Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | BOS | LHP | 5 | 50 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 45 | 55/50 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Geoff Pontes
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-6
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2016 Draft - Round 1
RuleV: Eligible
Physical Description: Very tall at 6 feet 6 inches, big bodied frame, broad shoulders, and thick proportional shape. Body will require continued maintenance and conditioning. Physique has improved from pre-Tommy John Surgery shape. Lingering injury concerns dating back to amateur days. Underwent Tommy John Surgery in May of 2018, missing the remainder of the 2018 season and a majority of 2019. Was sidelined for two months in 2017 with an intercostal strain. Without a full 2020 campaign, health and durability concerns linger. Conditioning will be paramount as his large frame puts additional strain on his endurance.
Delivery & Mechanics: Loose, easy operation, starts on the third base side of rubber, feet together, side step gives way to a high leg lift, smooth arm stroke, delivers from a slightly raised three quarters arm slot, drops and drives over his frontside with above average extension. Repeats mechanics consistently, the times when his arm is out of sync, his command waivers.
Fastball: Slight cut on the four-seam fastball, creates significant downward plane due to physical height and release point. Sat 92-95 mph, bumping 96 mph at peak. Appears to run armside at times when thrown low in the zone with conviction. Cutting the fastball will lead to trouble against right handed dead pull hitters. Shows the ability to command the pitch to all four quadrants, comfort zone is the lower half. Late jump, and life particularly in the lower quadrants, does a good job of landing on the outside in left-on-left matchups. Grade: 55
Curveball: 1-7 break, with hammer late horizontal bite. Plus velocity and movement, sits 81-83 mph with early downward vertical drop, before picking up side-spin late that sweeps the pitch glove side as it crosses the plate. Consistently gets on top of it, similar release height to fastball, with late horizontal movement matching fastball's cut. Plus command and feel. Shows the ability to manipulate shape, landing it for strikes or burying in the dirt for ugly chases. Showed the best feel for the pitch of his career during simulated games at McCoy Stadium this summer. Grade: 60
Changeup: Third offering, deployed to right handed hitters as change of pace. Inconsistent shape and movement. Struggles to consistently pronate, and it translates to a Jekyll and Hyde movement pattern. When he's able to stay on the inside of the baseball and fully pronate, he'll break off a changeup with hellacious fade. When he doesn't get inside the ball the pitch will look like a straight fastball. Sits 82-86 mph, showing a good speed separation between the off-speed and the heat. Grade: 45
Control and Command: Strong ability to repeat mechanics translates into strike throwing. Developed feel for curveball over the last year since returning from TJS. Ability to manipulate pitch translates to plus command and ability to hit location. Fastball command is average, inconsistency of shape and cut up in the zone are sub-optimal. Does not replicate run low in zone with frequency. Command of changeup is lacking. Will throw all pitches for strikes but doesn't always land at his given target. Control: 55 | Command: 50
Overall: Arguably the top arm in the Red Sox system. Has worked hard to shape up physique, which will take maintenance. Features a three pitch mix and lands all of his pitches for strikes. Heavy four-seam + curveball focus. Will get swings and misses on both, but curveball is a major league quality out pitch. Needs to improve consistency of changeup to turn over an order twice. Conditioning questions linger due to lack of bulk innings over his professional career and his size and body type. Mid-rotation upside with middle relief floor due to strong fastball + curveball combination.
OFP:50
Role:50-#4 or #5 SP
Risk:High
