March 12, 2022 at 8:00 AM
Scouting Report Updates: 55-60 in the SoxProspects Rankings
For the last few months, we've been updating the scouting reports of many players in the system. Over the next few weeks, we will highlight these updated reports. Today's update focuses on the players ranked 55-60 (58th ranked prospect Wyatt Olds was featured in an earlier update) in the current SoxProspects Rankings. These scouting reports are written by Director of Scouting Ian Cundall.
Physical Description: Loose, athletic right-hander with room to add strength. Has already grown since signing and should continue to grow.
Mechanics: Very loose delivery with an easy arm action.
Fastball: 89-91 mph. Tops out in the low-90s. Needs to add velocity. Advanced control for someone his age, but command needs work.
Curveball: 77-79 mph. Good feel for the pitch and ability to spin it. Gets over the ball and can snap it off. Has shown the ability to throw pitch for strikes.
Changeup: 83-86 mph. On the firmer side, but has shown advanced ability to command the pitch for his age.
Slider: Reportedly also has a slider for which he has shown some feel.
Career Notes: Signed with the Royals for $147,500 when he turned 16 on July 6, 2018. Primarily played shortstop growing up, but converted to pitching shortly before signing. Was acquired as a player-to-be-named-later in the Andrew Benintendi trade. 2021 numbers are skewed heavily by a single, terrible outing (0.2 IP, 6 ER), as well as about a month missed at least in part due to rainouts on his scheduled starts.
Summation: Intriguing arm with advanced feel for pitching for his age. Present stuff is on the pedestrian side. Is athletic with a fresh arm and has physical projection. Already shows a four-pitch mix with solid feel for his secondaries. Needs to add velocity, but has the athleticism teams look for in a pitcher.
Note: This page will be updated with a scouting report after the scouting team has seen the player in person.
Physical Description: Tall, sturdy frame. Filled out, minimal remaining projection.
Hit: Starts in a closed stance and utilizes a leg kick. Good plate coverage. All-fields approach. Likes the ball out over the plate so he can get extended and work to right-center field. Aggressive, looking to swing. Approach needs refinement, struggles recognizing off-speed pitches at times and will extend zone. At times has shown a willingness to take a walk, but has gotten more aggressive as he has moved up the system. Far too much swing-and-miss in his game. Potential below-average hit tool.
Power: Will show above-average raw power in batting practice to all fields. Over-the-fence game power, has not really shown yet, but given his swing and strength, could come eventually if he can show the ability to make consistent contact.
Arm: Fringe-average arm strength. Has a quick release, but throws lack zip and carry.
Field: Soft hands, average receiver. Struggles somewhat when he has to move laterally and block balls in the dirt. Needs to do a better job of corralling pitches in the dirt. Potential fringe-average defender.
Run: Well below-average speed. Not a part of his game.
Career Notes: Wears the number 13 because he has undergone 13 surgeries around his right eye since childhood for a condition called congenital melanocytic nevus, essentially a birthmark surrounding his eye. Also played first base at Kentucky. Played for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League in 2017. In 2018, was a semi-finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy awarded to the top player in collegiate baseball. 2018 season ended due to a torn meniscus in his knee that required surgery, which also kept him out of the Fall Instructional League. Played in the Battle of the Bourbon Trail for the Lexington Leyendas in 2020 after the season was cancelled. Participated in the 2019 and 2020 Fall Instructional Leagues. Participated in 2022 Winter Warm-Up.
Summation: Potential organizational depth catcher with the ceiling of an emergency role player capable of playing catcher and first base. Offensive tools are ahead of defense at this point, but should be able to stick at catcher at least in a partial role. If he can make enough contact, could be able to find enough defensive versatility to be a useful organizational depth player.
Physical Description: Looks taller than listed height. Has grown significantly since signing. Strong, large frame. Somewhat stiff and will have to watch body as he gets older. Mature frame with no remaining projection.
Hit: Starts open and vertical with his hands high. Starts on front toe and never leaves ground, utilizing toe tap. Short stride, lot of upper body in swing. Long, rotational swing. Has a hole on the inner half; likes to get arms extended. Fringe-average bat speed. Below-average plate discipline. Pitch recognition is a work in progress. Lot of swing-and-miss in his game even if his strikeout numbers do not reflect that. Struggles with identifying secondary offerings. Potential below-average hit tool.
