsley, 23, is the best pitcher in the Dodgers organization including Clayton Kershaw and looks poised for a breakout season.

Scouting Report:

Delivery: Chad Billingsley has a deliberate wind-up, with a high leg-kick. He generates a lot of velocity from his leg-drive and from torquing his hips, which comes from his heavy-set build and excellent core strength. He throws from a three-quarters arm-slot, which allows him to get late life and tailing action on his fastball. From the stretch, he sets with his hands at chest level and has a less-dramatic leg kick.

Repertoire: Chad Billingsley throws a fastball that sits 92-94 mph that can touch 95 and a a cut-fastball that sits 86-88 mph that works for inducing ground balls. He also throws a curve ball that has a looping, downward break (2-7 action) that usually comes in around 77-79 mph and a slider that sits around 82-84 mph with a tight break. He also mixes in a change up but throws that pitch in far less than the other three pitches.

Demeanor: Billingsley has great mound presence, which he is noted for. Tommy Lasorta has dubbed Billingsley this generation’s "Bulldog," named after Orel Hershiser. Billingsley attacks hitters with his fastball on both the inner and outer-half of the strike zone and can throw his curve ball in just about any count.

Again, this is my first attempt at writing a scouting report, if anyone can offer any pointers of corrections, I’d appreciate the feedback