Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | HOU | RHP | 1 | 55 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CT | CB | SL | CH | Cont/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 60 | 60 | 55 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50/45 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Rhys White
Age: 23 yr
Height: 6-7
Weight: 238 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2016 Draft, Round 1
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Tall and well filled out, with long limbs. Has the frame of an NFL tight-end.
Delivery & Mechanics: When watching Whitley his mechanics are constantly changing and at times he is all out of whack, contributing to his rough 2019. When he is all right, he lifts his glove over his head, drops the arm when he starts his leg kick. He then has a slight drop, extends the ball towards second and the glove-hand goes towards home plate, and he releases all five of his pitches from a high three-quarters delivery. When runners are on base he eliminates lifting the ball and glove hands over his head and tends to speed up his delivery which can at times affect his command and control.
Fastball: Whitley's fastball at its best is an upper 90's offering, topping out at 98 with that rising movement that more analytically inclined teams have been targeting in recent years. Because of the fastball's movement his fastball is best spotted up in the zone where that "rising" look plays up and he can get opposing batters to chase it. The problem is very rarely in my looks was he at his best, it was closer to mid 90's top out at 96. Forrest has supreme confidence in his fastball and will use it in any count to any handedness of batters. He spots in all four quadrants of the zone. I've noticed he likes to especially throw it inside to left-handed batters. While the velo can be upper 90's what hurts it is his lack of command for the fastball, causing it to play closer to plus as opposed to plus-plus. Grade: 60
Cutter: Whitley uses his cutter to set-up the slider, as opposed to using the slider to set up the cutter. The cutter plays well off of his fastball. It especially pairs well when he throws the fastball up in the zone and then follows that up with a cutter up and into either handedness of hitter. Grade: 55
Curveball: Whitley's curveball is one of the better curveballs in the minors. It has good 12-6 shape with good bite and depth. Because of how much drop he gets on the curveball he can start it in the lower-half of the strike-zone and it ends up in the dirt, inducing plenty of swings and misses. Whitley is not afraid to double up on the curveball to batters. He also will spot the curveball outside to left-handed batters. The curveball also generates it's fair share of weak-contact for Whitley. Grade: 60
Slider: The slider is a hard slider that provides a horizontal breaking look for Whitley. It has inconsistent break in my looks of the offerings, where on one look it looks like a plus slider with hard breaking action and others it lacked bite and got squared up. He would consistently spot the slider up in the zone, and pair that with a cutter or the fastball and it would result in weak contact, and get guys to hit weak high fly balls. He didn't generate many swings-and-misses with the slider in my looks. Grade: 50
Changeup: Forrest Whitley's changeup shows good movement and he shows feel for the changeup. He can throw it in any count and he gets hitters to swing-and-miss on the changeup. It shows good tumble especially when thrown late in the zone. He throws it with the same arm-speed as his fastball and it tunnels well with all of his other pitches. When Whitley is at his best his changeup is a weapon he uses to generate swings-and-misses that he pairs with his plus fastball to get guys guessing on what is coming. Grade: 60
Control and Command: The biggest problem for Whitley, is his inconsistent command and control. There are starts where he is able to move his offerings around the zone and fill the zone with pitches in spots where opposing hitters are having fits. Then there are starts where he is leaving fastballs in the middle of the zone and getting crushed, and the other four pitches are just being hammered. Finding a middle ground with Whitley and his command and control is difficult because what I have seen there is no middle ground and he tends to run in extremes. Control: 50 | Command: 45
Overall: Whitley has dealt with a non performance-enhancing drug suspension, inconsistent command as well as inconsistent stuff in his professional career. When you watch Whitley on any given start you never know what you are going to get, the extreme upside is still there where you see 5 pitches with good extension that are all at least average and can reach plus with a few of his pitches and he can throw in any count to give hitters fits. The problem is the next start you may get a guy who struggles to make it through the third inning, walking multiple batters and getting crushed. I still think there's a very high upside for Whitley to reach because of how good the raw stuff can be, he needs to find some modicum of consistency for him to reach the lofty upside of what was once the best pitching prospect. If the off the field hullabaloo is true then this might just be who he is, a frustratingly inconsistent pitcher who has extreme highs and extreme lows. This has been the hardest player I have evaluated.
OFP: 55
Role: 60 - #3 Starter
Risk: Extreme
