Summary
Remember that 25 inning game Texas had a few years back? How Austin Wood threw 169 pitches in it? Well, a freshman named Austin Dicharry also pitched that game, finishing out with 5 2/3 innings for the Longhorns. As good as he was that season (8-2, 2.28 ERA, 59 Ks, 59 1/3 IP), he basically didn't pitch again until this year.That's a lost season in 2010 and 2011 due to shoulder tendinitis.
Dicharry is healthy now, but still didn't pitch nearly as well as he did in his freshman season. His delivery isn't bad, though he's got a more violent arm action than some of the pitchers we've seen. Of course, the only video I could find was him from 2009, so things might have changed since then.
This season, Dicharry pitched, but not really in high leverage situations. He had a record of 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings, but he also gave up a .321 batting average against and eight of the 25 hits he gave up were doubles. Still, he had 20 Ks in those 20 innings with just five walks, so there is something there.
The problem with Dicharry is his potential. Will he ever pitch like he did as a freshman again? He has shown better control and the same strikeout ability, but will he be over the shoulder problems? Will he be able to pitch in the pros?
I guess you could make an argument either way. Maybe he's the rare college pitcher who wasn't overused before being drafted and can be healthy in the pros. After all, Wood came back from a few years off in the Tigers system to make it all the way to Triple-A. Maybe Dicharry can have a similar spate of success in a professional organization. It'll take a team who's confident they can keep him healthy and take the time to develop him, but I wouldn't be surprised with someone taking a chance on him.
Floor
The injuries mean he may never be totally back. You've seen some of those college relievers never make it past Low A ball and Dicharry may go that route. Otherwise, he could do just what he's doing now, being a bullpen guy who doesn't necessarily pitch in high-pressure situations.
Ceiling
Here's the neat thing. His ceiling could be pretty good. Right now, you don't expect him to be anything more than a big league reliever who may move pretty quickly. But, given time and good health, couldn't he transition into a starting role? If he goes low enough in the draft, a team could take a flier on him and see what he does. The upside is probably low enough to mean he won't be drafted before the late rounds, but there's a chance it could increase after a year or two
Projected Draft Round
I doubt he gets picked before the 20th round and may not get picked at all.
Will he sign?
As a senior, he'll sign unless he wants to do something besides playing pro ball.
Bibliography after the jump
Videos
Commentary
Other than Jungman, Cole, Workman, and Ruffin, what other Texas pitchers do you think have pro potential? Aaron Fitt: Certainly freshmen Hoby Milner, Kiefer Nuncio and Josh Urban to, and Austin Dicharry does as well, although he has been sidelined with shoulder tendinitis. I spoke with Augie Garrido this morning, and he's what he said about Dicharry's status: "He's throwing now. He's not throwing off the mound yet, still in the part of rehab where he's taking it week by week. I would imagine he could be back. The hard thing would be to find a role for him. A person with tendinitis that's lost their release point, a little bit of rhythm, a little bit of timing, to try to put them in there in a relief role would be the hardest thing to do. It would be much better for him to start. We'll have to be careful with him because he's really a good pitcher."
Presidio Sports
Austin Dicharry is a junior right-handed pitcher from Spring, Texas. Dicharry was Stafford’s high school teammate and Team MVP at Klein Collins, a school with a storied baseball program. After having two productive seasons in his freshman and sophomore years, Dicharry was sidelined for much of his junior season due to shoulder tendonitis.
He made his first appearance for the Foresters Wednesday night against the MLB Academy Barons, where he allowed just one hit and no runs in two innings of work.
Austin Dicharry's Longhorn career comes to a close in just a few weeks. He has had a nice bounce back year in 2012, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.25 ERA over 12 appearances (including a pair of starts). The innings haven't generally been the most meaningful and opponents are still getting hits at an unhealthy clip against him. But any Longhorn fan with a soul has to feel good about seeing Austin Dicharry pitch and get a win for the Horns in his senior year if only to remind us all of a young Longhorn's gutty outing in one of the most memorable nights in a college baseball postseason filled with them.