Meet Patrick Corbin: Another D-backs Pitching Phenom
There has been much said about the Diamondbacks and the quality of their pitching prospects, but one name seems to be overlooked almost every time with pitching prospects Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs ranked higher than him. That man is Patrick Corbin, a man who has pitched so well he is making a strong case to be the first pitching prospect to either make the team or get called up this season.
Corbin has had the best spring of any Diamondbacks pitcher this year, going 1-0 with an ERA of .57 in five games this season, giving up just seven hits and one run while striking out 15 in 15 and 2/3 innings of work. He also has a WHIP of .89 and and opponents batting average of .135.
His last game was masterful throwing five innings of no-hit ball against the Colorado Rockies in a 7-3 victory on Tuesday. To top it off he helped his own cause going two for two at the plate with an RBI, one of his hits being a triple.
After the game against the Rockies, Manager Kirk Gibson mentioned that Corbin had an outside shot at making the club at the beginning of the year, but with the starting rotation already set and much of the bullpen solid, he is more than likely looking at starting the year with the Triple A affiliate and being a mid-season call-up depending on the performances and health of the starting rotation.
Corbin, as noted above, has flown most of the season under the radar in one of the deepest pitching farm systems in the league in Arizona, but with the spring he is having, people are taking notice. Corbin was born in Clay, New York on July 19, 1989 and attended Chipola College in Florida. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the second round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft. On July 25, 2010, Corbin was part of the monumental trade to Diamondbacks with Joe Saunders, Rafael Rodriguez and Tyler Skaggs in exchange for Dan Haren.
Corbin is on the Diamondbacks top prospect list at No. 8, but with the spring he is having and the potential he has shown, look for him to make a jump up that rankings and ride it all the way to the majors.
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