AAP: Charlie Shirek

[NorthSideSox72]

 

Charles J. Shirek, RHP

Born 10/25/1985 in Minot, ND

6’3", 205 according to MILB (Baseball Cube has him at 6'4", 180)

Throws: R

Bats: R

 

OVERVIEW

Charlie Shirek pitched 2 years at Nebraska, starting a bit late at age 20. Charlie was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2007 draft by the White Sox. He played briefly at Kannapolis (low A) in 2007, only pitching 6.2 innings, all in relief. Shirek skipped Rookie and short-season leagues. As of this writing (4/08), he is starting the season at Kanny, with a lot of early success. Stuff-wise, Charlie is said to have a fastball that hits 96 mph with good sink, as well as a solid slider and a change-up, but his delivery is said to have some inconsistencies.

 

PRE-COLLEGE NOTES

Charlie was a 3-sport athlete at Minot HS, and was an all-state defensive back in football, in addition to playing basketball and baseball, earning 10 varsity letters. In his 2004 senior year, he was selected as the North Dakota Player of the Year, as well being added to the ABCA Rawlings All-Midwest team; he was 8-1 with a 0.39 ERA, striking out 88 batters in 54 innings that year. He also put up impressive hitting numbers that year, hitting .442. Also played American Legion ball in '04, going 3-3 with a 1.98 ERA and striking out 76 in 54 innings' work. Prior to the 2004 MLB draft, Shirek was named by Baseball America as the top draft propsect in North Dakota, but elected to go on to college.

 

COLLEGE

Charlie was redshirted for his freshman year (2005) at U of Nebraska. But he did play amateur ball with Duluth of the Northwoods league that summer, compiling a 9-2 record and a 1.69 ERA. He was a bit on the old end of his class, so by the time he played in his first year of college ball, he was already 20. In that first year of play (2006), he was 4-2 with a 3.23 ERA, starting 8 games and appearing in relief 10 times. He led all Big 12 freshman and was 7th overall in ERA. He then played for Duluth again that summer, going 3-2 with a 1.11 ERA. Baseball America labeled him as the #2 prospect in that league that year. In his second year of play at NU however (2007), his numbers declined. He went 2-7 with a 6.39 ERA. His strikeouts did improve a lot though - he K'd 42 in 50.2 innings, versus only 29 in 65 innings the previous year. His decline in performance would effect his draft position in 2007.

 

SIGN/DRAFT

Shirek was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round (719th overall) of the 2007 June regular amateur draft. Baseball America labeled him the best late-round pick in the Sox' draft for that year. Signed on August 16th, 2007, with a $123,300 bonus.

 

MINORS

Charlie was put immediately into Low A ball at Kannapolis in 2007 after he was drafted. This is likely due to his age and his 2 years' experience in the Northwoods League. Because that was his draft year, he only managed to appear in 6 games, all in relief. In 6.2 IP, he put up a 5.40 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, striking out 3 and walking 2. For the 2008 season, he landed again at Kanny, but as a starter. Thus far (as of 4/23/08) he has put up very impressive numbers. In 4 starts, he has given up just 1 earned run in 23.2 IP, for a 0.38 ERA. He has a 0.76 WHIP, and has struck out 16 while walking only 2, both in his first outing.

 

PERSONAL/OTHER

Shirek was arrested in April of 2007 while still with NU. He was cited for vandalism, to a bike, along with another NU player, resulting in $250 damage. They were both admitted to detox, and they registered .176 and .158 BAC. He was suspended for at least 3 games due to the incident. It is noted that this incident occurred shortly after he was dropped from the NU weekend rotation, and had been struggling on the field.

 

STATS

Year Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG

2007 KAN SAL 0 0 5.40 6 0 0 0 1 6.2 5 5 4 2 2 3 2.00 .217

 

REFERENCE

 

MILB page

 

Baseball Cube page

 

U Nebraska profile page

[NorthSideSox72]

Halfway season update on Charlie...

