Prospect Notebook: Aaron Laffey

Aaron Laffey: LHP Age: 22
Pitcher: Starter
Acquired: Drafted 16th Round in 2003
2007 Akron/Buffalo/Cleveland: 17-6, 30 Starts, 180 IP, 3.34 ERA, 124 Strikeouts
2008 Team: Buffalo
ETA: 2008 5th Rotation Option
High 80’s Fastball, Sinking Fastball, Change, Slider
Aaron Laffey is a groundball pitcher, just like many of the other Tribe pitchers are. He is a mix of Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook. Carmona can do a little bit of a both, while Westbrook is strictly a groundballer. Laffey on the other hand can strike people out but he wants to rely on his sinkerball and the command he has on all his pitches. His goal is to get contact but he has enough stuff in and variety in his pitches to get the batter to swing. He is very aggressive and very confident in his stuff. His slider type pitch is his best pitch when it’s working right.
Laffey lost out on the starters’ job coming out of Spring Training in 2008, but it won’t be the last of him. With C.C. Sabathia’s impending free agency, Paul Byrd aging, and the unknown of Cliff Lee, there are plenty of concerns for the Tribe in terms of keeping their starters. Laffey is still young and along with Adam Miller and Jeremy Sowers, he will stick around because of that uncertainty of the future. He will start the year at Buffalo and he should just focus on improving because he could be an injury away from getting the call. Laffey Started the year at Akron and got a call-up to Buffalo that got off to a shaky start, but he turned it around and went an unbelievable 6-0 with a .89 ERA in the month of June.
Notes: Called up to the Majors in 2007 after Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers underachieved, excelled after his first start and showed consistency for a 5th starter, Competed for the same job in Spring of 2008 but lost out