Michael McAvene - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHC RHP 18 45

Grades Update: Nov 2020
OFP Role FB SL Cmd/Cnt
45 40 70 50 45/40

Nov 2020 Report

Evaluator: Joe Drake

Age: 23 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 210 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2019 Draft - Round 3
RuleV: 2022

Physical Description: Well-built, athletic frame. Strong legs and pronounced butt with a lean upper body. Wide shoulders, long legs. Looks like a pitcher. Moves well around the mound, will be able to field his position. Electric arm.

Delivery & Mechanics: Full windup starts with a quarter turn rather than straight on to home plate. Knee comes just above the waist during the leg kick and the torso coils slightly. Glides through the motion, moderate effort at release. Long arm action that drops behind the body before coming around. Mid to low 3/4 arm slot. Finishes low and winds around plant leg. Delivery is quickened and leg kick abbreviated with runners on. Head movement just before release is a little odd.

Fastball: 94-97, t100. Has life that leads to whiffs and pop-ups. Ball jumps from his hand and he pumps it by hitters even when they know it's coming. Throws it low more often than you'd like where it runs into the barrel here and there but guys still don't square it up much. Total package is a double-plus pitch that dominates hitters. Grade: 70

Curveball: Big movement and drop. Not a true 12-6 shape, but really sharp downward action. Will create plenty of whiffs with this pitch. Works best when located on the outside moving away from right handed hitters. Data, reportedly, matches the eye test on what is clearly a plus pitch. 82-84 T86. Grade: 60

Slider: Mid-80s. Gets 2-plane movement and late break when it's on but loses tightness and gets loopy at times. Likes to bury it and throw off the plate to righties. Able to backdoor it to lefties for called strikes, too. Solid pitch all together. Flashes plus at times, but consistently average. Plays up off the blazing heater. Grade: 50

Control and Command: Typically finds the zone. Doesn't do it consistently, but can spot on all 4 edges. Gets out of sync at times where he'll lose the plate but can find his way back mid-inning. Fine, but not great, overall. Control: 45 | Command: 40

Overall: Reliever only profile with just 2 pitches but the stuff is great and will play up more out of the bullpen. Attacks hitters and and makes them uncomfortable, able to put them away with both the fastball and the slider. He's got the arm talent to be an above-average high leverage guy if everything comes together. Realistically, command and inconsistent breaker probably limit him to a mid-relief role.

OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Low-Leverage Reliever
Risk: High