Round 12: Blake Monar, LHP, Indiana University

(from Warehem Gatemen Baseball)

Baseball-Reference                                                                                                                 FanGraphs
MiLB                                                                                                                                       Indiana Bio


2011 Stats:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2011	22	2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk-A-	WSN	0	1	.000	2.70	5	0	0	0	0	0	10.0	5	5	3	0	3	0	11	1	0	2	40	0.800	4.5	0.0	2.7	9.9	3.67
2011	22	Nationals	GULF	Rk	WSN	0	1	.000	4.50	3	0	0	0	0	0	6.0	5	5	3	0	1	0	7	1	0	2	26	1.000	7.5	0.0	1.5	10.5	7.00
2011	22	Auburn	NYPL	A-	WSN	0	0		0.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	4.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	4	0	0	0	14	0.500	0.0	0.0	4.5	9.0	2.00
1 Season						0	1	.000	2.70	5	0	0	0	0	0	10.0	5	5	3	0	3	0	11	1	0	2	40	0.800	4.5	0.0	2.7	9.9	3.67

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/29/2012.

Sean's one sentence analysis: Monar bounced back from a shoulder injury in 2010 to throw well for the Hoosiers  and Doubledays in 2011.

Thoughts from the community: 
"Monar was one of few coming-off-an-injury (shoulder, 2010) gambles that the Nats made with the '11 draft, taking the 23-y.o. junior in the 12th round. Invited to instrux after tossing just 10IP between the GCL and Auburn, which makes a 2012 start at Hagerstown possible, though it might be out of the bullpen." - Luke Erickson, Nationals Prospects (@nats_prospects)

"An incredible story of perseverance, LHP Blake Monar showed promise as a freshman at Indiana University only to suffer a career-threatening injury to his pitching shoulder early in his sophomore season. He returned in 2011 as a junior and showed flashes of his previous form, striking out 61 in 79.1 innings pitched. Monar possessed a solid-average fastball and curveball prior to his injury, therefore if he can recover and re-discover his previous stuff, the Nationals have found a great risk/reward selection in Round 12." - Ryan Sullivan, Nats GM (@natsgmdotcom)

Previous analysis and notes: Monar doesn't throw particularly hard (usually between 88 and 90, peaks at 92) and his injury still worries some, so he has something to prove in Auburn. Monar was taken out of high school by the Yankees in 2009's 26th round.
Nats.com roundup: "A shoulder injury limited Monar to 3 1/3 innings a year ago, but he recovered to go 6-3 with a 3.52 ERA this season."
From Baseball America, 6/7/2011: "A year ago, lefthander Blake Monar's career as a pitcher appeared finished. He injured his shoulder in Indiana's season opener and served as a reserve outfielder, then spent the summer lifting weights and honing his swing. But his arm bounced back in the fall, allowing him to return to the mound. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder's out pitch always has been his curveball, and he sets it up with an 88-90 mph fastball that peaks at 92. His changeup is effective at times, though he'll need better command to remain a starter rather than becoming a lefty specialist. Despite his comeback, his medical history still concerns some teams."
From Gordon Engelhardt, Evansville Courier & Press, 6/7/2011: "Monar said a Nationals scout contacted him before and after he was selected and they were pretty close financially. 'I think when it's all said and done I will get top-10 round money,' Monar said. 'Negotiations haven't really started yet. But they will definitely be around the ballpark I'm asking for. I don't want to say numbers yet. I'm pretty happy how everything went down.' Monar, a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, posted a 6-3 record with a 3.52 earned run average for the Hoosiers."

Follow @blakemonar on Twitter.

Monar signed with the Nationals on June 16, 2011.