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Physical Description:
Left-hander with a medium frame. Not much projection remaining.
Looks listed height and weight.
Mechanics:
Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Atypical delivery with
effort, but it works for him and he repeats it well. Starts
angled toward the first base dugout on the middle of the mound,
hands by his face before sliding toward third base during
wind-up. Swings arm behind with a medium leg kick before coming
forward. Short arm action with a hook behind. Hides the ball
well before delivery. Will spin and recoil on follow through.
Fastball: 90-93 mph, tops out at 95 mph.
Throws both four-seam and two-seam varieties. Can control both,
but shows better feel for two-seam with heavy, arm-side run.
Slightly below-average spin rate. Potential above-average
command profile. Ability to miss bats is dependent on command,
as it is not an overpowering pitch. Designed to elicit weak
contact primarily, but has shown the ability to dial it up at
times. Velocity jumped in 2021 to 92-94 mph, but in 2022 was
back in the low-90s primarily, dropping into the high-80s at
times. Potential average offering.
Changeup:
80-83 mph. Advanced feel and confidence in pitch. Will throw in
any count to hitters on both sides. Throws with the same arm
speed as his fastball. Pitch drops off the table late. Really
can pull the string on it and elicit lots of swinging strikes.
Very high spin rate for a changeup. Command can be spotty at
times and will leave up in the zone on occasion. Potential plus
offering.
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Slider: 80-83 mph. Slurvy, long, two-plane
break. 2-to-8 shape. Average spin rate with significant
horizontal movement. Feel comes and goes during outings, but has
shown the ability to land it for strikes. Tough pitch for
left-handed hitters to read; starts right at their body before
breaking across the plate. Needs to get more consistent
finishing the pitch, as sometimes it will come in loose and
hang. Potential plus offering.
Career Notes:
Had Tommy John surgery in 2017, missing most of that season and
all of the 2018 season. Late-round senior sign in 2019. Stuff
improved considerably due to work put in during the cancelled
2020 season, leading to one of the more improbable breakouts in
recent memory in 2021. Rose from being something of an
afterthought in the Low-A bullpen to begin the 2021 season to
being a top-10 prospect in the system in the Triple-A rotation
in less than a calendar year. Participated in the Fall
Performance Program in 2021. Participated in the 2022 Winter
Warm-Up. Did not pitch after June 7 in 2022 due to a bulging
disc in his upper back originally diagnosed as a neck strain.
Added to the 40-man roster in November 2022 to protect him from
selection in the Rule 5 Draft. Participated in 2023 Rookie
Development Program.
Summation: Potential back-end starter. Ceiling of a
mid-rotation starter. Will show a starter's arsenal with three
average-or-better pitches and the ability to turn over a lineup,
but does not have a typical starter's delivery. Control is
already above-average-to-plus and command should get to at least
average. You can debate whether he fits better as a starter or
reliever depending on the day you see him. Has some traits that
would push him to each potential outcome, but has the makings of
a major league-caliber arm either way. If pushed to the bullpen,
combination of stuff and handedness gives him a decent floor.
Links
Scouting Report Update (3.8.2022) |
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