Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | OAK | RHP | 9 | 45 |
Grades Update: Feb 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 55 | 45 | 60 | 50 | 45/40 |
Feb 2021 Report
Evaluator: Anthony Franco
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 225 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2020 Round 2
RuleV: 2023
Physical Description: Listed at 6'4, 225. Good frame; long, muscular build with a little more room for mass in the lower half.
Delivery & Mechanics: Fringe athlete, delivery looks a bit stiff. Shorter arm action than expected for someone this tall- allows him to get his arm up near his head by foot strike. Lack of athleticism more of an issue at release. Struggles to get over front hip and finish pitches glove-side. High 3/4 arm slot with notable head movement at release.
Fastball: Mostly 93-95 MPH as a starter, can get up to 97. Sinker profile, pitch has good arm-side tail but doesn't have the carry at the top of the strike zone that plays for whiffs. Grade: 55
Curveball: Also looked to feature a mid-80's power curve as an occasional fourth pitch. Possibly a variation on his slider but the curveball is a little more north-south. Doesn't have bat-missing action on its own but works as a sporadically used offering to keep opposing hitters off balance. Grade: 45
Slider: Shows a good, vertically oriented slider. Doesn't have much lateral movement but has enough power and bite to get whiffs below the strike zone, particularly against right-handed hitters. Grade: 60
Changeup: Flashes an above-average changeup with good velocity gap and some arm-side fade. Figures to be a developmental focus in pro ball because feel was inconsistent and usage was sporadic at Michigan. Grade: 50
Control and Command: Imprecise fastball location. Has a tendency to miss up and arm-side with the heater. Because the fastball doesn't have great carry, that could lead to authoritative contact against higher-level hitters. Between freshman year as a reliever and shortened junior season, has had somewhat limited reps. That could lead to some late command development (his walk rate improved each year in college) but fringe athleticism that inhibits his ability to work to his glove side probably means he winds up in the bullpen. Control: 45 | Command: 40
Overall: Criswell shows mid-rotation stuff on his best days. He backs up a low-mid 90's sinker with a plus slider, and he flashes a deceptive changeup that could mitigate the platoon problems that sinker-slider pitchers tend to face. He'll need to refine the consistency of the secondaries (particularly the changeup) but his pitch mix is rather promising. The bigger obstacle to Criswell emerging as a rotation fixture is command. He's not a very good athlete who ran fairly high walk rates in college. Unless he dramatically improves his ability to locate the fastball, he's probably best suited as a reliever, albeit one with the repertoire depth to work multiple innings effectively.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Long Reliever or Low Leverage Reliever
Risk: High
