2014 Padres Year In Review: Odrisamer Despaigne

Little was thought of it at the time when the Padres signed Odrisamer Despaigne. In fact, here’s a scouting report of him from MLB Trade Rumors back in March of this year:

"“I would say his stuff is average across the board. He’s got feel and he’s got deception, and he knows how to pitch.  The biggest thing going for him is his ability to mix and match and change slots and change arm angles.  He probably throws four different pitches from different slots and different angles. He never gives guys the same look, and he throws a lot of strikes. But he doesn’t have anything plus.” “I see him as a middle inning type of guy. He’s going to have to really throw a ton of strikes to have success. He’s really no different than a lot of six-year free agents and non-roster invitees that are out there right now. I think he fits in well to a bullpen probably as a middle inning reliever and potentially a long guy or a No. 5 starter.”"

Despaigne had his good outings and his bad ones. He could very well  end up being the Padres fifth starter in 2015 and that’s okay.

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Despaigne finished 4-7 with a 3.36 ERA. He started off dominating and then the bloom kind of fell of the rose. In 96.1 innings, he only managed to strike out 65 hitters. He has to be like Orlando Hernandez and Livan Hernandez, use deception and different arm angles to trick hitters.

I fully expect Despaigne to be in the conversation for a starting role at the back end of the rotation, or even a swingman out of the bullpen. He’s a nice piece to have on a team.