Mike Minor
From BR Bullpen
Michael David Minor (Spike)
- Bats Right, Throws Left
- Height 6' 4", Weight 195 lb.
- School Vanderbilt University
- High School Forrest High School
- Born December 26, 1987
Mike Minor was a first-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft.
Minor was 10-2 with a 0.81 ERA as a high school junior. As a senior, he pitched 12 shutouts and had a 0.08 ERA with 188 Ks in 86 innings. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked him in the 13th round of the 2006 amateur draft but he opted not to sign. He was offered a $750,000 bonus.
In 2007, Mike was 9-1 with two saves and a 3.09 ERA as a freshman. He was named a Freshman All-American by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. He was 8th in the Southeastern Conference in ERA but was overshadowed by teammates David Price (the first overall draft pick that year) and Casey Weathers.
Minor was one of four freshmen chosen for Team USA's college edition in 2007. He was 5-2 with a 1.64 ERA and 37 K to 4 BB in 33 innings, leading the team in wins. He was held out of action in the 2007 Pan American Games and was 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in the 2007 World Port Tournament, dropping a decision against the Cuban national team.
Minor fell to 7-3, 4.28 as a sophomore but fanned 101 in 103 innings (the Conference leader in innings). He returned to team USA and went 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA as their workhorse, winning Baseball America Summer Player of the Year honors. Minor was named Best Pitcher of the 2008 Haarlem Baseball Week, going 2-0 with one unearned run allowed in 12 1/3 innings. His best game was a 1-0 victory over Cuba, which was prepping for the 2008 Olympics with the Haarlem tournament. He tied Kyle Gibson and Stephen Strasburg for the most wins in the event and was second to Shinji Iwata in ERA.
In the 2008 World University Championship, he was 1-0 with a 1.15 ERA, fanning 16 and allowing 8 hits in 15 2/3 innings for the Gold Medal-winning USA. He tied for 4th in the tourney in strikeouts, behind Strasburg, Yuki Saito and Mark Hardy. In the finale, he worked into the 10th in an excellent duel with Japan's Iwata before leaving.
Minor was 6-6 with a 3.90 ERA in 2009. The Atlanta Braves took him 7th overall in the 2009 amateur draft.
Minor's repertoire includes a fastball (86-91 mph), changeup, slider and curveball.
