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Physical Description: Short,
stocky frame. Average build with minimal remaining projection.
Mechanics: Throws from a
high-three-quarters arm slot. Max-effort delivery. Starts on the
first base side of the rubber and does not use a windup. Quick
arm. Short, stiff arm action behind.
Fastball:
90-92 mph. Tops out at 95 mph. Velocity has fluctuated over the
course of his pro career. Topped out at 99 mph in college. Sat
94-96 mph after signing in 2018, but velocity was down in 2019,
often sitting 91-93 and only occasionally touching 96.
Reportedly sat in the low 90s in spring training 2020, but
velocity crept back up at the Fall Instructional League to
92-95, touching 96. In 2021, sat 93-94 in the middle of the
season, but by the end of the season was back down to 90-93 mph.
Has mostly sat 90-92 in 2022. Took a step forward with his
strike-throwing ability in 2021, but has regressed in 2022.
Pitch is on the straight side with only average life. Does not
miss as many bats as it used to. Potential average offering.
Slider: 84-87 mph. At its best will show
hard bite and depth through the zone. Will flash the ability to
throw in the zone or get hitters to chase it out of the zone.
Lost feel for the pitch early in 2019, causing him to lean on
his curveball more often, but returned to the pitch later in the
year. Uses as his primary out pitch. Potential fringe-average
pitch.
Curveball: 81-83 mph. Change of pace from slider
that comes in with a different shape and in a different velocity
band. More vertical with 12-to-6 break. Began relying on the
pitch more in early 2019 when he lost feel for his slider, but
leaned more on the slider later in the year. At 2020 Fall
Instructs, he used it effectively and was able to get swinging
strikes with it, but has not shown that type of utility with the
pitch consistently in games. Potential fringe-average pitch.
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Career
Notes: Closed for TCU all three years of college, tying
the TCU career saves record (32) and setting the single-season
mark in 2017. Was ranked a consensus top 100 player in the 2018
draft and was tabbed by some analysts as having the potential to
be first in the class to make the majors, even as quickly as
that fall. Moved quickly through the low minors after being
drafted in 2018, pitching just 23 1/3 innings across three
levels of Short-Season and A-Ball before beginning 2019 in
Portland. Club had him work on locating fastball up in the zone
early in 2019 after he had focused on locating it down in the
zone in college and in his 2018 pro debut, but he struggled
through the adjustment, particularly with his command and
needing to sacrifice velocity to locate, so he returned to
locating it lower in the zone. Ascent to the majors slowed in
2019 in Double-A as he worked on refining his pitch mix.
Participated in the Fall Instructional League in 2018, 2019, and
2020. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB spring training in
2022. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB spring training in
2023. Was released three weeks into the 2023 season.
Summation: Projects as a
high-minors depth arm. Stuff and command and control have
regressed across the board in 2022. Now projects for an average
fastball and fringy secondaries. Unlikely to be able to regain
stuff he showed initially after signing at this point. Candidate
for a change of scenery where hearing other voices could help
him regain his past form.
Links
Scouting Scratch 8.8.2018
Scouting Report Update 6.16.2020
Scout Chatter (11.30.2020)
Scouting Report Updates (3.1.21)
Scouting Scratch (8.3.2021)
Scouting Scratch: Red Sox 2021 Rule 5 Preview (11.18.2021) |
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