Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | STL | RHP | 16 | 40 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | SL | CH | Ctl/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 55 | 50 | 55 | 50/45 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Matt Thompson
Age: 26 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 Draft - Round 27
RuleV: On 40-Man
Physical Description: High waisted, with lean lower half and broad shoulders. Athletic, flexible frame. Delivery requires some effort and flexibility. D-III draft pick that has battled back from TJ and made the climb through the minors, touching four levels in 2019 before making his big league debut it 2020 after a bout with Covid-19.
Delivery & Mechanics: Comes set at his neck. Flexes his back leg and sits on his glutes as he begins with an exaggerated drop and drive delivery. Delivery requires balance and flexibility. Sizeable effort with a vertical, over-the-top arm slot. Some added deception as he hides the ball extremely well.
Fastball: Fastball averaged 93.8 MPH during his big league debut, up from what I saw from him in the AFL where he was sitting 92-93. Works fastball up in the zone to play off of delivery. Shortened his arm action and that accounts for the uptick in velocity. Gets some awkward swings. Grade: 55
Slider: Unlike the changeup which will be featured against both lefties and righties, Whitley will use the slider against right-handers. His game is throwing it just off the plate to get a whiff. He will start the pitch in the zone and let the late break do the work. Very much a chase pitch. Shape profile is inconsistent. Needs to figure out how to locate it better. Grade: 50
Changeup: Leans on this pitch heavily, one third of all pitches thrown in the small big league sample were changeups. He lets gravity do most of the work, the pitch features good depth and just drops off the table. Has little horizontal movement. Works very well with his vertical arm slot. More consistent command would make it a plus pitch. Not quite there. Grade: 55
Control and Command: Can effectively put the fastball where he wants, but he's not as fine with the slider and changeup. Will hit the glove with the heater but its fringy command with the secondaries. Control: 50 | Command: 45
Overall: Whitley touched four affiliates in 2019 before ending his season in the AFL and on the 40-man roster. He's an organizational development win as a late round pick from a D-III school. He's got three big league quality pitches and throws enough strikes to potentially sneak into a late inning bullpen role.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Low-Leverage Relief
Risk: Low
