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Physical Description:
Left-hander with a medium frame. Not much projection remaining.
Looks listed height and weight.
Mechanics:
Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Atypical delivery with
effort, but it works for him and he repeats it well. Starts
angled toward the first base dugout on the middle of the mound,
hands by his face, before sliding toward third base during
wind-up. Swings arm behind with a medium leg kick before coming
forward with above-average extension. Short arm action with a
hook behind. Hides the ball well before delivery. Will spin and
recoil on follow through.
Fastball:
89-93 mph, tops out at 94 mph. Throws both sinker and four-seam
varieties. Can control both, but shows better feel for sinker
with heavy, arm-side run. Slightly below-average spin rate.
Potential above-average command profile. Ability to miss bats is
dependent on command, as it is not an overpowering pitch.
Designed to elicit weak contact primarily, but has shown the
ability to dial it up at times. Velocity jumped in 2021 to 92-94
mph, but in 2022 was back in the low-90s primarily, dropping
into the high-80s at times. Potential fringe-average offering.
Changeup: 80-83 mph. Advanced feel and
confidence in pitch. Will throw in any count to hitters on both
sides, but more effective against right-handed hitters. Throws
with the same arm speed as his fastball. Pitch drops off the
table late. Really can pull the string on it and elicit lots of
swinging strikes. Command can be spotty at times and will leave
up in the zone on occasion. Potential above-average offering.
Slider: 78-81 mph. Slurvy, long, two-plane
break. 2-to-8 shape. Average spin rate with depth and less
horizontal movement in 2023. In 2022, had among the most
horizontal movement of any breaking ball in the minors, but has
not shown that shape in 2023. Feel comes and goes during
outings, but has shown the ability to land it for strikes. Tough
pitch for left-handed hitters to read; starts right at their
body before breaking across the plate. Needs to get more
consistent finishing the pitch, as sometimes it will come in
loose and hang. Potential average offering.
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Cutter: 85-88 mph. New addition to his arsenal
in mid-May of the 2023 season. Short, horizontal break. Will
show occasional bite in on right-handed hitters, against whom he
primarily throws it, but is still finding consistency with it.
Intriguing addition to his arsenal given how hard righties have
hit him in the high minors.
Career Notes: Had Tommy John surgery in 2017,
missing most of that season and all of the 2018 season.
Late-round senior sign in 2019. Stuff improved considerably due
to work put in during the canceled 2020 season, leading to one
of the more improbable breakouts in the Red Sox system in recent
memory in 2021. Rose from being something of an afterthought in
the Low-A bullpen to begin the 2021 season to being a top-10
prospect in the system and in the Triple-A rotation in less than
a calendar year. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in
2021. Participated in the 2022 Winter Warm-Up. Did not pitch
after June 7 in 2022 due to a bulging disc in his upper back
originally diagnosed as a neck strain. Added to the 40-man
roster in November 2022 to protect him from selection in the
Rule 5 Draft. Participated in 2023 Rookie Development Program.
Summation: Potential depth starter. Ceiling
of a back-end starter or bulk reliever. Unlikely to hold down a
consistent rotation spot, but could be effective following an
opener or for stretches if he is commanding his pitches and
mixing them well. Does not have the delivery and velocity of a
starter.
Sinker leaves little margin for error as it primarily is in the
90-91 mph range. Has to be commanding it or he gets hit hard.
Secondary pitches flash potential, but can be inconsistent.
Changeup and sweeper both show at least average potential, and
the addition of a cutter gives him a new look in a different
velocity band. Has had success against left-handed hitters,
which gives him a floor at least of an up-and-down lefty
specialist.
Links
Scouting Report Update (3.8.2022)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.9.2023)
Notes from the Field (5.1.2023) |
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