Starting this week, ESPNDallas will rank the Top 10 minor league prospects in the Texas Rangers system. You'll receive two prospects per day.
Ranking: 10
Player: Corey Knebel
Position: RHP
Draft selection: 2013, first round supplemental.
Team: Triple-A Round Rock
2014 season: Detroit Tigers: 8 Games, 8.2 IP, 11 H, 11 K, OPP BA: .306. Triple-A Round Rock: 9 Games, 12 IP, 9 H, 20 K, OPP BA: .205. Triple-A Toledo: 14 Games, 18.1 IP, 6 H, 9 K, OPP BA: .109.
Positives: Big fastball and a hard breaking ball.
Negatives: Recovering from elbow injury
When will he be here?: The former University of Texas pitcher was drafted by the Detroit Tigers and quickly moved up the ranks in the minor league system to the big club. He pitched in eight games this past season for the Tigers. He was acquired in a trade this past summer and the Rangers have been nothing but impressed with his work in Triple-A. Knebel suffered a sprained ulnar collateral ligament during the 2014 season and was shut down. He's recovering well and there's an expectation he'll be ready for spring training. Knebel will battle for a back-of-the-bullpen spot, but with so much depth on the big club there's nothing wrong with seeing him get extended time in Triple-A.
What they’re saying: "There's some funkiness to Knebel's delivery, but it adds more deception than it detracts from his ability to throw strikes. He flashes a decent changeup, which had the Tigers initially considering trying him as a starter, but his future definitely is as a reliever." -- MLB.com
"Corey Knebel is a reliever, a tough competitor with a mid-90s fastball, a grade-55 curveball that misses some bats, below-average command, and a high-effort arm swing that's hard for him to repeat. He doesn't have the pure stuff to be a closer (he can be an elite reliever, top 25 or so in the game) but if he can finish the curveball consistently enough he'll have a solid career working in the seventh or eighth inning." -- Keith Law, ESPN
