Brandon Cumpton is not a well known prospect in any way, and only die hard Pirates fans would know who he is. Cumpton is not a high ceiling prospect either, but he has quietly put up good numbers over his first two years in the system. In 2011, Cumpton had an ERA of 3.98 over two levels, with a 4.30 ERA in low-A, and a 3.66 ERA in high-A. His higher ERA in low-A was due to him allowing 21 runs in his first 10.2 innings, which prompted him to move to the bullpen. However, after an injury to teammate Tyler Waldron, a spot in the rotation opened up again and Cumpton took full advantage of this situation. Over the next 56.1 innings, Cumpton put up a 1.76 ERA and was promoted to Bradenton where he put up a solid ERA and WHIP (1.28).
In 2012, Cumpton was moved up to AA Altoona at the age of 23, and has had a good deal of success to this point. After a six inning outing last night where he did not allow a run and only gave up three hits, his ERA on the season stands at 3.21. A big reason to his success this year can be attributed to his low WHIP, which is currently at 1.07. Cumpton doesn't strikeout a lot of batters, with a K/9 of 5.7, but he doesn't allow many walks or hits, with a BB/9 of 2.2 and a 7.4 H/9.
Cumpton does not have an overpowering pitch arsenal, with a fastball that is clocked between 89-93 MPH when pitching out of the rotation, along with a generally average curveball. But, when pitching out of the bullpen last year, Cumpton was able to reach 96 MPH with his fastball. With his upside appearing to be that of a back of the rotation starter, it may be appealing to move Cumpton to the bullpen down the road. If a spot opens up in the AAA Indianapolis rotation at some point this year, Cumpton should be ready to fill in that spot and could get the promotion.
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