2011 Stats (A Lake County/ A+ Kinston/ AA Akron): 2-1, 2.19, 1.12 WHIP, .199 OBA, 3.7 BB/9, 11.0 K/9
Another talented, yet injury plagued young pitcher; Bryson is a strikeout machine. The 11.0 K/9 last season may seem impressive, but Rob posted 17.1 for Kinston in 2010 and averages 11.9 for his career. These big numbers are thanks to a 96 mph fastball that he rides in on the hands of hitters from both sides and two quality secondary offerings. A "wicked" slider is devastating to righties and his consistently improving change has nearly reached par with the slide. Additionally, he is working on a "get me over" curve to complete the arsenal.
Bryson is the last piece of the CC Sabathia trade; the one that we haven't heard from due to his relative youth and extensive time on the disabled list. While the most severe setback was a rotator cuff tear that affected him from late '08 until mid '10, Rob almost missed two months last summer with a broken foot. As opposed to many who have spent large chunks of time on the DL, fagility is not a concern for Bryson. He is fully recovered from the shoulder surgery and the foot was a Mantle-esque freak as he stepped in a hole while running at his high school field.
You might ask what is so special about this particular right handed reliever, something that the Indians have a plenitude of. First of all, there is now a monkey full of hope riding on Rob. With Matt LaPorta an unmitigated bust and the organization seemingly lukewarm on Michael Brantley (although I don't have any idea why), Bryson is the last opportunity to salvage a big contributor from the ill-conceived Sabathia deal. Secondly, the dude's stuff really is electric. It is difficult to explain without watching him throw, but the ball simply explodes out of his hand and, when he is on, Rob is about as unhittable as they come. Combine all of this with an easy delivery and a strong lower half and Bryson has every opportunity to become a premier back-end pitcher in the bigs. Expect him to begin 2012 at AAA.
Up Next: #19 RHP Jason Knapp
