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Physical Description: Short,
stocky frame. Average build with minimal remaining projection.
Mechanics: Throws from a high-three
quarters arm slot. Max-effort delivery. Starts on the third base
side of the rubber and does not use a windup. Very quick arm.
Short, stiff arm action behind. Hides the ball well.
Fastball: 91-94 mph. Tops out at 95 mph.
Velocity has fluctuated. Topped out at 99 mph in college. Sat
94-96 mph after signing in 2018, but velocity was down in 2019,
often sitting 91-93 and only occasionally touching 96.
Reportedly sat in the low-90s in spring training 2020, but
velocity started to creep back up at the Fall Instructional
League to 92-95, touching 96. In 2021, sat 93-94 in the middle
of the season, but by the end of the season was back down to
90-93 mph. Control is more advanced than command at this point.
Really took a step forward with his strike-throwing ability in
2021. When at its best, fastball explodes out of his hand and
has late life, making it tough to square up. More typically,
pitch is on the straight side with only average life. Does not
miss as many bats as it used to. Club had him work on locating
the pitch up in the zone early in 2019 after he had focused on
locating it down in the zone in college and in 2018 pro debut.
After struggling through the adjustment, particularly with his
command and needing to sacrifice velocity to locate the pitch,
he returned to locating it lower in the zone near the end of the
season, with improved results. Potential solid-average offering.
Slider: 84-87 mph. True power breaking
ball. Pitch shows hard bite and depth through the zone. Gets
over it well and finishes the pitch. Able to throw in the zone
or get hitters to chase it out of the zone. Lost feel for the
pitch early in 2019, causing him to lean on his curveball more
often, but returned to the pitch later in the year. By 2021 had
developed into his primary out pitch. Still a bit inconsistent,
but the pitch has an above-average whiff rate. Potential
above-average pitch with the ability to miss bats at the highest
level.
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Curveball: 80-82 mph. Change of pace from slider
that comes in with a different shape and in a different velocity
band. More vertical with hard, 12-to-6 break. Began relying on
the pitch more in early 2019 when he lost feel for his slider,
but leaned more on the slider later in the year. At 2020 Fall
Instructs, he used it effectively and was able to get swinging
strikes with it. Potential average pitch.
Career
Notes: Closed for TCU all three years of college, tying
the TCU career saves record (32) and setting the single-season
mark in 2017. Was ranked a consensus top 100 player in the 2018
draft and was projected by many as having the potential to be
the first player in the class to make the majors, even as soon
as the end of the 2018 season. Moved quickly through the low
minors after being drafted in 2018, pitching just 23 1/3 innings
across three levels before beginning 2019 in Portland. Plateaued
in 2019 in Double-A as he worked on refining his pitch mix and
his ascent to the majors slowed. Participated in the Fall
Instructional League in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Was not added to
the 40-man roster in November 2021 to protect him from selection
in the Rule 5 Draft. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB
spring training in 2022.
Summation:
Potential up-and-down relief type. Ceiling of a middle reliever.
Unlikely to develop into a late-inning option unless the raw
stuff he showed in 2018 returns. Both fastball and slider show
at least average potential and his curveball has developed into
a nice complementary pitch to give hitters another look.
Fastball command will be key to development, as well as whether
he gets comfortable throwing it up in the zone given renewed
emphasis on that in today's MLB.
Links
Scouting Scratch 8.8.2018
Scouting Report Update 6.16.2020
Scout Chatter (11.30.2020)
Scouting Report Updates (3.1.21)
Scouting Scratch (8.3.2021)
Scouting Scratch: Red Sox 2021 Rule 5 Preview (11.18.2021) |
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