Andrew Cashner, the former TCU closer, moved into that role after seeing mediocre results as a starter. After being converted to a reliever, he saw his fastball velocity spike from 90-92 to 96-98. The difference between 92 and 98 is insane - much, much more than a straight linear relationship like 80 to 90 (as big of a jump that is). While teams were wary of this sudden jump in velocity, he absolutely dominated as the closer and showed no signs of fatigue, so the Cubs selected him with their first round pick - the 19th overall

Cashner's fastball is mostly straight, but it's 96-98 mph, so there's not much concern there. He has a workable slider that occasionally shows promise as a plus pitch, but he gets around it too often to be a true out pitch right now. He dials that up to 87-88 mph and it features decent fade and good lateral movement.

Cashner has an ideal pitcher's frame - listed on the MLB Draft Report as 6'5" 195 lbs, he is tall and lean, but strong. Perhaps as a result, he has no health issues at this point.

Cashner's downhill delivery and intense delivery are two major pluses in his favor...

Here's a quick breakdown of his mechanics:

• Arm Action: Cashner's pitching arm is nearly vertical when he starts to turn his shoulders, which is good - no timing flaws. He has it slightly bent towards his head, which is also good - we want to try and take the arm in a straight line to the target. He has a few hitches in his arm circle, as he drops it down and it drags back before the elbow externally rotates to pick up the ball into the ready position. This isn't as good as a pendulum swing that brings the ball to driveline height, but it's not too bad, as he keeps the elbow below the shoulder line. He does exhibit a strong tendency to "scap load," but as I have said before, I don't mind it so much. Very Good.


• Tempo: Cashner is a bit of a tall-and-fall type pitcher. I prefer a Roy Oswalt-type delivery - very aggressive and one that gets going to the target quickly. That being said, he is about 23-24 frames from maximal leg lift to footplant, which is not bad for a tall-and-fall pitcher. Average.


• Ball Release: Cashner aggressively pulls his glove arm side leg forward and pulls his head down, two things that scouts will describe as "maximum effort" in his mechanics. I like pitchers who throw with intensity, so it doesn't bother me at all! He points the PAS shoulder at the target to some degree, but I'd like to see a bit more shoulder rotation - ideally we are going to point the acromial line at the plate after delivering the ball. Good.


• Followthrough: Cashner allows the arm to passively decelerate across his body and slap his left thigh, a product of his regular 3/4 arm slot. He does a good job of not actively braking it. Excellent.

I rather like Andrew Cashner's mechanics and his electric stuff. I think he'll move quickly through the Cubs' system assuming he finds consistency with his slider and maintains his fastball velocity.

-Kyle Boddy