Chicago White Sox Kyle Drabek strikes back

Holy cow. A relevant Kyle Drabek sighting!

Remember this guy? It has been a while, so let’s refresh your memory. Drabek was drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 2006 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a Top 100 prospect by 2009 and heading into 2010, he had made it into the Top 25. He also became the centerpiece of one of the more lopsided trades of the past decade (in hindsight of course).

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If you play fantasy baseball, this was the kind of trade you offer to the dead money in the league and hope they bite. You know the kind of trade that you offer three bench players for and get Mike Trout?

The Phillies would get Roy Halladay. Halladay would arguably have the best year of his borderline Hall of Fame career, winning the Cy Young and hurling a perfect game. He would make his first ever career playoff start and throw a no-hitter in doing so.

The Blue Jays would get three prospects. They would trade Michael Taylor away on the same day. Travis d’Arnaud would be traded three years later. Drabek… well, Drabek fell apart. None would make an impact on the Blue Jays.

Drabek would spend 2010 to 2014 with the Blue Jays up and down between the Major and Minor Leagues and never reached his potential. In fact, he never came close. His second Tommy John surgery in 2012 slowed his progress even further and he seemingly never recovered.

Over 30 MLB starts, he has an 8-15 record with a 5.27 ERA, a 1.69 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 177.2 innings while walking 113. Drabek is one of the bigger busts of recent memory.

Or is he? Perhaps Drabek is a late bloomer. Now with the Charlotte Knights in the Chicago White Sox system, Drabek has been rolling since the last week of June. No longer a prospect, the 27-year old righty has gone 3-1 since June 25th, going six innings in each start while allowing just four earned runs and striking out 13.

This past week he was 2-0, with a 0.75 ERA, nine strikeouts and three walks over 12 innings pitched. His performance earned him International League Player of the Week honors, and perhaps began to turn some heads in Chicago.

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Drabek had yet another unsuccessful go in the White Sox bullpen to start the season before landing back in the Knights rotation at the end of April. One could imagine that the White Sox will be sellers at the trade deadline, with Jeff Samardzija one of the bigger names in the trade rumor mill. Is there room for Drabek on the South Side?

Unfortunately, I don’t think so. I’m not so sure Drabek will succeed on the Major League level even with his recent success. Drabek sits at 5-5 with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, the lowest those numbers have been in a few years. That being said, he only strikes out six per nine, while walking nearly three a game. Batters are hitting .211 and he is stranding 74-percent of his runners with a 3.80 FIP.

Those are nice numbers, but they don’t scream out at you, “holy cow, he’s finally turned a corner.” With changes likely coming in Chicago, I would be very surprised if Drabek could make an impact, or even be given the chance to do so.

Next: Aaron Nola time?