Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | PIT | RHP | 32 | 40 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | SL | CH | Ctr/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 45 | 45 | 50/40 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Robert James
Age: 21 yr
Height: 6-5
Weight: 195 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/R
Acquired: 2018 Round 2
RuleV: 2022
Physical Description: Ideal size for a starting pitcher. He's thin now but has plenty of room on his frame to add muscle. My research (googling) tells me that he was a two-sport star in high school and you can see it, he's tall and projectable and is a great athlete. He's also got longish curly hair which is always fun.
Delivery & Mechanics: High 3/4 arm slot. Doesn't look to get much extension. He's got a huge leg kick. Ashcraft is super athletic and his delivery *should* be repeatable but it isn't- he's kind of all over the place. He over-rotates a fair amount and ends up jerking his breaking stuff glove side. Physically the tools are there but it's just not working.
Fastball: Disappointing. He lives around 88-91 although I've seen others say he's topped out at 93. It's just not a dynamic pitch. He's tall but as noted he doesn't get much extension and the spin rate is around average. Doesn't really get any run or sink on it. He does not command it well enough to move it around the zone. The pitch does not miss bats. I'm sure the Bucs were hoping that Ashcraft would grow into more velocity but it hasn't happened yet. When he gets ahead you can see Ashcraft trying to overthrow the fastball at the top of the zone but he still usually tops out at 90mph and he just misses his spot. Grade: 40
Curveball: I think I've seen him throw a couple curveballs during his starts. He uses this rarely and it has an 11-6 break Grade: 40
Slider: His primary secondary. He throws it around 82-86. When he snaps off good ones it has some nice tilt and a two plane break. Mostly it's got a one-plane break. He commands it pretty well. The pitch looks okay but it's not a dominant pitch by any stretch. He doesn't get a ton of swings and misses with it. Grade: 45
Changeup: Ashcraft can snap off good ones occasionally that have some tumble and fade. He throws it around 84-86. For the most part he doesn't do a good job of slowing his arm down so it's just kind of flat. Grade: 45
Control and Command: Ashcraft actually has decent control but his command isn't very good yet. He's athletic and should be able to repeat his delivery consistently but ultimately his stuff just isn't very good which causes him to overthrow at points Control: 50 | Command: 40
Overall: Ashcraft is one of the legion of athletic high school starters that the Pirates have taken with their second pick in recent years. You can absolutely see what the Pirates like about him- he's got the ideal size for a starting pitcher and is a great athlete, however, the problem is that he doesn't have a single good pitch. Not one. He's young so there's still time for him to grow into some more velocity and finetune his breaking stuff but honestly, there's nothing really here.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Spot Starter or Low Leverage Reliever
Risk: High
