Rob Kaminsky: A Young Cardinal’s Learning Curve

Rob Kaminsky had a killer curveball coming into the 2013 draft. By the completion of the current campaign he’d enhanced his arsenal by greatly improving his two-seam circle change. His next goal is to recapture command of the pitch that made him a first-round pick.

When St. Louis selected Kaminsky 28th overall, his calling card was a bender that Baseball America called “No. 1 among high schoolers.” Hard and nasty, it complemented a fastball that flirted with the mid-90s. According to scouting director Dan Kantrovitz, the Cardinals thought Kaminsky’s one-two punch wasn’t enough.

“When we were scouting Rob as an amateur, [area scout] Sean Moran told me Rob would have three pitches in the future with plus command,” Kantrovitz said. “He [also] said that because of how dominating he was at the high school level, he rarely had opportunities to work on his changeup and would need to focus on that in pro ball. Sean was spot-on. Our pitching coaches did an excellent job of bringing Rob along this year and really getting that changeup to be a legitimate weapon for him.”

The new weapon was legit. Pitching for Low-A Peoria, the 19-year-old southpaw surrendered just 71 hits in 100.2 innings. He won 8 of 10 decisions and logged a 1.88 ERA. Only two batters left the yard against him.

Much like an on-again-off-again relationship, Kaminsky’s signature pitch did leave him from time to time. Developmentally, it was part and parcel of what the marriage counselor… er, player development staff had in mind.

“Quite frankly, I didn’t have my curveball in many games this year,” Kaminsky admitted. “I only had it sometimes and mostly got by with fastball command and changeups. The Cardinals definitely stressed changeups and I think that’s part of the reason… I wouldn’t say I lost my curveball, but it wasn’t as consistently effective as I wanted it to be. This offseason, I plan to get it back to where it was, if not better.”

Action wasn’t the issue so much as command. His 79 mph to 82 mph breaking ball still had swing-and-miss properties, but the location was often lacking. That wasn’t the case with his heater, which sat 91 mph to 92 mph and frequently flashed higher.

“Fastball command was big for me this year,” said Kaminsky, who throws both four-seamers and two-seamers. “And I love to pitch inside. Hitters don’t feel very comfortable when you throw inside, so I’m a big believer in that.”

Kaminsky doesn’t strike an imposing presence on the mound. Physically, he looks more like John Tudor than Joe Magrane – younger Cardinals fans, brush up on your history – but he doesn’t consider himself a finesse lefty.

“Right now I think I’m more of a power guy,” Kaminsky said. “My velo is better than it’s been my whole life; I think I hit 95 at least once every start and 96 once or twice. Still, being a 5-10, 5-11 lefty with a goal of going seven strong, I have to figure out how to get people out early in the count.”

The Montvale, New Jersey, native fanned a nothing-special 7.05 batters per nine innings. He expects his K/9 to fatten up going forward, and for good reason: Kaminsky considers his curve his strikeout pitch. He’s also working to fine-tune his delivery, which he said has been “a little closed off.” Better extension could add inches to his offerings.

Kaminky isn’t Clayton Kershaw when it comes to talent or pitch selection, but he pays close attention to baseball’s best. That includes viewing Kershaw’s FanGraphs player page.

“I look at things like what percentage he throws his slider and his curveball,” Kaminsky said. “He’s got an awesome curveball, which he doesn’t throw as often as people think. He throws a lot of sliders. He’s a guy I look up to and love to watch. I’m not Clayton Kershaw – what he does is special and I don’t throw a slider – but I emulate certain things he does.”

The most valuable tutelage Kaminsky received this year didn’t come via data. It was hands-on and came not only from pitching coordinators and the coaching staff in Peoria, but also from a fellow left-hander on a rehab assignment.

“Jaime Garcia was down at the complex while I was in extended spring training and I picked his brain a bunch,” Kaminsky said. “I was always asking him questions. Actually, if you ask him, I’m pretty sure he’d say I was annoying.

“He’s been there and done that, so I wanted to learn as much as I could from him. I asked about stuff like how he deals with adversity and bounces back. I mean, 91-92 down the middle works in New Jersey, but it doesn’t work here in pro ball. This year was an adjustment for me. Things panned out pretty well, but there was definitely a learning curve.”