He isn't exactly a big name, but he has a big fastball and that makes him intriguing enough. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus and ESPN reported today that the Chicago White Sox re-signed Leyson Septimo, a 26-year-old relief pitcher that previously spent most of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's likely that he's coming back on a minor league deal.
Goldstein mentioned that Septimo "still throws very very hard" but that he "doesn't really do much else" as a pitcher. That presumably speaks to his last of secondary pitches and poor command. Septimo split 2011 between the Double-A affiliates for the White Sox and Diamondbacks, posting a 5.30 ERA over 56 innings.
There's reason for optimism, though. After acquiring Septimo off waivers from the Diamondbacks midseason, he ended up pitching much better with Chicago. In 26 innings with Double-A Birmingham, Septimo posted a 4.10 ERA, but his 2.98 FIP is much stronger and he struck out about 13 guys per 9 innings.
The velocity and bat-missing ability alone are enough to make him a legitimate relief pitcher prospect, and the White Sox have seen first-hand from the likes of Sergio Santos, Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks, among others, how hard-throwing live arms can develop into top-rate relievers pretty quickly.
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