Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | OAK | RHP | 25 | 35 |
Grades Update: Feb 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 30 | 70 | 55 | 50 | 40/30 |
Feb 2021 Report
Evaluator: Danny Brackman
Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 263 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2015 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Utterly imposing on-mound presence. Massive build with huge legs, long arms, and a thick torso. Has to watch conditioning but mobility is fantastic for someone his size.
Delivery & Mechanics: Stretch only. Comes set with his front foot/hip forced closed and back leg pre-set. Goes into leg lift and raises hands to initiate trunk tilt. Great lower-half activation generates lots of power though heavy counter rotation into a high effort, straight over-the-top, and relatively long arm action leads to an inconsistent release. Long extension and a low release height offers added deception. Feel for mechanics notably took a step forward in the second half of 2019 and reportedly continued on throughout his time at the ATS and Instructs in 2020.
Fastball: 4-seam that sits 95-98 and can touch 100. Glimpses of great vertical movement but often ends up running unintentionally. Spin axis and efficiency appear inconsistent likely due to trouble finding his release point. Emphasis on letting the velo come naturally has helped his ability to control the fastball and fixing his release issues could make the pitch a truly great offering. Grade: 70
Slider: Very firm breaking ball at 86-88. Can flatten out and show cutter shape at times, though release angle makes it difficult to pick up regardless. Typically has sharp 2-plane movement and is capable of missing bats at a high rate. Commands down and to the glove side relatively well. Grade: 55
Changeup: Firm and flat around 87-90. Not a ton of fade or depth but release point and good arm speed do well to help tunnel off the fastball. Improved feel and a solid ability to command the change at the bottom of the zone and below make it a solid third offering. Grade: 50
Control and Command: Previously a spray-and-pray approach with primarily just the FB and SL, Charles has made big strides finding and staying around the zone. After years of egregious BB rates and lots of wild pitches, he finally has some feel for where the baseball is going. He does an OK job throwing to his glove side but will still leak pitches into hittable areas and lose the zone altogether at times. Control: 40 | Command: 30
Overall: Being added to the 40-Man Roster is very promising for Charles' future outlook, especially for someone who was left unprotected last year. If the development trend from the past year and a half is able to continue he could work his way into a low-leverage relief role, but for now, he projects as emergency depth due to the risk.
OFP: 35
Role: 30 - Up/Down Emergency Depth
Risk: High
