(Evaluation based on 5/8 start against AA Frisco | Pitch and Role Grades Below)

Body: Wiry frame with narrow shoulders and long levers. Very thin with limited visible muscle, doubt he makes impactful strength gains given age and build. 

Athleticism: Fluid movements with twitchiness that allows for velocity generation despite size. Solid, though not standout, body control. 

Delivery: Generates plus arm speed from a longer, offline arm action that features some stiffness into a high 3/4 slot. Fairly repeatable delivery, average extension as he moves down the mound with generally limited effort and some head tilt to his glove side on finish. Delivery that lends itself to consistent control but arm action and lack of standout feel for his body could hinder plus command outcomes. 

FB: Worked at 93-97 T98, held velocity through 7 innings with quality carry from his vertical release angle. Consistent strike thrower with the pitch, though occasional tendency to leave it up and out of the zone. Got frequent swing and misses when located at the top of the zone —needs to keep it there as higher release point will create a steeper vertical approach angle in the middle and lower thirds of the zone, mitigating the pitch’s effectiveness.

SL: Employs as his primary secondary at 85-89, consistently throwing in any count. Gyro shape, doesn’t have great feel for the pitch with frequent tendency to flatten with the look of a fringy cutter. At its best, shows downer profile with some bite — strong velocity and ability to play off his vertical FB give it the opportunity for above average value. Distance to achieve this. 

CH: Works at 87-91, able to kill spin down to the 1700 RPM range. Lacks vertical drop and quite inconsistent with tendency to bounce – that said, flashes solid fade, and combined with ability to kill spin and relative newness of the pitch aggressively projecting it to average value. Would like to see more sink to better play off his vertical FB — needs to throw more often in games and emphasize its development as will be important in neutralizing lefty bats. 

CB: Rarely used at 79-82, vertical shape that was inconsistent but flashed some depth. Change-of-pace type pitch that pairs with his vertical FB and adds another velo band to his arsenal, see it as having avg- utility. 

Command: Analyzed in greater depth with pitch evaluations, but generally features quality control with fair touch of his fastball. That said, lack of movement consistency to secondaries hinders ability to locate them and needs to improve here. FB location consistency combined with bet on increased secondary stability leads to aggressive above average command projection. 

Summary: Currently profiles as an innings-eating #4 starter on a ML club. Able to dominate at the AA level with his present FB/CMD combination, but the present quality of his secondaries drives risk. Significant gap between their present look and the consistency necessary to succeed at the big league level, and even with more stability don’t see a true swing-and-miss secondary. That said, has at least nascent feel for three off-speed shapes, and see middle-of-the-rotation upper-end outcomes in play if he’s able to refine their movement profiles given the strong base of his FB and CMD. Would have interest in acquiring as believe his present strengths lie on the less developable end of the spectrum, while his weakness lie in the more developable.

FB 55/60 | SL 40/55 | CH 35/50 | CB 35/45 | CMD 40/55

Overall: Role 5