Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | TB | RHP | 16 | 45 |
Grades Update: Aug 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 55 | 45 | 50 | 45 | 55/50 |
Aug 2021 Report
Evaluator: Justin Lada
Age: 19 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2020 Round 1
RuleV: 2024
Physical Description: Teenager with a large, physical build. Well defined arms, thick, strong quads and legs. Some room to add additional strength but quite muscular and built for his age. Re-classified in the draft and graduated high school early to be eligible for the 2020 draft. Shoulder surgery on labrum winter 2020.
Mechanics: Overhead windup with mid-section leg kick. Stays stacked and well balanced with his lateral move to the plate as his arms meet his leg. Uses strong lower half well and has good torso/shoulder separation. High 3/4 delivery. Clean and repeats it well despite some moving parts thanks to having some longer limbs. Drives the ball downhill well and has very natural good arm speed.
Fastball: 92-96 with good downhill plane. Powers it down in the bottom of the zone. Should work well as a north/south offering with his arm slot and extension. Inconsistent control to arm and glove side. Arm slot should allow for a positive amount of backspin on the fastball. Some natural arm side run. Average control presently. With any added velocity and improved command, good chance to be a plus offering. Grade: 55
Curveball: 78-82 with tight, 11-6 directional shape. Very late, tight break. Better command to glove side than arm side. Looks to get outside with his release at times when he misses arm side. Needs to refine command. Potential to be a plus offering with his arm slot and tight break and good shape and spin. Grade: 55
Changeup: 85-86 and turns it over solidly. Firm with less than ideal separation from the fastball presently. Appears to be a standard two-seam changeup grip. Has some vertical movement and a little arm side run. Shows feel for the pitch but lacks impactful movement presently. Could be an average third offering with more separation and refinement. Grade: 45
Control and Command: Shows feel to hit the top and bottom of the zone with both the fastball and curveball. Struggles with control to the corners; fastball glove side and curveball inside when his hand gets outside of his curveball. Repeatable, athletic delivery and feel for his fastball and curveball give him the potential for above average control in the future with refinement. Control: 50 | Command: 45
Overall: The shoulder surgery really throws a lot of things into doubt for Bitsko. Re-classifying was a good move for him in the first place due to his age for the 2021 class, but it might be even better for him with the surgery further cutting into his timeline. He has an impressive, physical build for a teenager, raw arm strength and speed, along with the potential for two above average pitches or better. His delivery is pretty athletic and repeatable. Shoulder injuries are almost riskier than elbow at this point, especially labrum. There's enough variance and risk in high school arms to begin with before a major surgery like this.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Backend SP #5
Risk: Extreme