Power: Plus raw power. Power comes mostly from strength. Has re-tooled in-game swing to generate more loft, but over-aggressive approach causes him to make too much weak contact. Still could stand to do a better job incorporating his lower half into his swing to tap into power in-game, especially against more advanced pitching. Prior to the second half of 2019, had a stark disconnect between his raw and in-game power, hitting far too many balls on the ground with a level swing that failed to generate any loft.
Run: Well below-average runner. Smart on the bases; will score from first on a double despite lack of speed. Takes very large leads.
Field: Stiff. Minimal range. First base-only profile. Uses height to his advantage, getting good extension when stretching for throws. Shows good hands picking throws from the dirt. Has played some left field but does not project well there. Played corner outfield exclusively anyway in 2021 as organization attempted to create a path for him to the major leagues. Potential average defender at first base and below-average defender in the outfield.
Arm: Fringe-average arm strength.
Career Notes: Excelled against DSL competition in 2016, when he was much more physically mature than most of the rest of the league. Missed time with a back injury in 2018. Participated in the Fall Instructional League in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Summation: Potential bat-first organizational player. Power output has improved, but bat still projects as light for first base and will be constantly tested by more advanced pitching. Below-average defensive profile limits him to first base or left field, so will have to hit for average and power to have a chance to reach the big leagues.
Physical Description: Tall, thin frame with lots of remaining projection. Needs to add strength, but has the frame to fill out as he matures. Athletic.
Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. High leg kick prior to delivery. Quick, compact delivery. Short arm action.
Fastball: 93-95 mph. Has topped out in the high-90s already. Pitch shows sink. Needs to improve control.
Changeup: 85-87 mph. Plays well given his arm action, which allows him to push it and turn it over. Shows some feel already. Will already flash plus potential.
Curveball: 80-82 mph. Work in progress. Does not consistently snap it off. Has also thrown what appears to be a slider in his early career, but it is unclear if it is a separate pitch or occurs when he loses his arm slot and gets more on the side of the curveball.
Career Notes: Participated in 2020 Fall Instructional league. Was removed after walking two hitters on August 6, 2021 and did not pitch for the rest of the 2021 season. Was included on the roster for the 2021 Fall Instructional League, but it is unclear how much he participated.
Summation: Very intriguing arm with impressive present velocity. His development could take time, but the payoff could be substantial. High-ceiling, low-floor arm. Has already shown velocity and could add more. Has a projectable frame and a workable delivery. Secondaries need development, but will show some feel for both, especially his changeup. Command and control also need development. Very competitive.
Note: This page will be updated with a scouting report after the scouting team has seen the player in person.
Physical Description: Tall, projectable lanky frame. Athletic with the type of physical projection you look for in a prospect.
Hit: Short, linear swing. Makes a lot of contact and has shown strong bat-to-ball skills. Above-average bat speed. Makes a lot of contact on the ground. Pull-heavy approach at present. Passive at the plate, taking a lot of pitches, but also will expand the zone and struggles to recognize spin.
Power: Fringe-average raw power at present. Should grow into more raw power as he physically matures and gets stronger. Will need to add some loft to his swing in order to reach his power potential.
Run: Average speed.
Field: Routes and reads need work. Profiles best in an outfield corner.
Arm: Average arm strength.
Career Notes: Received Boston's highest bonus in its 2019-2020 international class. Participated in 2020 Fall Instructional League. Split time between center and right field in DSL debut while sharing those positions with Jhostynxon Garcia.
Summation: Raw, physically projectable outfielder. Does not have a strong defensive profile, so there is a lot of pressure on his bat to develop. Wide gap between what he is now and could be in the future. Has the type of frame you look for when projecting future development.
Note: This page will be updated with a scouting report after the scouting team has seen the player in person.
Photo Credit: Luis De La Rosa, Kole Cottam and Pedro Castellanos by Kelly O'Connor, Nathanael Cruz by Bryan Green and Juan Chacon courtesy of the player.
Ian Cundall is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @IanCundall.