Back in July 2009, the Mariners and Pirates made what was thought to be a fairly significant trade, as the Pirates shipped Ian Snell and Jack Wilson to Seattle in exchange for prospects Jeff Clement, Aaron Pribanic, Nate Adcock, and Brett Lorin.
Since then, Snell proved that a change of scenery doesn’t guarantee a change in performance, Wilson’s already weak bat got weaker, Clement struggled in the majors, Pribanic proved unable to strike anyone out, Adcock was lost to the Royals (for whom he hasn’t pitched well) in the Rule 5 Draft, and Lorin has only advanced one level in two seasons.
So, it’s safe to say that the deal hasn’t worked out for either team. Snell’s out of the Mariners organization and Wilson is a sub-replacement level bench player soon to be out of Seattle as well. Adcock’s no longer with the Pirates, Clement is 27 and has repeatedly flopped in the majors, and Pribanic looks like he’ll top out as a back-of-the-rotation Triple-A arm.
However, Lorin looks like he may be able to help Pittsburgh get something out of the deal besides salary relief.
When Lorin was acquired from the Mariners in 2009, he was in the midst of a dominating season in Low-A. He posted a 2.44 ERA before the trade and a 1.57 mark in seven starts after the deal, putting up a 116/35 K/BB in 123 innings overall.
But hip surgery took away much of Lorin’s 2010 season, which he could ill afford, as he was already old for his level. He could only got 48 2/3 innings in on the season, and the Pirates didn’t even promote him to High-A despite a decent showing.
He finally got a crack in High-A this season at age 24, and Lorin hasn’t disappointed at the new level, throwing 97 1/3 innings with an 88/16 K/BB and just five homers allowed. That’s good for a 2.59 ERA and 2.80 FIP.
His advanced age certainly discounts that performance somewhat, but Lorin has some significant positive attributes going for him. The most obvious one is his size–at 6’7″ and 245 pounds, he’s a physically imposing pitcher on the mound who gets excellent downhill plane on his offerings. He’s got a 51% groundball rate this season, so his low homer rate is more than just a byproduct of the large FSL parks.
While he doesn’t necessarily throw as hard as his size might suggest, Lorin regularly touches the 90-92 mph range with his fastball, getting good movement on the pitch as well. He complements it with an above-average breaking ball and changeup–he’s got a 49/6 K/BB against opposite-side hitters this year.
Despite his huge frame, Lorin’s a reasonably athletic pitcher. He’s got a very simple, mechanically sound delivery that he repeats well and helps him consistently work all three of his pitches around the strike zone with good command.
While he doesn’t have huge upside, Lorin could turn into a dependable back-of-the-rotation innings eater for the Pirates. Due to his age, he’ll need to prove a lot in a short amount of time to be taken seriously, but he shouldn’t be written off.
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