Brad Hand – Florida Marlins LHP

H/W: 6-2 185 lb. B/T: L/L DOB: 3/20/90

The Florida Marlins selected Hand with their 2nd round pick in 2008 and Brad didn’t fail to impress compiling a 3-2 record with a 2.64 ERA and 21 BB/46 K in 47 innings at two short season stops. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that he forced a GO/FO ratio of 3.65 and held hitters in the Gulf Coast and New York-Penn Leagues to a combined .212 average. Hand is exceptionally strong and has good velocity (especially for a southpaw) on his fastball at 90-94 MPH. His curve ball has a powerful downward spike to it and shows promise to be a plus pitch at the big league level. Hand is a good competitor and shows poise on the mound but he still needs to work on his pitching mechanics. Hand lacks fluidity which leads to lapses in control and the potential for injuries down the road. Additionally, Hand has not yet developed a third quality pitch. Failure to do so will likely relegate him to the pen as a situational lefty or late inning reliever down the road.

2009 Projection: Hand will get the opportunity to pitch a full season at Low-A Greensboro next season. The Marlins are fully stocked with young pitching prospects so they can afford to let Hand develop a third pitch and iron out some mechanical issues. Hand has good upside as a hard-throwing LHP. Watch to see how his third pitch (likely a changeup) develops and keep an eye on his walk totals. If he can continue to force groundball outs and can keep his K rates up, Hand should continue to ascend up the “Fish ladder”.

Key Brad Hand Baseball Cards: