Randall Linebaugh
Like Mace Thurman (17th round), was taken out of Baylor University in the 37th round of the 2008 amateur draft.
In 2005, he saw limited playing time while a teammate of Mike Griffin's (Reds' 2005 draft pick and current Louisville Bat), but his career started to pick up steam during his sophomore year as he led Baylor starters with a 3.42 ERA. Heading into his junior year, he was expected to blossom as the team's ace, but he fell behind the pack with a high ERA and lackluster K/BB ratio. 2008 was a chance to rebound, but he was pushed to the bullpen and struggled even more, particularly with his command. At one time, he was expected to be a early-to-mid-round draft pick, but after his dreadful senior year, he slipped to late in the second day, where the Reds were fortunate enough to take a flier on him.
Since being drafted, he has been impressive with the Billings Mustangs. He hasn't allowed an earned run in over a month, and he's been turning heads with a fastball clocked at 92-94 MPH despite his 5'11" frame. At Baylor, he averaged 7.05 K/9IP and 3.96 BB/9IP, but in his 18.1 innings with Billings, he averages a remarkable 12.27 K/9IP and 2.95 BB/9IP. Obviously, it's too soon to know what is in store for Linebaugh, but if his start in Billings is any indication, he could have a very bright future ahead of him. Here are the stats on Linebaugh, who will turn 23 years old on October 2nd.
And for all you Facebookers, here's his profile: http://es.facebook.com/people/Randall_Linebaugh/9210833Code:Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG BIL PIO 1 2 2.45 17 0 0 0 5 18.1 16 5 5 2 6 25 2.50 .239