PG Lefties from Texas

Perfect Game Staff

A few years ago we invited a lefty to the PG World Showcase in Ft Myers, FL. A good friend and former scout had told us “this kid’s pretty good”. The young pitcher had an advisor (Terry Bross) who also told us about his ability. Well, Terry is a good baseball man who played in the Big Leagues, so we invited the lefty, Bobby Livingston, even though we had never seen him pitch.

At the World Showcase we saw all we needed to see. Bobby was an athletic looking lefty with a silky smooth arm action. Oh yea, he also threw 90 mph with outstanding command of three pitches. We wrote in our report, “Bobby Livingston should be a high draft pick and he may become a major league star”.

We later invited Livingston to the PG National Predraft. He did not throw quite as hard at the Predraft, but it was the same Bobby with a bit less velocity. Once again we wrote pretty much the exact same report. This was a very special lefty, one of the very best. He had a good live fastball, but more than that he was one of the best finesse type lefties (college or high school) we had ever seen. Jeremy Sowers, a year later, would be another in that same class.

Livingston did have some reported makeup issues, but we liked him a lot and that was a major league left arm. Being from West Texas (Lubbock) he didn’t get much attention from anyone other than us. If anything, we went overboard trying to get people to understand just how special we thought this kid was.

About 3 years later:

Livingston is off to a great start this spring for the Seattle Mariners high A club in the California League. Last night he won his 5th game without a loss. He has a 1.33 ERA, pitching in 47.1 innings, giving up only 32 hits and 6 walks with 38 strike outs. That’s the Bobby Livingston we remember. That’s the Bobby Livingston we plan to see in the Big Leagues one of these days.

More former PG Lefties from Texas

Another former PG Lefty from Texas is doing the same thing for the Pirates in the High A Carolina League. Zack Duke has become one of the better lefties in the minor leagues since signing with the Pirates out of high school. This year, Zack is 4-0, he has pitched in 33 innings, giving up only 19 hits and just 3 walks with 39 strike outs.

Perhaps the top rated former PG lefty ever, is Scott Kazmir who is also from Texas. While Kazmir remains one of baseballs top prospects along with another top PG Texas Lefty John Danks, young Duke and Livingston are having the most early season success.

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