Ryan Zeferjahn   Pitcher

       
 
Born: February 28, 1998
Birthplace: Topeka, KS
Height: 6-5
Weight: 230
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
   
Drafted: 3rd  round, 2019 by BOS;
37th round, 2016 by TB
How Acquired: Draft
College: Kansas
High School: Seaman (KS)
   

Photo © Kelly O'Connor
Ryan Zeferjahn Photos by Kelly O'Connor
Pronunciation: ZEFF-er-john
First Pro Contract: June 12, 2019 (BOS)
Signing Scout: Lane Decker
Signing Bonus: $500,000
   
Pro Debut: June 30, 2019 (Lowell)
MLB Debut: August 25, 2024 (LAA)
   
Twitter: @ryanzeferjahn13
Instagram: @ryanzeferjahn13

Traded to Los Angeles (AL) with Niko Kavadas, Matthew Lugo, and Yeferson Vargas for Luis Garcia (July 2024)
 
 
 
 
 
     
  Scouting Report & Links      
         
  Physical Description: Large pitcher's frame. Looks the part. Tall and filled out with a sturdy lower half.

Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Stiff delivery with considerable effort. Starts on the first base side of the rubber and does not use a wind-up. Has a high leg kick and rocks back before coming forward. Quick arm. Rough arm action with a stab behind and is quick coming forward. Arm can get out of sync with his delivery. Inconsistent release point. Sometimes telegraphs breaking ball by shortening his arm swing. Gets some deception from his front side.

Fastball: 96-98 mph. Tops out at 100 mph. Above-average life up in the zone. Will show bat-missing ability up, but is straight and hittable when down. Plus-plus velocity. Command lags behind at present and projects as below-average. With improved command, could develop into a potential plus offering.

Slider: 88-92 mph. Short, horizontal shape. Power breaking ball with bite at its best. Will bury it down and out of the zone when ahead in the count. Above-average potential.

Curveball: 84-87 mph. 11-to-5 shape. Average depth. Lacks bite. Viable pitch when sequenced correctly to steal a strike or buried down and out of the zone. Does not consistently get over it. Looks to be becoming more of a sweeper in 2024. Fringe-average potential.

Changeup: 81-83 mph. Used very sparingly since 2022. Used to throw with deceptive arm speed and had good separation from his fastball. Had splitter-like, late drop and was used primarily against left-handed hitters.
  Career Notes: Added size and velocity in college. Developed a blister on his nail after signing, limiting his ability to throw his breaking balls during his debut in Lowell. Participated in 2020 Fall Instructional League. Began 2021 season in Low-A Salem but was sent down to the Ft. Myers complex in mid-July after significant struggles, working on mechanical issues before re-entering games on August 31. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021. Transitioned to the bullpen in 2022 and was generally more successful, particularly in the second half. Pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 2022. Posted great strikeout numbers in 2023 but had significant control issues, walking nearly a batter per inning. Harnessed his control to start 2023 and earned a promotion to Worcester after a month, but then found Triple-A hitters much more difficult.

Summation: Potential up-and-down reliever. Ceiling of a quality middle reliever. Raw stuff is good enough to profile in a major league role, but command needs refinement and needs to find more consistency with his stuff from outing to outing. Will likely be a high-variance arm due to a wildly inconsistent command profile. Has bouts of wildness when he will walk multiple hitters per outing, but then can lock in and throw strikes for stretches as well. Delivery brings injury risk, but if he can stay healthy, he is an intriguing power arm with a legit fastball/breaking ball combination.

Links
State of the System: Low Minors Pitchers (4.2.20)
Scouting Report Update (8.12.2020)

 
   
     
    Pitching Stats                                          
  year team lg level org age w l % era g gs sv ip h r er hr bb so whip k/bb k/9
2017 Kansas NCAA Coll --- 19 4 4 0.500 6.19 18 13 0 52.0 58 37 36 4 35 53 1.78 1.51 9.11
  2018 Kansas NCAA Coll --- 20 8 5 0.615 4.48 14 14 0 80.0 66 43 40 11 39 100 1.31 2.56 11.20
  2019 Kansas NCAA Coll --- 21 5 2 0.714 3.97 15 15 0 88.1 60 43 39 7 44 107 1.18 2.43 10.90
  2019 Lowell NYPL A- Bos 21 0 2 0.000 4.50 12 12 0 22.0 24 12 11 2 12 31 1.64 2.58 12.68
  2020 Season Cancelled --- --- Bos 22 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
  2021 FCL Red Sox FCL Rk Bos 23 0 0 --- 3.21 4 4 0 14.0 12 6 5 2 3 18 1.07 6.00 11.60
  2021 Salem Red Sox LAE A Bos 23 1 4 0.200 6.91 12 12 0 41.2 53 41 32 2 15 41 1.63 2.73 8.90
2022 Greenville Drive SAL A+ Bos 24 2 4 0.333 5.79 28 5 1 60.2 58 41 39 6 29 73 1.43 2.52 10.83
  2022 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 24 3 0 1.000 0.84 6 0 0 10.2 3 1 1 1 4 7 0.66 1.75 5.91
  2022 Scottsdale Scorpions AFL Fall Bos 24 0 1 0.000 4.80 9 1 0 15.0 11 10 8 2 8 18 1.27 2.25 10.80
  2023 Salem Red Sox Car A Bos 25 1 0 1.000 0.00 2 1 0 3.0 3 0 0 0 0 2 1.00 --- 6.00
  2023 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 25 0 4 0.000 5.02 34 0 2 43.0 33 27 24 7 40 68 1.70 1.70 14.23
  2024 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 26 1 0 1.000 0.00 7 0 3 13.2 9 2 0 0 3 22 0.88 7.33 13.49
  2024 Worcester Red Sox IL AAA Bos 26 0 3 0.000 5.47 18 1 4 24.2 20 18 15 3 17 31 1.50 1,82 11.31
  2024 Salt Lake Bees PCL AAA LAA 26 0 0 --- 2.35 5 0 0 7.2 5 2 2 1 1 8 0.78 8.00 9.4
  2024 Los Angeles Angels AL MLB LAA 26 0 0 --- 2.12 12 0 0 17.0 7 4 4 0 6 18 0.77 3.00 9.5
   
     
  Advanced Stats & Splits
   
     
  Awards   SoxProspects.com Awards  
  2017 Perfect Game Pre-Season All-American
2018 All-Big 12 Second Team
2019 Baseball America Preseason All-American
Red Sox Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month (May 2022)
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