Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | BOS | RHP | 3 | 50 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | SL | SPL | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 45 | 45/45 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Tyler Jennings
Age: 25 yr
Height: 6-5
Weight: 230 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 Draft - Round 1
RuleV: On 40-man
Physical Description: Strong, tall frame at 6'5, 230 pounds. Very minimal projection remaining, but has an ideal pitchers body. Waist is high, limbs are long. Movements are fluid and body is athletic.
Delivery & Mechanics: Throws from a low three-quarters arm slot, starts on first base side of rubber. Delivery includes effort, with a lengthy arm action and relatively high leg kick from the windup. Crossfire delivery, creating tough at-bats for right-handed hitters. Despite longer arm action, the arm itself is very quick and a tad deceptive. Mechanics mirror fellow Red Sox starter Chris Sale, but with the opposite throwing arm. Has struggled with maintaining mechanics throughout starts.
Fastball: Houck throws two fastballs, a four-seam and a two-seam. Four-seamer will sit in the mid-90's and he has touched 98 MPH in the past, but the main issue with the pitch is that it is pretty straight and flat, causing it to be hit hard. He likes to locate the pitch up in the zone. The two-seamer is the better of the two pitches, with good arm-side run and sink. The pitch sits more in the lower-90's and will rely on the pitch more the farther he goes into an outing. Both offerings are low-spin, averaging around the 2,000-2,100 RPM mark. Needs to work on fastball command in the future. Grade: 55
Slider: Pitch sits in the mid-80's with serious sweeping action. Spin rate is not enormously high, averaging 2,400-2,500 RPM in 2020. Very confident in throwing to both left-handed and right-handed hitters, drawing some bad swings along the way. Has a good chance to be a legitimate, bat missing offering in his repertoire. Best offering that he brings to the table. Grade: 60
Splitter: Ditched change-up for a splitter grip in 2020. Shows late downward action, but the pitch is inconsistent. Could become a very good weapon against left-handed hitters, but development of the pitch is key for that to happen Grade: 45
Control and Command: Due to the moving parts in his delivery, his control/command is relatively spotty and can be inconsistent. Will need to refine moving forward if he wants to avoid a demotion to the bullpen. Control: 45 | Command: 45
Overall: Certainly has a solid fastball/slider combination to get outs, but lack of third pitch right now makes it tough for him to remain in the rotation long term. With further development of the splitter, chances that he sticks in the backend of the rotation are higher. If he becomes a bullpen piece, likely will be a high leverage arm to rely on.
OFP: 50
Role: 50-#4 or #5 SP or Above-Average High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High
