Baseball Beginnings

By John Klima
December 27, 2009

The Los Angeles Dodgers might not be pleased with me for sharing this information, but you can’t keep a good scout down. The Dodgers are signing a good share of cheap fillers to minor league contracts, but they have a serious bullpen prospect in converted right-handed pitcher Kenley Jansen, a late-roster addition to the Arizona Fall League who got his feet wet as a pitcher late last season in the California League.

If you wanted to be patient and develop Jensen to be a starter, you could. Or you could fast track this guy as major league bullpen help in the second half of 2010. I guarantee you, that if I’m a scout turning in minor league names from the Dodgers organization that I want in trades, this power arm shows up on the list. This is baseball, after all, and oh how it loves to fast track the fastball.

Jansen was originally signed from Curacao of the Dutch Antilles Islands. He played for the Netherlands Antilles in the 2004 World Baseball Classic and signed with the Dodgers as a position player. After five years as a position player in the lower minors with below-average success, the Dodgers took his best tool, his arm, and put him on the bump. That’s where he’s going to get to the big leagues.

Kenley Jansen, RHP
6-6, 221
Los Angeles Dodgers
Games Seen: 1, Innings: 2

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Broad shoulders, hips and thighs, powerful features, mature beyond his listed age. Strong torso, long arms and legs, nice athletic actions, looks like he was born for the bump.

STRENGTHS: Four-seam fastball 95-96, riser, power pitch, heavy rotation and late life and action deep in the strike zone. Two-seam fastball 92-94, cutter action on RHH. CB at 80, hard and with shape and depth, close to power secondary ML pitch now. Straight CH 88-89, could be third weapon, needs improved deception out of OTT ¾ arm slot.

WEAKNESSES: Below-average fastball command but around the plate enough for ML bullpen help sooner than later. Needs to develop stamina as pitcher and needs innings if you intend to make him a starter. Lacks overall command consistency with all pitches at this stage, velocity will help him get away with mistakes.

SUMMARY: Should be major league ready bullpen help in second half, 2010. Live power arm virtually untapped with chance for three put-away ML pitches. Raw and inexperienced, needs better conditioning for long haul, needs to learn to use his legs better. Valuable commodity: raw power arm with upside. One of the best power arms in AFL in 2009.

Grades: (Future/Present)
Fastball velocity              65/70
Fastball movement        50/60
Fastball command         40/50
Curveball velocity         55/60
Curveball rotation         45/60
Curveball command     40/50
Change-up velocity       50/50
Change-up movement  40/50
Change-up command   35/50
Delivery                            40/50

Overall Future Potential (OFP): 57

What the Grades Mean

Other Dodgers prospects:
Read Angelo Songco catch-up Q&A
Read Angelo Songco Q&A
Watch Angelo Songco video
Read Angelo Songco scouting report
Read Andrew Lambo 2009 AFL Q&A
Read Andrew Lambo Spring 2009 Q&A

Categories: 2009 Minor Leagues
Tags: Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers