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Physical Description: Strong
frame. Has transformed his body since he entered pro ball.
Average athleticism. No remaining projection.
Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot,
starting on the first base side of the rubber. Medium/high leg
kick and really drives off his back side. Solid extension. Arm
action is long behind with a stab. Some effort in delivery.
Needs to show he can repeat it deep into games.
Fastball: 90-94 mph. Tops out at 95. Throws two
variations, a four-seam at 92-95 mph and sinker at 90-93 mph.
Sinker is used to generate weak contact, while he uses the
four-seam primarily up in the zone when ahead in the count.
Needs to show he can hold velocity deeper into games and into
the season. Does not generate many swinging strikes, but does
generate an above-average amount of groundballs. Potential
fringe-average offering.
Cutter: 86-89
mph. Short, horizontal break. Throws frequently, especially
against left-handed hitters. Advanced feel and will flash
bat-missing ability. Potential average offering.
Curveball: 79-83 mph. Has evolved into a
sweeper with long, horizontal break. Will also on occasion show
a more vertical, 11-to-5 curve. Potential average offering.
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Changeup: 83-86 mph. Thrown with deceptive arm
speed with late fade down and away from left-handed hitters. Can
pull the string on the pitch and shows advanced feel. Potential
solid-average offering.
Career Notes:
Signed for roughly $130,000 under slot as the Royals'
third-round pick in 2019. Missed a significant amount of time in
college due to injuries. Acquired as a player to be named in the
Andrew Benintendi trade. Missed the end of the 2021 season with
a a significant ankle injury. Participated in the Fall
Performance Program in 2021 as a rehabber. Missed the 2022
season after having five surgeries to remove a benign tumor in
his heel bone. Missed the last month of the 2024 season with
right elbow inflammation.
Summation:
Potential high-end organizational starter. Ceiling of an
emergency depth starter or multi-inning reliever. Strong
pitchability. Has a mix of four usable pitches and an average
command and control profile. Lack of bat-missing ability limits
upside, more of a pitch-to-contact arm with a small margin for
error. Really solid Triple-A depth arm who has a chance to make
it to the majors if things break right.
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