2010 Player Profile: Tony Cingrani, Goldpanners

Tony Cingrani
SP - Alaska Goldpanners
Bats: Left - Throws: Left
Height: 6'4" - Weight: 200lb
College: Rice
Year: Junior
Hometown: New Lenox, IL

In case you haven't had enough of a look at Rice's pitching staff after our recent preview of Bucs recruit Tyler Spurlin, we've got another player to get a glimpse at today: potential Panner Tony Cingrani.

Cingrani, now a Junior, is a transfer to rice from junior college South Suburban. It was there, where he played in 2008 and 209, that he established himself as a strikeout pitcher, breaking the school's single-season and career records for strikeouts (104 and 195 respectively). His juco experience has served him well as he enters his first Division 1 season with the opportunity to become the ace of the Rice staff.



What do the scouts say about Cingrani? The young strikeout artist, of course, has a mastery of his fastball which has been known to touch 91 but settles in around the high-80's. But his ability to baffle opposing pitchers stems from his deceptiveness and his skill at mixing in his offspeed stuff. This consists of a good changeup and a solid breaking pitch. Of all the Rice pitchers, the junior is perhaps the most polished. ABL play and a leap to the minor leagues shouldn't be overwhelming for him as he has already got a grasp on some of the skills to go with his tools. The only question mark about Cingrani that I see is his projectability. If he's as polished as the scouts say he is, how much better will be get?

The other layer of intrigue when it comes to Cingrani is that, as a Junior in D1 ball, he's nearing a crossroads in his life. He will be draft eligible in 2010, and while it's highly unlikely that he'll be a day-one pick, he will probably be drafted. If he were to sign a minor league contract, he would be inelligible for ABL play and, obviously, be contractually obligated to play instead for the minor league team to which he would be assigned. 

I spoke with Goldpanners Assistant GM Todd Dennis about this briefly (although not about Cingrani specifically) and he explained that it is always a risky endeavor for ABL teams to sign talented D1 juniors because many of them find it hard to resist the signing bonuses and opportunity to jump straight to pro ball. On the other hand, it is always beneficial for a player to finish out their entire amateur career, and many players have come north hoping that a good summer-ball season will raise their draft status next year, or even use their ABL performance as leverage in ongoing negotiations.

The short and skinny of all of this is that Cingrani's future ABL stint is far from a guranteed deal. It all depends on how high he's drafted, and how tempting an offer he is able to extract from the organization that chooses him, not to mention his own personal priorities as far as education, etc. go. With the draft and the start of the ABL season still four months away, we'll have some waiting to do before we know for sure, but if he makes the flight to Fairbanks this year he will certainly be an exciting player to watch.