Thomas Harlan

THOMAS HARLAN, LEFT HANDED PITCHER
Born: March 7, 1990
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 215
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Drafted: 13th Round, 406th Overall, 2012
How Acquired: Draft
College: Fresno State University
Agent: N/A

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

Harlan had a good 2012 season for Fresno but doesn’t appear to have dominant stuff.  His fastball reaches 90, but is more likely to be in the mid- to upper-80s, and he throws a sweeping curve from a 3/4 angle.  He wasn’t drafted previously.  As a senior he signed quickly.

2012
A-:  2-6-0, 5.19 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 34.2 IP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.6 K/9

Harlan struggled pitching out of the State College bullpen.  He had good walk and K rates, and also had a high groundball rate, but none of that stopped opponents from batting .306 against him.  Left-handed batters hit .372, so moving forward as a left-handed specialist probably isn’t in the cards.

2013
A:  6-3-1, 2.27 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 71.1 IP, 1.8 BB/9, 9.3 K/9
A+:  1-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 3.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9

Harlan opened the season in extended spring training.  The Pirates sent him to West Virginia in late April and he spent the season in the bullpen there, except for a brief fill-in stint in Bradenton in July.  Harlan had an interesting season and got in a good number of innings despite the late start and his bullpen role.  He fanned over a batter an inning and opponents hit just .208 against him.  Right-handed batters hit just .193, so he seems to have been effective against everybody.

2014
A+:  3-3-1, 2.49 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 50.2 IP, 1.6 BB/9, 7.3 K/9
AA:  3-3-0, 3.71 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 60.2 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 3.9 K/9

Harlan opened the season in the Bradenton bullpen and continued to pitch well, mainly in long relief.  He was more hittable than the previous year, with his K rate dropping and opponents hitting .255 against him.  He walked very few, though, and allowed just one HR.  In July, the Pirates moved him up to Altoona to make a spot start in a doubleheader.  He pitched decently and the Pirates kept him in the AA rotation.  He managed a solid WHIP and ERA despite an extremely low K rate, and despite being a flyball pitcher.  For the season, he was very tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .563 OPS.  The Pirates were impressed enough with Harlan that they sent him to the Arizona Fall League.

2015
AA:  6-3-1, 3.63 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 86.2 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 7.0 K/9

Harlan spent the season pitching mainly in relief for Altoona.  He made five spot starts as well.  He put up solid numbers across the board, including a much better K rate than the previous year.  He was actually better as a starter, holding opponents to a .542 OPS, compared to .751 as a reliever.  He had no meaningful platoon split.

Apart from the improved K rate, Harlan had pretty much the same season in 2015 as in 2014.  He’ll probably settle in as an upper-level reliever and hopefully will get a shot at AAA some time in 2016.  He’s now eligible for the Rule 5 draft, but isn’t likely to be selected.

CONTRACT INFORMATION
2016: Minor league contract.
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: N/A
MiLB Debut: 2012
MLB Debut:
MiLB FA Eligible: 2018
MLB FA Eligible:
Rule 5 Eligible: 2015
Added to 40-Man:
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
June 5, 2012: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 13th round, 406th overall pick; signed on June 13.