Name: Asher Wojciechowski
Position: Right-handed SP
Acquired: 1st round (2010)
Opening Day age: 22
Height/weight: 6'4", 235 lbs
Best/worst tool: Fastball/command
Scouting Report: Wojciechowski features a mid 90's fastball that he pairs with an average yet improving low-to-mid 80's slider and a work in progress changeup. He has a strong pitcher's body, so durability is not a concern. Wojciechowski has a good mound presence and prefers to attack hitters instead of nibbling at the corners. Asher has struggled with command, particularly in long outings, which has led to debate as to whether he should be a starter or reliever long term. He played both roles in college for The Citadel.
2010 Stats: 12 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 11 K
1.89 GO/AO, 0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 8.25 K/9
2010 Analysis: Due to a high inning count in college, Wojciechowski pitched in only 3 games with the Blue Jays organization, overmatching hitters while working for Auburn of the New York - Penn League.
2011 Stats: 73.2 IP, 94 H, 48 ER, 14 HR, 23 BB, 55 K
1.05 GO/AO, 5.86 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 6.72 K/9
2011 Analysis: Wojciechowski has been working as a starter for the Blue Jays High-A affiliate in Dunedin, and after an extremely successful April (0.87 ERA in 4 starts), his season has taken a turn from bad (6.06 ERA in 6 May starts) to worse (10.62 ERA in 5 June starts), leaving him with an ugly pitching line for the season. According to Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein, Wojciechowski has been relying nearly exclusively on his fastball, which is not going to suffice as a starter in the Florida State League. If he hopes to stay as a starter long term, he is going to need to trust his offspeed pitches, and throw them more often to keep hitters from sitting on his fastball -- it does not have the movement to be an exclusive pitch.
Future outlook: Wojciechowski has two major concerns, his fastball location and his lack of secondary pitches. If he can resolve atleast one of those two issues, he has a chance of sticking as a starter. Otherwise, he's likely ticketed for the bullpen. He likely has the remainder of 2011 and the first couple months of 2012 to prove he can handle the workload, but if he fails he could be fast tracked to the majors by late 2012 or early 2013 as a reliever.
Perfect world projection: An inning eating #3 starter, if he improves his offspeed pitches and locates the fastball better.
Worst case scenario: 7th man or long man in the bullpen.
Most likely outcome: Setup man, if he can improve one of his offspeed pitches. His fastball-slider combo would work well in the 8th inning, but he likely lacks the command to be a true shutdown closer.
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