RJ Swindle

Age: 21, Born: July 7, 1983

Resides: Orlando, FL

Height: 6-3, Weight: 195

Bats: Left, Throws: Left

Drafted: 14th round, 2004

College: Charleston Southern

RJ tops out at 85 mph, but has exceptional command and control. He throws from a 3/4 arm-slot and features a mesmerizing 60-62 mph curve with a huge break. He patterns himself after Jamie Moyer, and so far the results are good.

SoxProspects.com bio on RJ

Thru 8/14:

W = 4
L = 1
ERA = 2.11
G = 11
IP = 47
H = 38
BB = 4
K = 50

RJ got a win tonight in his last appearance of the season. With the team's permission he is leaving a few weeks early to finish his degree at Charleston Southern University.

RJ had a phenomenal pro debut -- just look at his final stats (below). And with his 60 mph curveball, he is quite probably the most fun pitcher to watch in the entire system.

W = 5
L = 1
ERA = 1.94
G = 12
1P = 51
H = 42
BB = 4
K = 56

Sorry for the mine/bump... but has anyone ever gotten the full scoop on the R.J. Swindle release? He dominated at Lowell in 2004. The Red Sox released him. He pitched in the Independent League in 2005 and pitched well. He continued in the Independent League in 2006, but then signed with the Yankees, where he pitched at the A and AAA levels as if he never missed a beat (low ERA, stunning K/BB ratios.) He's 23 years old and a lefty. So what happened with his Red Sox career?

Multiple Googles yield vague inconclusiveness.

I'm guessing Cambridge can offer some better info on this, but my recollection is that it had something to do with a back injury. There may have also been some dispute over the source of the injury -- whether it was something he did in the offseason or whether he had it when he showed up in Lowell in 2004. Perhaps it was the combination of the injury and a fairly limited upside (soft-tossing lefty that's lucky to hit 85 with his fastball) that led them to cut him.

Either way, he eventually did have back surgery a year after they released him, but you're right, he did pitch very well last year.

I know that there reached a point where the organization started to swing away from the soft-tossing lefty regime. Which is understandable, but... why not just stop drafting new soft-tossing lefties rather than releasing your already-in-the-system and effective soft-tossing lefties? No matter how soft he throws, his upside is better than Abe Alvarez and the organization has stuck with that guy for years.

As for the injury it didn't appear to affect his pitching in the least. Why would you release a prospect unless his career was over???

Last season between AA and AAA (mostly AA, he only had one game in AAA) he posted a .58 ERA in 46 IP in 22 games. His K/BB was 46/5, and his BAA was .208. That K/BB is outrageous. Screw it, all of his numbers are outrageous.

I can't believe this is the first I've heard of him. I can't think of a good reason to release someone with those numbers

He was surprised the Sox released him too.

Edgefield Advertiser 7/19/06

I realize that bemoaning the loss of one finesse lefty prospect in light of an overall improved minor league system and philosophy over the past few years, is definitely a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. However, isn't releasing a cost-controlled minor leaguer for being "damaged goods" while signing Matt Mantei, Wade Miller, etc. to large money contracts, also a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees?

It doesn't matter, because R.J. Swindle is now my favorite Yankee and this is by far the best thread on the board right now. Hands down.

I really doubt that the Red Sox released him because he was a soft tossing lefty. The whole situation about him being released is unclear, but I can't imagine the Red Sox decided he was a soft tossing lefty so they released him.

The thing with Swindle is that his fastball sits around 79-83, and his breaking pitches dip down into the low 60s at times. Any major league hitter is just going to sit on his fastball. He's going to have a very tough time getting major league hitters out.