DALLAS — Lefty starting pitcher Joe Palumbo had an unusual road to professional baseball, to say the least. After transferring high schools during his senior year, and subsequently losing his eligibility, he pitched in a men’s senior league.
You know those leagues that your buddy who played D1 college ball but threw out his elbow near the end of his senior season plays in on weekends? Yeah. Palumbo was throwing in one of those leagues as a 17-year-old, and the Rangers were scouting him. After being drafted in the 30th round in 2013 and signing for a $32,000 he became a professional athlete and his road to becoming one of the most intriguing arms on the farm began.
Name: Joe Palumbo
Age: 23
Height/Weight: 6’1” 170 lbs
Position: SP
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
How he got here: 910th overall pick in the 30th round out of High School in New York
After turning pro and experiencing two full seasons of rookie ball, Palumbo finally made his way to short-A Spokane and eventually low A Hickory during the 2015 season. He had a breakout season in 2016 at Hickory where he posted a salty 2.24 ERA with 122 strikeouts vs. only 36 walks in 96.1 innings.
2017 saw Palumbo headed to high-A Down East Wood Ducks with a lot of hype and growing expectations but he only got into his 14th inning (giving up only a single run along the way) before tearing his UCL and going under the knife for Tommy John surgery.
Palumbo hit the 60 day DL for the next year, where he still resides despite having already made his return to the mound this season. Having been added to the 40-man roster over the winter to avoid being made available in the Rule 5 draft, Palumbo is now technically on a rehab assignment.
The fact that the Rangers rostered Palumbo despite a major arm injury shows how much they believe in his talent and ability to bounce back. Since his return, Palumbo has worked through three quick starts back with the rookie ball team in Arizona before he was allowed to rejoin high-A Down East where he seems likely to stick around and finish the year once he’s optioned when his rehab assignment is completed.
This will be his first option but it starts the ticker on his major league clock, meaning that he’s more than likely under two years away from his major league debut – barring a setback or another injury – as long as he continues to progress.
The reason the Rangers are hopeful for that progression is because Palumbo throws a low to mid 90s fastball and hides the ball in his delivery well. He also sports a devastating curveball, which will likely need sharpening up as he shakes off the dust from a long absence.
Palumbo hasn't been particularly sharp yet this year, but statistical results aren't much of a concern in the fresh outings following Tommy John surgery. On an inning and pitch count for all his starts thus far, Palumbo’s health is the most important aspect of the rehab.
The Rangers are looking for Palumbo to eventually become a member of the rotation, but even if he can't stick it out as a starter, he could have a future as an inning-per-turn reliever who isn't regulated to the role as a lefty-only specialist.
Palumbo is a name to keep an eye on over the next couple of years. It seems more than feasible that Palumbo could be in Frisco sooner than later – maybe even later this year, so local Rangers fans could get a look at him up close in the beautiful confines of Dr. Pepper ballpark.
What he does well: Palumbo's velocity was increasing prior to his surgery, but even without the higher velocity his ceiling profiles as a middle-to-back of rotation pitcher or potentially a back of the bullpen lefty. His fastball and curveball will play and a potential third pitch may be the difference between starting and a future in the bullpen.
Up Next:
Click below for more of our Top 15 Prospect List:
Will Palumbo finally break the Rangers pitching prospect curse and become a solid major league starter? Dare to be the one to make that call to Chris on Twitter @realchrisroland.