 

Mr. Shirek has been fairly solid this year for Low A Kannapolis. His win-loss record of 3-4 isn't very indicative of how good a season he's had so far. Here are some numbers worth noting, as of 7/8...

 

13 Games (12 starts)

65.1 IP

57 H

25 ER

12 BB

38 K

 

3.44 ERA

1.06 WHIP

1.85 GO/AO

.224 AvgA

 

Among current starters, Shirek leads Kanny in ERA and WHIP. His ERA would put him around 20th in the SAL and his WHIP around 7th in the SAL, if he qualified - but because he missed most of May due to injury (still don't know what that was about, but he's back now), he is a couple starts short of the minimum.

 

Shirek's numbers since his return from the month off have been good but not great. If he can regain his early season form (which he seems close to already), he's a strong candidate for promotion as the season goes on.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

End of July Update (a bit late)...

 

Charlie continues to have a decent season in Kanny, though not as great as the season has gone on. He had a couple rough outings in late July (2 games, 7.1 IP, 19 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but his most recent on on 8/1 was solid (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K).

 

Here are his current overall numbers:

 

W/L: 3-6

ERA: 3.70

G: 17

IP: 82.2

H: 84

ER: 34

BB: 15

K: 57

WHIP: 1.19

GO/AO: 1.89

 

His core numbers, particularly ERA, aren't great. But his peripherals are strong and continue to improve. He's only walked 15 guys all year, and in July/August he struck out 22 while walking just 5 in 29.1 IP. His GO/AO is pretty good too.

 

Hard to say for sure, but I'd guess that Charlie will get a shot in W-S late this season.

 

[Chisoxfn]

It should be noted that this guy was a top 7 round talent, if not a top 5 round talent. Shirek is a legitimate pitching prospect with a nice set of tools.

[NorthSideSox72]

END OF 2008 SEASON UPDATE...

 

Charlie put up a pretty good season in Kanny this year. He had his shaky moments, and missed about a month on the DL (may have been a dead arm period), but his overall results were strong. Here are his final stats for the year...

 

G: 22

IP: 112.0

W-L: 6-6

ERA: 3.54

WHIP: 1.23

GO/AO: 1.77

AvgA: .249

BB: 25

K: 82

HR: 8

 

Note the WHIP and BB numbers. He walks very few guys, which is good, and keeps his WHIP down and runners off the bases. That plus the .249 avg against, and he looks ready to move forward.

 

2009? I'd say Charlie starts the year in High A (Winston-Salem), though depending on how things fall out, B-Ham is not out of the question. Shirek was a high round talent at one time who fell into some problems, but still has a lot of promise.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Shirek will indeed be starting the year at High A Winston-Salem.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Time for the first monthly update.

 

Charlie started 4 games in April, which break down like this: two excellent outings, one so-so effort, and one shelling. That put his overall numbers as pretty darn good for the month, and thanks to his team bailing him out, he went undefeated on the month...

 

G: 4

IP: 22.2

W-L: 3-0

ERA: 3.18

WHIP: 1.06

K/BB: 16/5

AvgA: .229

GO/AO: 2.40

HR: 0

 

That GO/AO value and zero HR are good signs that he is keeping his pitches down, he's showing good control, and hitters aren't doing a lot against him. His ERA is best on the W-S rotation, and 8th in the league among starters.

 

Hard to find weaknesses there - he's not striking out a ton, but, a 6.35 K/9 isn't bad, and his weakest K day was his first game of the season (he had 8 K in 7 IP in his last outing). He does also give up a higher AvgA with runners on (.310) than with the bases empty (.185), so he may need to work on his pitching from the stretch a bit more.

