Brewers Select Arnett At No. 26

With the 26th pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers select starting pitcher Eric Arnett from the Indiana Hoosiers.

As a member of the Glens Falls Golden Eagles, the junior righty experienced an arm injury early last summer that forced him to miss most of the 2008 season. During his time in Glens Falls, Arnett started three games, walked five batters and struck out 14 in over 19 innings pitched.

Up until the Brewers drafted Arnett, 16 other pitchers were chosen in the first round, including 11 righties. Arnett now becomes Glens Falls’ highest draft pick.

Though he struggled in his previous two collegiate seasons, the junior power-pitcher quickly rose up most MLB draft boards due in large part to an impressive 2009 campaign. Arnett, the ace on the 2009 Hoosier pitching staff, dominated the Big Ten this season and helped lead Indiana to their first Big Ten Championship since 1996 and a No. 4 seed in the Louisville Regional.

For the first time since his 10 strikeout, complete game loss to the No. 20 ranked East Carolina Pirates, the 2009 MLB Draft first-rounder Arnett lost his second game of the 2009 season. This time in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against the top-seed Louisville Cardinals.

Arnett, finished with a 12-2 win-loss record this season, lasted seven strong innings, allowing only one earned run on five hits and four walks. Add to this his six strikeouts, Arnett now stands tied (Vernon Wilshere) for the Hoosiers’ single-season strikeout record with 109 in 2009.

Unfortunately, the Hoosiers the dropped their second game 10-0 to the Vanderbilt Commodores and were eliminated from the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

After being named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year for 2009, the College Baseball Foundation named Arnett a finalist for National Pitcher of the Year and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. As a starter for the Hoosiers in the 2009 season, Arnett stands tied for Indiana’s single-season wins record.

With a mere 2.50 ERA, six complete games, and with opponents batting only .212 against the right-handed hurler, Arnett topped all Hoosier pitchers in several other categories, including his complete games, wins,  strikeouts, and innings-pitch (108).  Arnett ranks fourth in the nation in wins, 19th in K’s, and 21st in ERA.

Baseball America, in it’s most recent top-100 prospects list, penned Arnett at the N0. 18 to the Florida Marlins. Coincidentally,  Arnett’s drawn many comparisons to current Marlins starter Josh Johnson. Both Arnett and Johnson have similar body builds. In addition to his workhouse mentality on the mound, Arnett expects to pitch deep into games, which is one reason why some major league teams passed on him. They seemed worried his pitch counts would cause him unforeseen injuries, even though he’s been relatively healthy for his entire collegiate career.

At 6’5”, 225 pounds, Arnett, overpowers hitters with a rising fastball and a somewhat inconsistent slider that he must cultivate more for it to become an out pitch in the big leagues. Despite flashes of lower-90 speed, Arnett’s increased his velocity this season, especially in the later innings as he’s now averaging nearly eight innings per start. Arnett’s now up to the high 90s and keeps the ball low in the strike zone so opposing hitters struggle picking up his location.

According to Indiana assistant coach Ty Neal, Arnett’s been able to keep up his speed pitches in later innings and rarely relied on other pitches, such as a splitter or changeup, because no one hitter in the Big Ten has been able to catch up to his other two.

“He’s just gotten stronger, and he’s gotten better every year. Before, he was a 92 (mph) guy and the ball was flat in the zone. Now, he’s bigger and stronger, the slider’s a little better and he’s starting to miss bats and beat guys with his fastball,” Neal said.

by Eric Rushia