A smart value-pick from the 2008 draft by the Rockies, Friedrich was one of the two or three best lefthanders in the pool, as well as one of the best prep pitchers available, making him a steal at the 25th overall pick. He did nothing but move up the charts in his first year of pro ball, either, finishing second in all of minor league baseball in strikeouts per nine innings with an obscene 12.0. In addition to crazy heat, Friedrich shows off a 12 to 6 curve and a hard, biting slider that could blossom into true plus pitches in the majors. If he has a weakness, it's his so-so changeup, and his return to AA Tulsa in 2011 did little to alleviate this, as he turned in a near carbon-copy of his 2010 performance: lots of strikeouts but too many hits and runs on the board. If he can stay healthy and develop his change a little further, his main pitches will be a whole lot more effective at fooling hitters, though, and he could still blossom into a front-of-rotation starter.