Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LAD | RHP | 22 | 40 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 45/40 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Geoff Pontes
Age: 23 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 155 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2016 IFA
RuleV: On 40-man
Physical Description: Long limbed and broad shouldered with a high waist. Looks bigger than his listed 6-foot 155 lbs, by about twenty pounds and an inch. Prototypical pitcher's build with moderate projection to add muscle. A maxed out physical frame at peak should not impact athleticism in any negative way. Should require minimal maintenance.
Delivery & Mechanics: Side step to large leg kick, where he gets deep into his back hip. Drops back shoulder, longer arm action with high three quarters motion. Drops and drives way down to get low on release, adding to his above average extension and ability to play up his perceived velocity. Slower operation making it easy to run on Uceta. Repeats extremely well, fluid and athletic despite unusual operation.
Fastball: Fastball sits 91-93 mph, will touch 94-95 mph at its peak. Lower release due to extreme drop and drive delivery. Pitch is mostly used elevated in the zone and low and away gloveside. His control for the pitch is average as he tends to work around the zone but his command on the pitch is below average. He gets hit far too often as he struggles to keep his fastball out of the middle of the zone. Uceta has an above average movement profile with some efficiency in the four seam giving it the desired traits with his low release to play elevated in the zone. It's an average fastball with some good traits that point to success but he needs to master command of the pitch and stay off barrels. Grade: 50
Curveball: 11-5 shape can get slurvy at times but shows good downward break. Will generate swings and misses with the pitch. Control and command are inconsistent as are his abilities to repeat shape. He'll hang a breaker or two per start and it often costs him. Despite the command woes an average pitch with some strong elements for future projection. Grade: 50
Changeup: Uceta's best secondary, sells the pitch with plus arm speed and late tumble and dive. A swing and miss pitch he'll deploy with no prejudice for either handedness. Will miss on most takes as its late dive makes it tough to be an effective strike stealer, but that's not its intended purpose. Sits 78-81 mph and has good separation from the fastball with 10-15 mph on average. One of the better offspeed pitches in the Dodgers system. Grade: 55
Control and Command: Overall it's fringe average control of his arsenal, he'll miss with fastballs low due to the action on the pitch and has trouble consistently landing his secondaries on the fringes of the zone. That said, he doesn't miss badly often and both his control and command can be a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde situation from start to start. We have seen Uceta both command the zone in some starts and struggle to find it consistently in others. Control: 45 | Command: 40
Overall: Likely a lower leverage reliever as currently constituted but there's hope for more in the profile. He shows feel for three bat-missing pitches and has the fastball+changeup combo that gives him a high relief floor. The idea of Uceta letting loose in a one inning role and seeing if his fastball can play up is an intriguing possibility.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Spot Starter - Low Leverage Relief
Risk: Moderate
