Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ARI | RHP | 34 | 35 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 30 | 45 | 45 | 40 | 55 | 40/30 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Rhys White
Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 180 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 5th
RuleV: 2021
Physical Description: Average height for a starter, decent frame with some room to fill out. Long upper body with short arms.
Delivery & Mechanics: Three-quarters delivery. Starts the motion by pulling both the glove and ball arms up and over the head, he will ditch this when runners are on base. Then with his back leg, he steps down twice, follows this with a slight leg-kick. He takes a short step towards the plate with minimal moving parts. His front leg sways and then he ends the motion. He has a quick arm action, there is no deception in the delivery but it's a quick delivery especially when runners are on base.
Fastball: During his college days he would top out at 96 but in pro ball, he has been closer to the low 90's sometimes dipping into the high 80's. There is arm-side movement and sink. He does a good job of tunneling the fastball with his other offerings. The fastball consistently gets barreled up and if his college velocity doesn't come back he is gonna have to limit the exposure of the pitch to higher-level hitters. He has average command of the fastball and moves it around the zone. It is at its best when thrown low in the zone especially when sequenced with the changeup. Grade: 45
Curveball: Standard 12-6 shape on his curveball with average vertical movement. He uses the curveball late in counts especially after he has shown the fastball and changeup. It is not a swing and miss offering but provides another look for batters late in counts, and causes weak contact. Grade: 45
Slider: The least refined of his pitches. It shows average vertical movement and at times he will break off a slider that shows above-average horizontal movement. From my looks, he likes to throw that offering up in the zone as well as a way to right-handed batters. He will use it to get hitters to chase and provide a horizontal look for hitters. Grade: 40
Changeup: He sets up the fastball, slider, and curveball with his best pitch the changeup. He shows above-average feel for the changeup and will use it in any count to both handednesses of batters. The changeup shows above-average movement. He throws the changeup with the same arm speed as the fastball which allows it to play up. The changeup has above average deception because of how well Mercer tunnels the fastball with the changeup and how he does a good job of matching the arm speed of the fastball and changeup. Grade: 55
Control and Command: Mercer does an above-average job of filling up the strike zone. He consistently throws strikes. He commands all four pitches at an average rate, he knows where to put his offerings at a spot where each individual pitch can be efficient. Control: 55 | Command: 50
Overall: As things stand Mercer is a pitcher who will live and die by the changeup. Back in college, he had the premium velocity to pair with that changeup but in 2019 the velocity went away hurting the overall profile and putting more importance on the development of his secondary pitches outside of the changeup. The slider and curveball are both below-average pitches for Mercer, again putting more stress on the changeup. If he can develop a more useable secondary offering he may have a chance to be a low leverage reliever but as things stand he is an emergency call-up profile.
OFP: 35
Role: 30 - Up/Down Emergency Depth
Risk: Moderate