 

Overall a good first month for Charlie at High A ball.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Monthly Update - May 2009

 

Charlie continues to do well in W-S. His May wasn't as good as April, due mostly to his outing on 5/26 (5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER), where he took his first loss. His numbers in May:

 

6 games (all starts), 37 IP

5-1

4.14 ERA

1.24 WHIP

10 BB / 24 K

1.93 GO/AO

.250 AvgA

 

Not terrible for a "bad month". And his overall numbers so far for the season:

 

10 games (all starts, 59.2 IP)

8-1

3.77 ERA

1.17 WHIP

15 BB / 40 K

2.09 GO/AO

.242 AvgA

0 HR

 

The WHIP and GO/AO numbers are encouraging, he's got good control and gets a lot of ground ball outs. Hasn't given up a home run yet either. None of his numbers are bad, although you'd like to see his K numbers a little higher. Overall he's having a very solid season, similar in most ways (other than W-L record) to his year in Kanny in 2008.

 

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

According to JPN336, Charlie has been promoted to Birmingham, to take Poreda's spot in the rotation.

 

His final W-S numbers:

 

11 games (all starts)

W-L: 8-1

 

ERA: 3.88

WHIP: 1.21

GO/AO: 2.09

AvgA: .251

 

IP: 65.0

H: 63

BB: 16

K: 44

HR: 0

 

His numbers are not outright spectacular, but he does induce a lot of ground balls, gave up no home runs, and his other numbers are all good-not-great. His last start was actually one of his few bad ones.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Charlie made his debut with AA Birmingham yesterday (6/11), and it was a very nice outing:

 

7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

 

Not a lot of strikeouts, but one of the best signs of his outing was his GB/FB ratio of 15/5. He was pitching to contact and incuding a lot of ground balls, which is great to see, and a key to future success with the Sox (playing in what is normally a home run hitters' park). He also had a nice 2.09 GO/AO ratio at W-S before the promotion and a nice low 2.21 BB/9 with no home runs given up on the season, so the control and downward movement are definitely there.

 

[Marky Mark]

I never really knew he got that big of a bonus that late in the draft. Interesting. I hope he turns into a real good prospect for us.

[NorthSideSox72]

Charlie seems to be adjusting to AA just fine thank you very much, after his promotion in early June. So far with B-Ham...

 

4 Games (all starts)

25.2 IP

25 H

7 ER

1 HR (his first given up on the season combined)

5 BB

8 K

 

2.45 ERA

1.17 WHIP

1.52 GO/AO

.255 Avg/A

 

The K numbers are a little low, less than 3 K per 9 IP, but other than that, everything is what you'd want to see for a guy making the jump to AA. Keep it up, Charlie!

 

[NorthSideSox72]

July update finds Charlie continuing to do well in AA Birmingham. His July numbers are pretty much the same as his June numbers. Here are his stats so far at B-Ham...

 

9 games (all starts)

4-4 W-L

 

2.52 ERA

1.17 WHIP

.258 AvgA

1.29 GO/AO

 

60.2 IP

59 H

17 ER

5 HR

12 BB

17 K

 

His core numbers and results are very good, and his walk and hit related peripherals are solid. The only worrisome trend, which has been an ongoing theme, is the low K rate. His 17 K in 60.2 IP gives him 2.52 K/9, which is a lot lower than the ratios he had put up in Low A and High A. Its possible they are working with him on something specific that causes more contact, because his overall results are still good.

 

If Charlie can keep up his solid results as the year goes on, maybe increase that K rate a bit, he should be in Charlotte next year and knocking on the door.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Time for Charlie's end of regular season update...

 

Shirek weakened a bit with his results in August/September, though his K numbers did start to go up, which was something I wanted to see. He was also getting well up there innings pitched, so they dialed him down and had him going short stints near the end of the season, to save his arm for the playoffs and just to avoid wearing him down (he has pitched 155.1 innings this season).

 

His overall stats on the season at B-Ham (he was promoted from W-S midseason) were very solid (in ERA, WHIP, BB rate, ground ball rate), except for the aforementioned K rate, and a slightly higher AvgA than you'd like to see...

 

In 15 Games (14 starts)

9-7 W-L

90.1 IP

97 H

34 ER

8 HR

17 BB

32 K

 

3.39 ERA

1.26 WHIP

1.43 GO/AO

.279 AvgA

 

Postseason still in the picture for Charlie, so one more update will come after that, if he gets to pitch.

