Vincent Payne was selected in the 12th round of the 2010 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of the JuCo ranks. He signed quickly, and went to the Gulf Coast League, where he dominated with a 2.43 ERA in 37 innings, along with a 21:9 K/BB ratio. At the end of the season he was moved up to State College, where he pitched 5 innings, with a 1.80 ERA and a 3:2 K/BB ratio. This was all after Payne pitched 19 innings in the JuCo ranks, struggling with a 7.58 ERA, and an 18:22 K/BB ratio, making his success in the lower levels a surprise.
For more about Payne, and all of the prospects in the farm system, check out the Pirates Prospects 2011 Prospect Guide.
Last week I posted a video recap of Tyler Waldron taking on the Auburn Doubledays. Payne came on in the same game, after Waldron left, and pitched three innings for one of his two appearances in State College in 2010. He ended up with three shutout innings, allowing no hits, one walk, one hit batter, and two strikeouts. Below is video from the game, with Payne going up against top Washington Nationals prospects like Carlos Perez and Gustavo Pierre.
