Kevin Shackelford is the closer for the Louisville Bats. In his first 11 relief appearances this season, he pitched scoreless baseball in ten of them. His stats, despite this small sample, are pretty good– 14 innings pitched, 7 hits and earned run average of just 2.08. His only flaw has been control; in those 14 innings, he’s fanned 16 but walked 10.
But then consider his 2016 season, which started in Class AA Pensacola and finished in Louisville: 44 innings pitched with a 2.03 ERA, allowing 36 hits and striking out 31 while walking 17.
Still, you won’t see Kevin Shackelford’s name among the Top 30 prospects for the Cincinnati Reds.