Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SF | LHP | 10 | 45 |
Grades Update: Apr 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 50/45 |
Apr 2021 Report
Evaluator: Geoff Pontes
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/R
Acquired: 2020 Round 2 FAC
RuleV: 2023
Physical Description: Average physical build, thin, but strong. Room to add 15 pounds of muscle in the coming years. Good athlete moves fast on the mound.
Delivery & Mechanics: Semi-windup; 3/4 slot, long arm action, fast arm; drop and drive delivery. Gets downhill quickly. Repeats well, high effort, moderate leg kick, shorter stride, lands in good position to field, despite head whack.
Fastball: Below average fastball, sits 88-90 mph, touching 93 mph. Lacks sink or ride in the zone. Flat, controls well but commands poorly. Easily hittable, mostly thrown as a setup for his changeup. Lands far too many over the heart of the plate for his velocity and movement profile. Grade: 40
Curveball: Slow 1-7 curveball, sits 74-77 mph with late tailing action. Looks to back door the pitch to left handers. Good swing and miss pitch he has feel for, will throw it to both left handed and right handed batters. Third pitch but used with frequency. Primary secondary versus lefties. Grade: 50
Changeup: Plus pitch and his best swing and miss offering. Sits 75-77 mph, with late devastating run. Will use left on left with frequency, but dominates right handed hitters. Sells it with arm speed and feel. Commands the pitch with precision, clustering the bottom arm-side quadrant. Misses bats at a high rate. Grade: 60
Control and Command: In the shortened 2020 collegiate season he found his command and control. He still lacks great feel for his fastball, but his elite changeup feel and good breaking command allow him to earn an fringe-average command grade despite early struggles with strike throwing as an underclassman. Executes plan of attack landing his changeup armside and his curveball gloveside. Should improve his fastball command with time. Control: 50 | Command: 45
Overall: A developing starter profile who looked to be in the midst of a breakout in 2020 prior to the shutdown. Needs to add velocity and improve his fastball shape and command, but he has two very viable secondaries and a good plan of attack. His ability to dominate righthanders and use two secondaries in same side matchups give him a chance to stick in the rotation. Fastball velo gains would go a long way toward providing Swiney with a bullpen role fallback plan. The lack of velocity and premium shape are factors holding back a potential Swiney from mid-rotation potential.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Backend SP #5
Risk: Moderate
