The eleventh pick in this year’s Rule 5 Draft, George Kontos is one of the few players involved who once was considered a hot prospect. Like fellow draftee Mason Tobin, Kontos has been beset by injuries since he received that designation, which stalled his progress, cast his future into doubt, and caused him to be left off his team’s 40-man roster.
So, does the past luster outweigh the present uncertainty here?
Kontos was consistently striking out over a batter per inning prior to 2009, when injuries hit. Even a move to relief hasn’t allowed him to escape the 6-8 K/9 range since.
However, Kontos, 25, has a big plus over someone like Mason Tobin–while he hasn’t proved much in the last couple of years, at least he has some upper-minors experience, so if his stuff’s all the way back to pre-injury form, he could help the Padres this year, especially with Petco Park always helping pitchers out.
If he’s not moved back to starting at some point, Kontos’ ceiling is fairly low despite past accolades, but he’s one of the few players selected with both experience and solid scouting reports, so Padres fans have to be pleased.