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Physical Description: Tall
pitcher's frame. Has filled out considerably since signing,
especially in his lower half. High waist and long limbs. Still
has some projection in his upper half. Is now clearly heavier
than his listed weight (160 pounds at time of writing).
Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm
slot with effort in his delivery. Quick arm. Starts on
the first base side a utilizes a full wind up. Short, deceptive
arm action. Is deliberate going back, then whips arm forward.
Arm heavy delivery, doesn't do a great job incorporating his
lower half. Works very fast - could perhaps stand to slow things
down a bit. Release point can get inconsistent and he tends to
overthrow at times, especially as he works deeper into games and
tires. Delivery has reportedly gotten significantly cleaner in
the 2019 season compared to what it looked like during the 2018
season.
Fastball: 94-96 mph. Tops out at
98 mph. Added significant velocity in 2018; pitch used to sit
90-92, topping out at 94. Occasionally falls into the 91-93 mph
range later in outings. Throws two types of fastball, a
four-seam at 94-96 mph and two-seam at 91-93 mph. Still learning
to harness that velocity and needs to work on command and
control. Fastball shows plus sink down in the zone, but will
flatten out when elevated. Command and control still need
refinement Potential plus to better pitch in the future.
Cutter: 86-90 mph. New pitch that he
added coming into Spring Training 2019. Pitch is longer and
looks like a slider at lower velocities and is more cutter like
when thrown harder. Inconsistent shape at present, but will
flash plus potential with depth. Has really taken to the pitch
and improved his feel and confidence in it as the 2019 season
has progressed. Gives him another weapon to throw at left-handed
hitters who hit him very hard during the 2018 season.
Curveball: 78-80 mph. 11-to-5 break and
two-plane movement. When he snaps it off, pitch will show depth.
Can throw pitch in the zone and is comfortable doing so. Will
backdoor the pitch to left-handed hitters. Potential average
offering.
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Changeup: 84-86 mph. Thrown with deceptive arm
speed. Velocity also increased as fastball velocity increased,
from 82-83 mph. Inconsistent pitch right now, but potential
fringe-average offering.
Career Notes:
Expected to sign with the Brewers in July 2015 at start of
international signing period, but a groin injury derailed that
agreement and he rehabbed the injury on his own before signing
with the Red Sox for what was likely a much smaller bonus.
Impressed at 2016 Fall Instructional League. Started the 2017
season in extended spring training before being promoted to
Greenville at the end of May. Has been promoted aggressively;
was youngest player in the South Atlantic League in 2017 and
Carolina League in 2018. Fit description of unnamed player whom
Red Sox declined to include in trade talks during 2016-17
offseason.
Summation: Projects as a back
end starter, but could end up in the bullpen where his stuff
would tick up and play in a late inning relief role. Has a much
better chance to start now since he has taken to his new
slider/cutter and cleaned up his delivery. Has a true four pitch
mix with potentially two plus offerings. Still is very young and
is a very intriguing arm who still has a lot of development left
despite already reaching High-A. Even though he is repeating
Carolina league in 2019, he still is the youngest player in the
league. Has shown the ability to miss bats with all four pitches
at various points in his career. With former key - physical
development - now occurring, harnessing command of his arsenal
will be key for his development. Will need to continue to watch
conditioning as he physically matures.
Links
Scouting Scratch (10.4.16)
Notes from the Field (3.22.17) |
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