As a supplemental first round choice out of Hartsville (S.C.) High School in 2008, Jordan Lyles was expected to make steady progress toward the Houston Astros' starting rotation. His 2009 season with the Lexington Legends has him right on course.The 6-foot-4-inch right-hander struck out 167 batters to set a new Legends' single-season record. Though he won seven games and lost 11 for a club that was last in the league in hitting, Lyles only strengthened his status as a prospect.
"Lyles showed the stuff of a potential frontline starter this season," wrote Matt Forman in Baseball America, which ranked Lyles sixth among prospects who played in the South Atlantic League in 2009.
Charleston RiverDogs Manager Torre Tyson expressed a similar opinion in the Baseball America story.
"He's the first pitcher I saw say, 'Here you go, Melky Mesa,' and throw him four straight fastballs and strike him out," said Tyson, for whom Mesa hit 20 home runs this season. "After he struck him out and turned around, I saw a little grin on his face which I like. He's a bulldog, a competitor."
"Completing a full season and staying healthy" was a primary goal for Lyles, whose only previous experience as a professional was in 2008 with Greeneville of the short-season rookie Appalachian League. He achieved that and more in 2009, making 26 starts (tied for second in the league) and pitching 144 and two-thirds innings (fourth). Setting the team's single-season mark in strikeouts while finishing third in the league in that category was more of a surprise.
"Coming into the season, I didn't expect anything close to that," Lyles said following his final start of the regular season. "I didn't even expect to lead the team in strikeouts. But I've learned how to locate my fastball in and out, and that's helped my strikeout total tremendously."
Lyles had more learning opportunities shortly after the season ended when he reported to Kissimmee, Florida for the Astros' fall instructional league. Pitching coach Travis Driskill, who worked with Lyles both in 2008 at Greeneville and 2009 in Lexington, was also in Kissimmee, where the instructional league wrapped up in mid-October.
"Jordan put together a fine season for us and for himself," Driskill said. "He came to 'instrux' to work with Britt (Astros' pitching coordinator Britt Burns) to tighten up his curveball and to have more discussion about what it will take to pitch at the next levels. He accomplished that and left feeling good about what he had to do for next year."
With instructional league completed, the next item on Lyles' agenda is to take a few weeks to relax. But he'll begin workouts after that in order to be ready for spring training, where he'll try to take the next step up the ladder.
"I think I've done what I could expect for my first full season," Lyles said. "I'm looking forward to the future."
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