Name to Know: Sam Selman

The Royals selected left-handed pitcher Sam Selman out of Vanderbilt, in the second round of the 2012 MLB first-year player draft.  Selman was the 66th overall pick and could very well make a splash in the big leagues a few years from now.  He was signed in June and reported to the Rookie League, Idaho Falls Chukars.  Selman has immense amounts of raw potential and it’s best we take a closer look at this projectable lefty the Royals view so highly.

Selman is listed at 6’3″ an

d 190 lbs. from Austin, Texas.  He sports a fastball that ranges from 90-95 mph and also offers a slider and change up that both need some polishing up.  He certainly has the potential to be a power arm from the left side for the Royals in a few years.  It’s important for him to continue his development and throw more innings as he refines his delivery to one that is a bit more consistent.  One of his down falls throughout his collegiate career was the lack of consistency in his delivery and the walks that would follow.  It would seem as if he may have found a remedy as he has allowed only 16 walks through his first 47.1 professional innings pitched.

It’s still to be determined how fast Selman could rise through the minors, but he’s definitely pushing for his next promotion right now.  Selman is completely dominating the Pioneer League this summer.  His last 5 starts he has thrown 27 innings and tallied up 46 strikeouts while only allowing 11 walks and 13 hits.  These are some astonishing numbers and have to delight Royals fans who are constantly looking for promising young pitchers to someday grace the mound at Kauffman Stadium.

I already like the pick of the young Austin, Texas native.  In my opinion, drafting Selman was well worth it.  He shows tremendous upside and only has a few tweaks to make to his game, the most important being the consistency of his delivery.  While, like most pitchers, his secondary pitches need a little work, they are still very formidable for the lower minor leagues.  However, to hold up in the upper minors and in the big leagues, he will need his slider to be sharper and his changeup to fade.  This should come with more seasoning in the minors and more repetition.

I’m hoping to give Selman the praise he deserves so far, as well as bring his name to light to other Royals fans.  I’m very excited we had the opportunity to take this kid, and I’d love to see him turn into a great number 2 or 3 starter for us down the line.  Realistically, I think that will be his calling as he continues to develop into a very promising young hurler.  Also feel free to give Sam a follow on his twitter page @crazylegsselman