Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | STL | RHP | 13 | 45 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | SL | CH | Ctl/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 60 | 40/30 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Joe Drake
Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 215 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2014 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man
Physical Description: Strong, solidly built frame. Maxed out. Long, muscled legs. High waist. Thick upper half, but not fat. Very broad, muscled shoulders. Narrow hips. Midsection might be a touch soft. You might be able to tack on a little more weight to the quads. Noticeably thicker than 2019, but not good weight. Athletic enough. Live arm.
Delivery & Mechanics: Works exclusively from the stretch. High effort delivery. Quick leg lift starts the motion; arm action, which starts low at hips, is very quick and simple. Sits into the glutes a little before driving to the plate. Finishes moderately high. Occasionally uses a bigger leg kick and pause to throw off hitters' timing. Very deliberate between pitches when stressed.
Fastball: Sits 94-96, T98, averages 2130 spin rate. Sinker with below average sink and run. Just looking to run it by hitters, rearing back and firing. Struggles to locate it and is really just trying to hit the zone rather than spots. Pummeled when left over the plate. Spikes it too often. Sat closer to 97 in 2019, but appears to have dialed back the velocity a couple ticks in order to help with command; effect appears limited. Its biggest value is setting up the secondaries. Poor movement profile and lack of command make it play down. Needs optimization. Grade: 50
Slider: 86-88. Gyro-slider with solid depth. Location issues from time to time, but shape and bite are pretty consistent. Will spike it here and there. Tunnels well with the fastball and gets whiffs at a high rate. Hitters rarely make contact when he buries it. Usage dropped significantly in 2020. Would benefit from using it more. Grade: 50
Changeup: Averages 86. Fades it very well. Decent armside run and it really drops off the table. Above-average depth. Sells it well, hitters don't see it coming. Uses it early and often and hitters still struggle to make contact. Occasionally loses it up, but does a pretty good job working it down and off the plate arm-side. Unquestionably his best pitch, would play up even more if hitters feared the fastball. Grade: 60
Control and Command: Both control and command are major issues for him. Doesn't throw to spots, just hoping to hit the zone. Uncorks wild pitches too often and is good for at least one spiked pitch per outing. Better command of the secondaries; able to keep them down more often than not. Often falls behind in counts. Needs to throw more strikes in general. Control: 40 | Command: 30
Overall: Young, flame-throwing right-handed reliever with major control issues. Runs the fastball up to 98, but subpar movement profile and inability to locate limit its effectiveness. Plus changeup is his best offering and he features an average slider as well. Lack of command will keep him from working high-leverage innings as noted by his very limited usage on a thin team in 2020. Has the pure stuff of an elite back of the bullpen arm, but more likely ends up in middle relief if the command doesn't improve and the fastball isn't optimized.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Low-leverage reliever
Risk: Moderate
