Future Friars: Dennis Tankersley

Dennis Tankersley, originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 38th round of the 1998 draft, came to the Padres along with shortstop Cesar Saba in a deal that sent veteran Ed Sprague to Boston. Sprague hit .216/.293/.306 in 111 at-bats before being released and re-signing with the Pads, for whom he hit .261/.326/.529 in 157 at-bats.

Okay, enough rubbing of salt in the wounds. Tankersley, considered a throw-in at the time of the trade, saw his velocity increase when Padres coaches changed his delivery. He finished strong at Ft. Wayne in the Midwest League, reaching double digits in strikeouts in 5 of his 12 starts.

Tankersley, 22, built on the momentum of last season and was virtually unhittable at Lake Elsinore. He enjoyed similar success after a promotion to Double-A Mobile and even made three starts at Triple-A Portland before being shut down for the season. Mixing a low- to mid-90s fastball with a plus breaking ball and good command, Tankersley has a deceptive three-quarters delivery that makes picking the ball up very difficult for right-handed hitters.

Tankersley's delivery reminds some observers of that of Mets' righthander Kevin Appier, though Tankersley's appears to be less violent. A better comparison, in my opinion, is to former big-leaguer Dennis Eckersley, who cocked his arm behind his right ear but didn't throw so much across his body.