Kevin Slowey is a control freak.
We mean this in a good way, of course: When this right-hander pitches, opposing batters walk less than Ruben Studdard.
Slowey was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round (73rd overall) of the 2005 draft after a stellar career at Winthrop University, where he went 29-8, walked 41 and struck out 328 in three seasons while majoring in International Business.
Like the Twins player drafted ahead of him, fellow pitching prospect Matt Garza, Slowey is also on the fast track in the system. The 6-3, 190-pound Slowey began his career in the low minors last summer and walked just eight while striking out 84 in 72 innings.
He began this season at Single-A Fort Myers and dazzled his way to a 4-2 record and 1.01 ERA in 14 starts. That earned him a late June promotion to Double-A New Britain, where he was 3-3 with a 3.16 ERA through July. Most amazingly, he had struck out a combined 133 batters while walking only 16.
Slowey, whose baseball hero is former Pirates outfielder Andy Van Slyke, grew up in Pittsburgh.
Kevin pitched for his high school team, but wasn’t drafted or even highly recruited by area colleges such as Pittsburgh, Duquesne or Penn State because of his average fastball (83-85 tops).
He ended up at Winthrop putting that medium-sized college about 30 minutes from Charlotte on the baseball map. Slowey put up powerful numbers on and off of the field: He recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA his final semester while going 14-2 with a 2.18 ERA and earned All-America honors.
He caught the attention of scouts when he out-dueled Wichita State’s Mike Pelfrey (MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 No. 12) in an NCAA Regional game, winning 2-1 in front of about 50 big-league scouts.
“I was hoping to go in the first five rounds,” he says of the 2005 draft.
Instead, the Twins selected him in the second round with the 72nd overall pick.
“He has command of his stuff and he gets ahead of hitters,” says Jim Rantz, the Twins’ longtime farm director. “His wins and losses are not indicative of his other numbers. He does all the good things you look for. When he pitches, you’re on the the field and off the field.
Slowey’s name fits, because he won’t blow you away with his fastball. He has been compared to another smart finesse pitcher, Mike Mussina. He calls himself a “capable right-hander who throws like a left-hander,” and mixes a sinking two-seam fastball with a straight four-seamer, a slider, curve and changeup.
“He’s a guy on the fast track who’s on a mission,” Rantz says. “He’s done everything we’ve asked so far.”
- Jim MANDELARO
