2011 Season in Review: Tim Crabbe

Tim Crabbe was mostly off of the prospect radar heading into 2011. He had struggles with his control since being drafted and despite two good pitches to his name, had struggled to put up impressive stats. That would all change during the 2011 season.

In April, Crabbe returned to Dayton, where he had pitched the season before. He spent most of that time coming out of the bullpen for the team. He took part in five games in April, posting a 2.03 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in 13.1 innings pitched. He struck out an impressive 16 batters and walked 6 hitters while grabbing a save. He made one start during the month, picking up a win in a game where he went 5 innings of shutout baseball with just 1 hit allowed. He struck out 3 and walked 2.

In May his time would be spent split between Dayton and Bakersfield, as he earned a promotion in the middle of the month. He would have some slight struggles during the month, throwing 22.2 innings on the month with a 5.16 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The peripherals were solid though, with 17 strikeouts and 5 walks  during the month. He did give up 3 home runs to go along with 29 hits. He did go 2-1 on the month despite a rough stretch.

June was a strong month for Crabbe who rebounded well to post a 2.86 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in his 22 innings pitched for the Blaze.  He had a dominant 31 strikeouts in those 22 innings, but he did walk 12 hitters during that time too as he battled a bit of consistency. He only gave up 2 home runs during the month.

July saw his ERA jump back up to 4.63 for the month to go along with a 1.40 WHIP. He threw 35 innings on the month, working as a starter during the month with 39 strikeouts and 14 walks. His walk rate was lowered, as was his strikeout rate and home run total with just three given up on the month. On the 23rd of the month he racked up his first double digit strikeout game of his season when he fanned 10 in 6.1 innings.

August and September combined for 7 starts and the best month(s) of the season. He would throw 42.2 innings in that time frame and posted a 2.32 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He kept his walk rate in check with 16 walks and had a high strikeout total with 45 batters heading back to the dugout with their bats in their hands. He finished out the season strong, with an 11 strikeout performance over 7 innings where he allowed just 1 earned runs in his final start of the year.

Overall Thoughts

The 2011 season really saw Crabbe take a step forward with his performance from previous seasons due to improved control and more consistency with his stuff. He has an above-average fastball and slider that can dominate opposing hitters and being able to consistently use them led to a strong season despite spending most of his season in a very hitter friendly environment. There are some concerns that he is going to be a reliever in the long run, which I agree with, but he has the potential to be a late inning reliever if he does find himself in the role.

Stats