Matthew Liberatore - Scouting Report

Rank History

Year	Team	Position	Team Rank	OFP
2021	STL	LHP	7	50

Grades Update: Dec 2020

OFP	Role	FB	CB	SL	CH	Ctl/Cmd
50	50	45	55	50	55	55/50

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Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Wyatt Kleinberg

Age: 21 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 200 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2018 Draft - Round 1, TB
RuleV: 2022

Physical Description: At 6'5'' 200, Liberatore provides what is widely considered to be a strong frame for a starting pitcher. Slightly lanky with a solid lower half, Liberatore offers a rare combination of plus strength potential with a large frame. He does not possess elite athleticism when it comes to explosiveness or quick twitch power generation, though he has relatively average flexibility; the lower body strength and helps make up for the deficiencies.

Delivery & Mechanics: Liberatore has a very simple, repeatable, low stress delivery. Works out of both the windup and stretch. Has a leg lift that is relatively standard in height, doing a very good job of generating force via the pointing of his right glute towards the plate prior to his drop and drive. The drop and drive does not go very far forward however, with an extension averaging around six feet. This hurts all of his pitches outside of the curveball. Despite this deficiency, he sinks well into his glutes upon plant, rotates well (on time, low stress), leading into a high 3/4 slot from a release height of around six feet. While his scap retraction and hip shoulder are nothing beyond special, his elite arm action makes up for it, allowing for the generation of plus velocity.

Fastball: Liberatore's four seam fastball, despite the solid reviews it has received across the scouting world is an average pitch at best. Coming from a six foot release height (subpar extension), at a below average spin rate of 2019 rpm, with 14.9 inches of induced vertical break, it would require near triple digit velocity to help make up for its issues. The pitch does not come in remotely near that, with an average velocity of 92.5 mph (he can touch 96-97, but it is very rare). Despite his ability to spot it pretty well, it will struggle to miss bats or generate soft contact at the big league level at a consistent rate. Grade: 45

Curveball: Liberatore's curveball is the only pitch in his arsenal that greatly benefits from his subpar extension and release traits (given total arsenal makeup). It is a solid change of pace for the left hander, coming in at an average velocity of 75.5 mph. While the slurvy 4:45 tilt does take away from its ability to get max drop (what may be ideal given his release traits), the spin rate of 2846 rpm allows for it to play plus (10.1 hmov, 14.5 vmov). He generally locates the pitch well, though it ocasionally doesn't break as sharp as would be optimal. A shift to a more vertical axis could make this pitch elite, and help bolster the slider, which comes from a similar tilt (lowering slider effectiveness). Grade: 55

Slider: The slider, while possessing solid traits is set to struggle at the next level thanks to its similar profile to the curveball unless changes are made. With solid sweep (5.8 in), at good spin, the pitch plays plus. That is about the only area in which it is optimized however. Coming from a 4:15 axis with an average velocity of 80.4 mph, it is too similar in profile to the curveball to do maximum damage. The spin rate suggests that a horizontal shift in axis would make the pitch run more, differentiating itself from he curveball, making both offerings more successful in the process. While he can command it well, the pitch will never play more than slightly above average in the show if the traits on both breaking balls remain the same. 60+ potential. Grade: 50

Changeup: Liberatore's fading changeup is his second best pitch behind the curveball. At an average velocity of 85 mph with a spin rate in the 1900s, the pitch is built to run coming from its 10:15 axis. The more horizontal tilt, higher spin, and his hard pronation upon release suggest horizontal run - it delivers, running an average of 15.1 inches. His lack of a solid extension and average release height allow the pitch to get more depth than the 10.2 inches of induced vertical break suggest, making the pitch play plus. He can spot up well, though his overall command on the pitch could still improve - this would allow the pitch to play plus plus, rather than its current state (plus). Grade: 55

Control and Command: Liberatore does a very good job of locating pitches in the strike zone. The fastball is consistently thrown for strikes, though he can lose the change on occasion. The lack of extreme depth or break on the curve allows him to keep it in the zone consistently, and his feel on the slider is plus. Overall plus command. He is still honing in on his feel for the changeup, and the curveball can lose its sharpness on occasion. The overall command will only go up as the feel for the pitches does. Current 50 with easy 55 potential. Control: 55 | Command: 50

Overall: The lack of a plus primary offering and the similarity in overall profiles of the two breaking balls are holding Liberatore back. While the latter of the two can easily be corrected, the fastball problem is one that could haunt him in the long run. A switch to a sinker would be interesting (he has the profile), though current circumstances suggest a backend of the rotation type of arm.

OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4-#5 Backend SP
Risk: Low

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Zack Thompson - Scouting Report

Rank History

Year	Team	Position	Team Rank	OFP
2021	STL	LHP	6	50

Grades Update: Dec 2020

OFP	Role	FB	CB	SL	CH	Ctl/Cmd
50	50	50	60	40	50	50/45

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Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Wyatt Kleinberg

Age: 23 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 215 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2019 Draft - Round 1
RuleV: 2022

Physical Description: At 6'2' 215, Thompson is pretty filled out -- in a solid position physically to succeed. All around athletic build with a strong lower half. Upper body has filled out more since his time with Kentucky. The plus athleticism and strong lower half helps him sink down in delivery. Solid mobility in shoulders, hips and groin muscles. Has a long injury history, particularly during his amateur days.

Delivery & Mechanics: Thompson has a very interesting delivery coming from the left side. He has a relatively quick leg kick that reaches about belt high at its apex. Delays his back leg sink until midway through his extension, which allows him to get very low upon plant. His plus leg strength and hip mobility help him keep the release height down; post plant (he plants very closed off, which could limit hip torque ie excess velocity), Thompson rotates his lower half well, and the plus scap retraction helps generate more force as his arm comes forward. High 3/4 slot with a very balanced follow through that helps him field the position well.

Fastball: Thompson's four seam fastball looks solid yet is nothing fantastic. Typically sitting in the low 90s, it has the ability to get up into the 96+ range. While its spin rate is subpar (2155 rpm), it still manages to get around average induced vertical break (16.5''). Despite the lack of elite traits, his unique look makes the fastball particularly effective against left handed hitters -- the 11:02 slot does help contribute to the eight inches of run on the pitch. He spots the heater well, and maintains the velocity deep into outings. Grade: 50

Curveball: Thompson's curve is the best pitch he has both on tape, and when looking at his data. The low to mid 70s velocity (avg of 74.2 mph) is a good change of pace for him, and the plus depth on the pitch shows signs of playing elite (-20.4" ivb). The plus to elite bender showcases tight break thanks to its 3090 average spin, and helps make the curve is his best counter to right handed hitters. The nature of his horizontal approach angle limit's the slider's effectiveness against righties (most dangerous against left handed hitters), so the fact that this pitch can play elite is a major player in how Thompson projects overall. The addition of a few mphs could see this pitch play as high as a 70. Grade: 60

Slider: The slider, despite having really poor traits can still be a plus pitch if optimized, and used almost exclusively against left handed bats. At an average of 83.2 mph, it is not the fastest of slider offerings -- the lack of spin on it (2005 avg rpm) also sees it struggle to play plus in any regard. Its ability to kill lift is nothing special, though the 3.2 inches of horizontal break do allow it to do some damage. He spots the pitch pretty well, and thanks to his wide horizontal approach angle, the pitch can surprise left handed hitters. At its best, the pitch's tilt would probably be shifted even further horizontally (2:20 now has more room to shift) in order to prioritize hmov. This would make it a greater weapon against lefties -- the low spin and subpar vertical break means that it must be used situationally or against lefties only anyway. Grade: 40

Changeup: Thompson's changeup has the potential to be an average to plus pitch at the big league level. The eight mph drop off in velocity from the fastball is more than adequate, and the low spin nature of the pitch suggests that it should have elite vertical break potential. While he does manage to get ten inches of induced vertical break on the change, a further horizontal shift of the pitch's tilt could result in a plus overall offering (the 14 inches of run are already adequate if he adds more vertical break) He has very good command of the pitch, and the solid feel could make it play plus at the big league level. Grade: 50

Control and Command: Thompson is a solid strike thrower, though he does have a tendency to lose his slider and change at times in the feel department. Overall average control over the four pitch mix. Spots the fastball and curve (his two best and most consistent options) very well, though he can lose his change and slider more regularly. While his misses on the changeup are not as detrimental, the slider can be a serious issue for him; hanging the pitch at the next level very rarely results in anything other than a run up on the scoreboard for the other team. Control: 50 | Command: 45

Overall: The lack of an elite primary offering does not help Thompson, though his ability to spot it makes up for its deficiencies. The curve plays plus to elite against both righties and lefties, and should be considered the better of his two breaking ball offerings. Changeup is overall average to plus, and the slider is really only a weapon against left handed hitters. He has a long injury history which raises concerns for me while evaluating him as a starter. If he cant stay healthy, he could become a solid high leverage reliever with a playable four pitch mix.

OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4-#5 Backend SP
Risk: High

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