Hindsights Vol: 5: Mike Kirkman's Bizarre Odyssey
Mike Kirkman - Photo courtesy of Scott LucasI'm throwing this together after listening to Mike Rhyner and Corby Davidson trying to think of where Mike Kirkman came from and how he could have flown under the radar for so long. It reminded me that most folks probably don't know the remarkable story of how Kirkman got from 2005 fifth-rounder out of a Florida high school to 2010 23-year-old big league rookie. As many of you know, it's a story worth telling because it's hard to think of a homegrown Rangers prospect who has overcome more adversity on the road to Arlington than Kirkman has.
Kirkman went into his senior prep season as a marginal prospect, but shot up the charts during that 2005 spring season to become what Baseball America considered a third-round talent as he grew bigger, added velocity and -- as it was reported back then -- gained control of his emotions. Though he was committed to Lake City (FL) Community College (where he might have been a teammate of outfielder Cameron Maybin, the No. 10 overall pick in that year's draft), Kirkman was recruited by a number of NCAA baseball powerhouses including Florida State, Mississippi State, Florida and Miami. The Rangers were therefore probably very fortunate to land him in the fifth round and get him under contract for $163,000.
Kirkman enjoyed a very strong debut season in the Arizona Rookie League, improving each month (4.21 ERA through his first seven appearances; 2.52 ERA through his final six) before going to fall instructionals where he created some buzz. During the spring of 2006, Kirkman was a buzz boy on the back fields, much like Ian Kinsler had been in 2004 and Edinson Volquez had been in 2005. I distinctly recall watching him commanding three pitches with uncanny precision and visiting with Rick Adair about what a huge talent the Rangers had stumbled onto. My notes from that time indicate that Kirkman had a heavy 90ish fastball, a plus 1-to-7 curveball and a slider that he threw for strikes.
During his rookie 2005 AZL season, hitters suffered equally against Kirkman no matter which side of the plate they stood on. Lefties hit .255 against him, while righties hit just .247. He didn't allow a homer all year and he posted a 1.29 ground-to-fly ball ratio while recording 58 strikeouts in 52.1 innings. He entered the 2006 season as a probable helium guy And then the wheels came off. And I do mean off.
At age 19, in his second pro season out of high school, the Rangers aggressively assigned him to Class-A Clinton, skipping the short-season Northwest League. But there was no reason to think that Kirkman wasn't up to the challenge.
He wasn't. Making six starts spanning just 19.1 innings, Kirkman posted a 6.98 ERA in the generally pitcher-friendly Midwest League, walking 24, plunking one and unleashing five wild pitches before being sent out to extended spring training. He re-emerged later in the summer with the rookie-league Arizona Rangers and the control issues that had plagued him in Clinton were even more pronounced. During his second tour of duty in the AZL, Kirkman posted a 13.20 ERA in 15 innings over the course of eight appearances during which he walked 27 and fired off nine wild pitches. He also suffered a hamstring injury that year, but that was a minor concern compared to the borderline Steve Blass disease.
When he reported to fall instructionals after the 2006 season, it was discovered that Kirkman had a minor tear in an elbow ligament, and he was sent home and told not to pick up a ball again until January.
The next spring, things were no better. Kirkman was such a train wreck during the spring of 2007 that his pitches were sometimes sailing 10-12 feet over the catcher's head. Just watching his body language around the back fields that spring was heartbreaking. The kid was utterly lost and appeared to have the confidence level of an abused puppy.
The Rangers eventually assigned Kirkman to Clinton again, only to see him fail once again. He was demoted to Spokane where he posted a 7.00 ERA in nine appearances, walking 25, hitting two and issuing seven wild pitches in just 27 innings of work.
In 18 months, Kirkman had gone from helium boy to total bust.
But he didn't give up.
In 2008, Kirkman made his third run at the Midwest League and, suddenly, he was once again throwing strikes. He was getting hit -- his stuff still wasn't back to where it had been as a rookie in 2005 -- but he was finding the plate again. Over the course of 15 appearances that year, Kirkman posted a 4.38 ERA and walked "just" 23 while fanning 58 in 74.1 innings.
There was hope. Not much. Kirkman's 2008 season wasn't enough to put him back on the prospect map, but he was lingering on the periphery of the radar.
And then 2009 happened. Served up to the pitching hell that is Bakersfield and the High-A California League, Kirkman put up unthinkable numbers.
