Michael
Kirian

The long-time Cardinal reliever has converted to a starting role this spring. With numerous in-person evaluations over the past three years I had always been a thorn in the lefty’s side, never seeing the same type of prospect that Aaron Fitt had described during his encounters. After all, it’s hard to be convicted about a prospect when you don’t see it for yourself. However, Kirian opened my eyes in a big way after battling the Boston College lineup for five innings, allowing no earned runs on six hits while punching out seven. The competitive Kirian did this with a fastball up to 95, mostly sitting 91-93. His 82-85 mph breaking ball spun in the 2200s and played close to average. From a three-quarters release point he creates angle to the plate with a slightly closed landing and finishes off-balance, falling hard to the third base side. Despite his new role as a starter, Kirian profiles as a reliever in pro ball. His current ranking at No. 105 overall equates to early in the 5th round, which looks to be an appropriate spot at this time for his selection.

2/12/17
The Northwest Ohio product verballed to Louisville during his sophomore season. And, in between now and then, he has floated below the radar after suffering an ACL injury. But, that is not the case any longer. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder looks the part of a big leaguer and his stuff isn’t far behind. He showed command of 90-93 mph fastball complemented by a sharp 76-77 mph breaking ball and an 82-83 mph changeup. Mechanically, he throws from a high ¾ arm slot with obvious quickness to his arm. There isn’t much effort to his delivery and he wasn’t forcing the velocity on this occasion. And, his velocity held at 90 mph out of the stretch. With a strong spring, he could position himself for an early round draft selection in June.

10/26/14
6-foot-5, 220-pound projectable body. This southpaw was one of the last pitchers to go, but stood out as one of the best. He has broad shoulders and simple delivery throwing from a high-¾ slot with his fastball sitting 82-84 topping out at 85 mph with some arm side run. His breaking ball had good shape at 69-70 mph and used a solid changeup with good arm speed at 75-77 mph. Definite guy to keep an eye on.

6/24/14
Lanky, thinner 6-foot-5, 210-pound projectable body frame. Shows good athletic footwork around the bag at first-base, throws from a ¾ slot reaching a top velocity of 72 mph from the position. Right-handed hitter starts with a slightly closed stance, using a toe tap back for his timing mechanism. Has a smooth hands back to shoulder trigger, shows the ability to use both sides of the field. He ran a 5.07 from home to first-base. On the mound is where his future will be at the next level. Lefty uses a shorter arm action with average armspeed coming from a ¾ slot. His delivery does not require much effort. His fastball showed natural tail consistently at 82-84 mph. His curveball showed gradual 1/7 break at 66-67 mph and projects to get even better. His changeup has similar action to his fastball with tail and some sink to it at 74 mph.

3/10/20:Six-foot-6, 235 pound strong-armed lefty who struck out two of the four batters he faced to earn the save in the Cardinal’s ACC Opener on Friday night against Wake Forest. From a three-quarters slot he runs his fastball up to 93 mph with a mid-2300 spin rate. He also spins an 80 mph curveball at 2480 rpm. He creates some angle to the plate with a slightly closed landing and finishes off-balance, falling hard to the third base side. Kirian profiles as a reliever in pro ball and is likely to be selected towards the end of Day Two. (Seifert)

2/15/20:The big lefty’s velocity was down a bit from the mid-90s he has shown in the past, but he still managed to run up it to the plate in the 89-91 mph range despite the miserable weather in Oxford on opening weekend with the temperature in the mid-30s. Kirian earned the save in Louisville’s lone win against Ole Miss, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings and striking out three. He remains a Day Two target in this June’s draft.

7/1/19:Tall, long bodied lefty with a 90-93 mph fastball released from a high three-quarter slot. High effort delivery. Lands closed and off-balance, spinning to the third base side after ball release. More thrower than pitcher, control over command type. Struggled to get the ball to his gloveside. However, he overcomes the weaknesses in his delivery to consistently find the strike zone (9 BB/42 SO in 32 IP in 2019). His breaking ball ranged from 76-80 mph with a more curveball bend at 76 mph and slider shape at 78-80. Both offerings were marginal on this look. Showed fair body language after getting squeezed a couple times on borderline pitches during his one and two-thirds innings of work. Overall, Kirian has a reliever profile and projects as a late round Day Two prospect for 2020. (Seifert)

3/14/18:FreshmanMichael Kirian, a 6’6/240 lefty, pitched at 88-91 with his fastball from a slot. (Seifert)