Andrew Abbott, LHP University of Virginia
Draft Eligible: 2021
Year: Senior
DOB/Draft Age: June 1, 1999 (22)
H/T: L/L
HT: 6-0
WT: 175
Physical Description: Below average height, with an athletic strong frame. Muscular without being overly bulky. Moves well on the mound and shows good balance and flexibility.
Mechanics: Semi-windup; tall and fall; longer arm action, average arm speed, high ¾ slot. Good balance and ability to repeat motion. High leg kick that tones down from the stretch. Does not lose much, if any, command from the stretch due to relief experience.
Fastball: Sits 89-92 mph, touching 95 mph at peak. Strong command of the pitch and good shape, lands consistently in the upper quadrants. Shows the ability to miss bats and generate late swings despite lacking premium velocity. Locates well to both sides of the plate, stealing strikes on the fringes of the zone. Will struggle to locate high armside, which is the predominant area of his misses. Has shown the propensity to catch too much of the plate leading to hard contact. In fact, all six of his home runs allowed have come on the fastball. Average fastball with some room for growth in terms of velocity. GRADE: 50
Curveball: 1-7 curveball, sits 76-78 mph, touching 82 mph, shows tight shape and late vertical drop. Shows the ability to land it on the backfoot in left on left matchups, and work the back door to righthanders off the plate and on the outer half. Will land it frequently middle in, leading to a fair amount of contact. At its best when he’s working the armside, and generating soft contact low in the zone. Slot creates some deception and two plane movement. Average curveball that generates lots of groundball contact. GRADE: 50
Changeup: Sits 82-85 mph, with some tumble and minimal fade. Sold with arm speed, landed almost exclusively armside. Mostly generates bad contact, rarely misses bats. Used in tandem with his curveball versus right handed hitters. Thrown rarely in left on left matchups. Fringe-average pitch with some projection remaining. GRADE: 45
Control and Command: Average control and fringe-average command that has improved over time. Struggles to land high armside and low gloveside. Commands fastball well, but will make mistakes in the heart of the plate. Curveball is commanded well, showing the ability to land it all over, working in and out of the zone as needed. Changeup’s appeal is based almost entirely off of feel. Still mastering command of all of his pitches as a starter, and has shown growth in this regard in 2021. CONTROL: 50 COMMAND: 45
Overall: A true three pitch mix, with a plan of attack versus both handedness. Abbott struggles as his command will come and go at times. Has a history of control issues prior to 2021, but has made significant strides as a consistent strike thrower. Abbott’s profile plays up due to his bulldog mentality and ability to fill any role on the staff any given day. He has shown his metal as a reliever and now as a starter at UVA. At the next level he might best fit as a multi-inning relief arm with the ability to handle lefty and righty heavy lineups adeptly. Still has a chance to start but the development of his secondaries and some added velocity could work wonders for his profile. High level competitor.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Long Reliever - Spot Starter
Risk: Moderate
Draft Round Grade: Late Second Round to Third Round