Notes from the Field: New Greenville Arms

At the end of March, the SoxProspects Staff made their annual trip to Minor League Spring Training. Over the next few weeks their notes and observations will be featured on SoxProspects News. Here is the fourth edition of Notes from the Field from Spring Training 2018 taking a look at three pitchers who were assigned to Greenville to start the season.

2017 22nd-round pick Hunter Haworth only threw in six games in the Gulf Coast League in his pro debut, but showed enough in Spring Training that he will be making the jump to Greenville to open the 2018 season in the Drive’s rotation. Haworth threw four innings in a simulated game at the complex on Sunday, showing off a four-pitch mix.

Haworth has a strong pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He looks the part on the mound and has minimal remaining projection. Haworth starts on the first base side and throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. His delivery has some effort, including a stab in back. He gets good plane on his fastball, throwing the pitch 89-91 mph. He did leave one up in the zone that was hit for a home run, but otherwise was effective with the pitch. 

Haworth’s secondary pitches are somewhat unique in that he throws both a changeup and splitter in addition to a curveball. His splitter showed the most potential, showing late dive down in the zone at 82-83 mph. His changeup and curveball, however, were both inconsistent in this outing. He threw his changeup 81-83 mph and curveball at 80-81 mph with 11-to-5 break, His curveball got loose at times and varied in shape, looking more slurvy when it had more tilt. 

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2017 21st-round pick Lukas Young threw in relief in the Low A game on our first day at the Twins complex. Young has an average frame with some projection remaining given that he was on the young side for a college draftee and will pitch most of this year at 21 years of age. Young sat 90-92 mph with his fastball and mixed in both a changeup at 83-85 mph and a curveball at 73-74 mph. His fastball showed some sink down in the zone, and he showed good feel for his changeup, throwing the pitch with deceptive arm speed. The pitch was especially effective against left-handed hitters, fading down and away from them. Young was assigned to Low A Greenville to start his first full season, and has had good results in his first couple appearances this young season.

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Left-hander Angel Padron has been in the system since 2015 and is making his full season debut with Greenville this year in what looks like a piggyback starter role. Padron is undersized, listed at 5-11, 170 pounds, but looks heavier than that and has minimal remaining projection. He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot with a high leg kick. His delivery has effort, including a long, slow stab behind. Padron’s mechanics seem to throw off hitters, allowing his stuff to get outs even though his velocity is below average. Padron sat 86-88 mph with his fastball and mixed in a changeup at 80 mph and curveball at 72-73 mph. Padron’s breaking ball was long and slurvy, while his changeup was inconsistent. 

Photo credit: Hunter Haworth, Lukas Young and Angel Padron by Kelly O'Connor 

Ian Cundall is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @IanCundall.

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