Zach Pop - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 MIA RHP 33 40

Grades Update: May 2021
OFP Role FB SL Ctr/Cmd
40 40 60 55 50/40

May 2021 Report

Evaluator: James Chipman

Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 Round 7 (LAD)
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Tall athletic build; lean but sturdy frame. Broad shoulders; average upper body and core; strong lower half. Injury history includes: Tommy John surgery May of 2019.

Delivery & Mechanics: Stretch only; tall and fall operation. Deceptive low 3/4, almost sidearm delivery with moderate effort. Slight pause, high leg kick, hand break and plus arm speed yield great deception. Repeats fairly well; foot strike flexed and stiff at times and arm slot occasionally wanders.

Fastball: Power sinker that sat 94-98 prior to a massive velo drop before shutdown and eventual TJ surgery in May of 2019. Pounds the FB low in the zone yielding copious amounts of ground balls and weak contact. Deception and inability to square or lift pad the overall value. Every reason to believe the velo returns and possibly increases as he settles back in from rehabilitation. Grade: 60

Slider: Sits 84-87 with tilt and impressive two-plane break. Shows the ability to throw for strikes and chase. Consistent release point; works it to both sides of the plate. Thrown with confidence; not afraid to double up. Has the late break and bite to project legitimate put-away potential. Flashes above-average; should reach projection with further pro instruction and continued reps. Grade: 55

Control and Command: Prototypical power reliever; lives in and around the strike zone with below-average command. Frequently gets ahead early; can nibble a bit too much when he's ahead searching for a strikeout. FB misses are predominately glove-side. Impressive groundball tendencies: above 60% since draft day. Difficult to lift, just one HR surrendered in 80 1/3 MiLB innings. Control: 50 | Command: 40

Overall: Power sinker, slider bullpen arm that could reach the big leagues as soon as this season. A recent Rule V selection, Pop has legitimate high-leverage upside; more realistically a solid low-leverage groundball machine that bridges the gap to the late innings.

OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Low-Leverage Reliever
Risk: High