Keeping with the trend of covering new additions to the Reds 40-man roster, I thought today would be a good day to take a look at the season of Curtis Partch who finished up the season in Pensacola before heading out to the Arizona Fall League.
April did not start off well for Curtis Partch. He made four starts for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos where he posted an ERA of 9.18 with 11 walks and 13 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched before he was demoted to Bakersfield where he began working out of the bullpen. In 3.1 innings to end the month in the Blaze bullpen he allowed a run with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. For the rest of the season the big right hander pitched out of the bullpen exclusively.
From the first of the month through the 11th Partch the 8.2 innings with a 1.04 ERA, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts with Bakersfield. That performance got him a promotion back to Pensacola. To finish out the month with the Blue Wahoos he threw 7 innings with 4 walks and 5 strikeouts to finish the month with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP over 15.2 innings with 6 walks and 15 strikeouts.
June was an outstanding month for Partch as he threw 18.1 innings of shutout ball with a 0.93 WHIP as he racked up 4 saves and picked up a win. His walk rate was 5.6% on the month as he showed an improvement in control and saw his strikeout rate finish the month at 23.9%.
July was clearly going to be a step backwards as it is tough to best a month where you didn’t allow an earned run, though Partch only had one game on the month where he gave up runs. On July 8th he allowed 5 runs in 0.2 innings that ended his 14 game scoreless streak. He would finish the month with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP with a 9.3% walk rate and a 31.5% strikeout rate in 13 innings with a 1-0 record and 2 saves.
In August and September things actually took a step backwards as he struggled with his control and ability to miss bats. While he went 3-1 on the month in 15.1 innings, Partch had 9 walks and 12 strikeouts to go along with a 6.46 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. Even with a rough stretch to end the season he established himself as someone to keep an eye on out of the bullpen where he posted a 3.01 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, a 7-2 record with 8 saves in 79.1 innings with a 9.2% walk rate and a 24.3% strikeout rate.
The Reds sent Partch out to Arizona to participate in the Arizona Fall League following the season to take one last look at him before deciding whether or not to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. Partch continued his success out of the bullpen as he posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in a very friendly hitting environment. In 13.2 innings he had an 11.1% walk rate and a 25.9% strikeout rate. With a strong showing the Reds felt comfortable adding him to the 40-man roster.
| Tm | W | L | ERA | SV | IP | H | HR | BB | SO | WHIP | BB% | K% | K/BB |
| Bakersfield | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | 2 | 12.0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 0.83 | 6.5% | 32.6% | 5.0 |
| Pensacola | 7 | 4 | 4.73 | 6 | 70.1 | 75 | 7 | 33 | 64 | 1.54 | 10.5% | 20.4% | 1.9 |
| Total | 7 | 4 | 4.26 | 8 | 82.1 | 82 | 8 | 36 | 79 | 1.43 | 10.0% | 21.9% | 2.2 |
| AFL | 0 | 0 | 3.29 | 1 | 13.2 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 1.10 | 11.1% | 25.9% | 2.3 |
Overall Thoughts
The move to the bullpen this year was a lifechanging move for Partch as it turned his season around and put him in a better position to succeed, which he did, then led to his being added to the Reds 40-man roster. He has a big fastball and strong slider that he uses to overpower hitters. In the Arizona Fall League he averaged 97 MPH with his fastball and his slider averaged 86 MPH. His walk rate is average at best right now, but he has the stuff to pitch at the back end of the bullpen if he can limit the walks just a little bit more as he moves forward.
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