In a stadium -- the euphemistic nomenclature of Bakersfield's "Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark" never fails to make me giggle just a bit -- and a league (the southern division of the Cal League is nothing but bandboxes) that crushes the confidence of dozens of pitching prospects every year, Kirkman blew the thing up. In eight appearances spanning 48 innings, Kirkman posted a 2.06 ERA, punching out 54 and walking 18 while allowing just one homer.
Nobody does that in Bakersfield. Nobody. And coming from a guy who only 18 months earlier had clearly lost all confidence in himself, it ranked among the most incredible things I've ever seen in my decade following Rangers prospects.
In an interview with LoneStarDugout.com's Jason Cole, Kirkman cited an interesting source for helping him get back on track:
"I started watching Cliff Lee pitch, and I started watching video of him and video of me. I was comparing myself to him. One thing he did is he shortened up his front arm and it let him get through the ball rather than having to go around himself to get to the plate. That really, I think, is what turned me on."
That spectacular Cal League performance earned Kirkman a promotion to Double-A Frisco in June of 2009. The morning he was set to make his debut in the Texas League, I sat down with Rangers minor league pitching coordinator Danny Clark to talk about the re-emergence of Kirkman as a major prospect. Clark beamed while talking about the quiet lefty:
"I’m more excited about Michael Kirkman than any pitcher we have right now from the standpoint of everything he’s gone through to get here. The command issues, injuries. He got sent back to extended a few times. Gotta give Keith Comstock a lot of credit for what’s happened with Mike for all the work they put in back in Surprise over the past couple of years.
"The big thing about Mike is that he doesn’t back down. He’s a quiet competitor. He’s a country boy and doesn’t say a lot. He’s not going to go out and draw attention to himself, but you lead the Cal League in ERA and strikeouts and that gets you plenty of attention.
"We’ve always seen the fastball velocity which is plus for a lefty starter — 92 to 94 — but he’s got total command of it right now with the plus breaking ball that he’s throwing for strikes. I’m a big Kirkman fan. Couldn’t be happier for him."
Kirkman's tenure in the Texas League was solid, but not quite as spectacular as his blitzkreig through the Cal League. He battled and fought more than he dominated, but he finished up with a respectable 4.19 ERA in 18 appearances spanning 96 innings, striking out 64 while walking a slightly disturbing 43, raising at least some suspicion that his control issues might not be entirely behind him.
Nonetheless, Kirkman's 2009 season was good enough to earn him a spot on the Rangers 40-man roster over the winter, and he rolled into the 2010 season with a somewhat surprising assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he stamped himself as an elite prospect at age 23. In 131 Pacific Coast League innings, Kirkman struck out a league-leading 130 hitters and posted a 3.09 ERA, which stands as the third-best mark in the league.
Kirkman has a classic starter's assortment -- four-seamer, two-seamer, curveball, slider, cutter, change-up -- and has above-average velocity for a southpaw. While his control is no longer an issue, his command remains a minor one and he must continue to hone it in order to achieve his upside as a solid number three starter in a good rotation.
Kirkman will be in the mix for a rotation spot next year, but for now, he's taking the ball and running with it towards a spot on the Rangers post-season roster. For those of us who have followed Kirkman's story over the past five years, it damn near brings you to tears to see him killing it out of the Texas bullpen right now. His is probably the most improbable ascent through the system that you'll ever see and a glowing testament not only to Kirkman himself, but to the Rangers' player development system.
24 Comments | in Analysis, Prospects, The Season
Reader Comments (24)
And a testament to the prospect insights of yourself and the Godfather. This is what you guys do best. I lament that Newberg is more a media star these days than prospect guru but credit is due still for starting the whole thing. That Rhyner, Corby, and the whole pathetic gang over at numbnuts radio have missed the boat entirely is not exactly a shocker.
Good write, had no idea...
What a great article. I've been following Kirkman since about mid-year, but when the Rangers put him on the 40 last year, I was like "huh?". Another humbling episode of "The Rangers are much smarter than me". The story of his preserverance is inspirational. I was rooting for him before, maybe now a little harder moving forward.
Mike and Joey -
Please post this under recent articles so people won't skip this story.
Really nice summary. I'm glad the Rangers didn't give up on him. In three years, if he's consistently winning 12-14 games each season, people will still be saying, where did this guy come from? I always had Beavan, Main and Kiker ahead of him - my bad.