 

As for 2010, it seems likely he'd be in Charlotte's rotation, and knocking at the door if he pitches well there. Also likely we'll see him in some Spring Training games.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Shirek was rated as a Grade "C+" prospect by Diamond Futures, ranked as the #24 prospect in the Sox system. This is a little lower than our list has him, probably due to the poor peripherals he put up in the 2nd half of 2009 after his promotion.

 

Diamond Futures grade C+ is described as:

Grade C+: the second 10% of all players, earn a grade of ‘C+’. A ‘C+’ player has a 56% chance of playing in the Major Leagues, and a 12% chance of having a significant Major League career.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Charlie is starting the year in the B-Ham rotation. His stock had been rising steadily up through his mid-season promotion last year, but then his K numbers dropped to a level far too low. So getting those K numbers back up while retaining good control and inducing groundballs at his usual rate.

 

Game 1, looks like he's on that track:

 

6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 11 GO vs 3 FO

 

Great start to the year for him.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Shirek's April is closed, since he last started on 4/27. Charlie has been very impressive so far with B-Ham. Here are his April stats...

 

4 G (all starts)

1-0 (3 ND, B-Ham's offense has been less than stellar)

 

26 IP

16 H

2 ER

5 BB

14 K

46 GB vs 17 FB

 

0.69 ERA

0.73 WHIP

.180 AvgA

2.56 GO/AO

1.73 BB/9

4.85 K/9

 

So Charlie was very good. All of his numbers were stellar but one - his K rate of just under 5/9 is not spectacular. But its a big improvement over what he did last year, so that is encouraging. And his fantastic GB/FB ratio makes the K rate less worrisome.

 

The emphasis for Shirek is still to miss more bats, but its less concerning than it was in 2009. If he keeps this up, he'll see Charlotte sooner rather than later.

[NorthSideSox72]

Charlie spent a brief 7-10 days on the DL in May, immediately after his first bad outing of the year (5 ER on 10 H in 3.2 IP on 5/19). He returned to the rotation and started on 5/30, where he got roughed up again (4 ER on 6 H in 2 IP, 1 BB and 0 K). Not sure if he was just out of practice or what.

 

But despite the 2 bad outings, he was quite good before then, so his overall season numbers still look good:

 

9 G (all starts), 49.2 IP

2.36 ERA

1.21 WHIP

.255 AvgA

1.88 GO/AO

12 BB (2.2 BB/9)

27 K (4.9 K/9)

0 HR

 

Charlie's core results have been very good, and in fact have gotten regularly better the past few years of his career. He throws strikes, induces a lot of ground-outs, doesn't give up the long ball. But the one thing that still sticks out is that low K total - he still needs to miss more bats.

 

That said, shorter term, the concern is his injury and his last couple outings. Hopefully he gets back on track quickly.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Shirek pulled from his scheduled 6/8 start, no word as to why.

 

[JPN366]

Shirek pulled from his scheduled 6/8 start, no word as to why.

 

Just pushed back a day, no worries. He pitched tonight (6/10), but got hit hard again.

[JPN366]

Just pushed back a day, no worries. He pitched tonight (6/10), but got hit hard again.

 

Now he's on the DL.

[NorthSideSox72]

Shirek back off the DL, still don't know what his injury was. Made a scoreless 1 IP relief appearance in the last game before the break, so I assume he's back in the rotation again when B-Ham returns.

 

[JPN366]

Shirek back off the DL, still don't know what his injury was. Made a scoreless 1 IP relief appearance in the last game before the break, so I assume he's back in the rotation again when B-Ham returns.

 

Yep, with Leesman, that only gives the Barons 5 starters. So Shirek will definitely be in the rotation again.

[NorthSideSox72]

Shirek back from 2nd DL trip, had one bad and one mediocre outing, and now has been promoted to AAA Charlotte.

 

[JPN366]

Demoted back to B'ham and placed on the DL again.