Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | HOU | OF | 18 | 40 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Anthony Franco
Age: 26 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 208 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/L
Acquired: 2017 Draft, Round 21
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Listed at 6'0, 208. Relatively high waist. Thick lower half; strong thighs. Narrow shoulders without overt physicality in upper half. Maxed out physically but fairly strong already.
Hit: Closed, upright stance. Toe tap as fairly quiet timing mechanism, but actual swing is high-effort. Leans deep into back leg, naturally lowering his hands before he brings them forward; leads to extreme uphill bat path. Swings hard and has above-average bat speed but below-average bat control. Stands well off the plate and has a pull-oriented approach; doesn't cover outer half well. Patient approach; draws walks but has notable areas within the strike zone where he can be attacked by MLB pitching. Grade: 40
Power: Above-average raw power to pull side. Has an uphill, pull-oriented bat path that should enable him to get to power in games on pitches on the inner half. Pretty obviously shaped by modern hitting coaching (swing mechanics look similar to a lot of Dodgers' player dev success stories, particularly Chris Taylor). Approach isn't conducive to driving pitches on the other half with authority, but he could run into 15-20 homers a year with everyday reps. Grade: 50
Field: Has played mostly corner outfield in the minors. Average athlete best suited for a corner at the big league level. Grade: 50
Arm: Average arm strength; functional at all three outfield positions but most natural fit in left. Grade: 50
Run: Slightly above-average runner. Doesn't steal many bases but covers a fair amount of ground underway. Grade: 50
Overall: McCormick's a scouting and player development success story. A former 21st-round pick, he had a breakout 2019 season in the high minors and earned a 40-man roster spot with Houston last year. He has some mechanical similarities (namely the steep uphill, pull-oriented swing path) with other late-blooming breakout hitters. McCormick doesn't cover the outer half of the plate, which MLB pitchers could be equipped to exploit. But he's a near-term big leaguer with pull power, patience and some speed. I think he's at least right-handed platoon bat with a non-zero chance of hitting for enough power to be a regular.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Platoon
Risk: Moderate