I remember seeing Kirkman's early season line from Bakersfield last year. I didn't think he was even still in the system, so I was amazed. Being a lefty myself, I'll always pull for the underdog LHP, but Kirkman's phoenix-like rise from the ashes is awesome no matter what perspective you have.
Nearly 60 pitches last night in less than 3 innings had some questions come up. He looked like he hit a short lull. His Fastball stayed at 92 but his control was off just a little. Then, he seemed to find it again and got a pick-me-up to finish strong. What a pleasant surprise he is. Probably doesn't even know where he is yet. Hope he never figures it out if he can do this consistently.
Should a guy with a history of control/command issues be throwing 6 different pitches? It's been pretty exciting to watch him this past week after all he's been through over the past few years. He's surpassed Scheppers in the short term needs of the team, kudos.
Thanks for the superb story. I will root for this guy even harder now. Who wouldn't root for a young man who has fought back so many times?
My one question is: did he ever get that ligament fixed or is it still partially torn? I know from my own painful experiences with sports that ligaments don't heal themselves like muscles do.
Many thanks Mike, for telling/reminding us of the Kirkman story.
How in heck can us work-a-day-Joes not become rooters for a Michael Kirkman?
Solid.
Sorry about the crappy form and style people. I ran out of time to finish editing it properly and this is really too sloppy to be seen by the public. But you get the idea: the kid had a lot to fight through to get here.
Great read, MJH, informative. Must admit, glancing over his early numbers last year I presumed he'd had Tommy John or some kinda surgery. His control just disappeared, and then he did.
So that's pretty striking he just worked his way back. And what a terrible pun.
Weird this past May his control just went haywire...but all other months the countables are great. I remember reading some ugly Kirkman lines in Lucas's emails, and yeah, then that was it.
What a nice prospect. And lefthanded...
God bless the guy, he just kept on climbing that mountain that is the minor league system.
What a great story, literally brought a tear to my eye. Perfectly written.
This story belongs on the front page.
Mike - push the English teacher in you down and write more.
We all know more when you write.
I watched him pitch the other night without knowing anything about the guy. I really liked him. Now I like him even more. Can't wait to see him pitch again. Funny thing , I thought I saw a resemblance of Cliff Lee, when he threw a fastball that went from the first base side of the rubber to the outside edge of the plate to a lefty, leaving him frozen. Good command and speed. We keep hearing about the Rangers depth but we don't get the magnitude of it until we see guys like Mike coming up into the bigs.......Good Story !
Good read. Question - what are the exact requirements for him to not lose "rookie status"? I guess, more importantly, if he is like Feliz last year and remains a prospect until next year, where in the team prospect/total minor league prospect rankings would this guy be?
My son and I were at spring training this year, and it was obvious the Rangers were very high on Kirkman. They kept him with the big leaguers until the very end. I read that one scout for another team said that Kirkman was "the best pitcher I've seen this year in the Rangers' minor league system." Command will always be his issue, though, and I'm not sure it's safe to say he's mastered it yet.
When this guy came in from the bullpen in Baltimore for the first time and popped a 94mph knee high fastball on the outside corner I popped wood. Can't wait to see more of him. Great article.
JCs: You'll have to ask the Professor where Kirkman ranks among the top prospects in the system. I'm too far out of the loop these days to rank prospects with any validity. But Kirkman will still be a rookie next year.
Great read, MJH. I have always had a soft spot for Mr. Kirkman, glad to see him doing well.
I thought Kirkman should have gotten the call before Holland earlier this year ... and before Harden when was down at OKC rehabing.
Kirkman has more than Harden or Holland with his eyes closed.
Nice story, and I'm glad we got to read about it. I also so a resemblance to Cliff Lee, and I hope that he is also following Lee around like Holland should be
kirkman has looked 1000% better than holland in holland's same innings last yr.
Hi guys - Nathan from Perth Australia - Mike is just the nicest young man - We met him when he stayed with us for a week whilst competing as part of a development squad touring Australia in 2004 as a 17yo. Obviously have kept a close watch on his progress over the years. We are just over the moon for him and keep in touch regularly. Its great to see someone write such a positive and acurate article on our 'mate' from Florida. Keep it up Mike and we'll get over to see you play live one of these days !!!