2023 Countdown to Spring Training: 60-56

We've made it through the bulk of the offseason and spring training is near! To celebrate the return of baseball, we'll be counting down by posting our scouting reports for the players on our Top 60 three times a week from February 13 until March 15—not coincidentally, the same day the SoxProspects brass arrive in Fort Myers for the start of games in minor league camp.  

#60: Victor Santos, RHP

Age: 22

2022 Teams: Portland and Worcester

2022 Stats: 145 IP, 4.97 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 126 K, 34 BB, 11% swinging strike rate

2023 Projected Level: Worcester

Scouting Report

Physical Description: Thick pitcher's frame. Filled out; no remaining projection.

Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Starts on the first base side of the rubber. Quick, medium-height leg kick with a long arm swing behind. Some effort in delivery. Repeats delivery well.

Fastball: 90-92 mph. Tops out at 93 mph. Primarily throws sinkers, but will mix in four-seamers also. Fastball velocity ticked up slightly early in 2021, but returned back to the 90-92 mph range as the season went on. Above-average control. Potential for above-average command. Lacks bat-missing ability, more designed to pitch to contact. Potential below-average offering.

Split-changeup: 82-84 mph. Throws with deceptive arm speed. Good separation from fastball. Pitch shows late dive. Potential average offering.

Slider: 83-86 mph. Long, horizontal breaking ball. Does not land it in the zone consistently. Potential average offering.

Career Notes: Acquired from the Phillies as the player-to-be-named-later in exchange for CJ Chatham. Last start for Phillies was (perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not) against Portland. Reaction from Phillies media was that Dave Dombrowski gave up way too much for a Triple-A depth infielder in Chatham by trading Santos. Was suspended for three games (pushing back his start by a day) in 2022 for his (unclear) role in a benches-clearing brawl. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB spring training in 2023.

Summation: Potential solid organizational starter. Ceiling of an emergency up-and-down depth arm. High floor/low ceiling. Potential for two average secondary pitches, but lack of fastball potential limits ceiling. Has solid feel for pitching and an advanced command profile. Will throw strikes, but lacks put-away stuff against minor league bats and will struggle even more against more advanced hitters.

#59: Reidis Sena, RHP

Age: 21

2022 Teams: Salem

2022 Stats: 21.1 IP, 5.91 ERA, 1.83 ERA, 21 K, 12 BB, 11% swinging strike rate

2023 Projected Level: Salem

Scouting Report

Physical Description: Small, undersized frame. Not very projectable due to his height. Sturdy lower half, some projection in his upper body.

Mechanics: Throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot. Medium leg kick, arm-heavy delivery with effort. Quick, strong arm. Delivery gets out of sync and he struggles to repeat it. Short arm loop behind his body. Hides the ball. Will drop his arm slot, does not always get over the ball.

Fastball: 94-96 mph. Tops out at 98 mph. Pitch has natural ride. Erratic control due in part to the movement he gets on it. Walks too many hitters and struggles to command in the zone. Potential plus offering with refined command.

Changeup: 90-92 mph. Shows surprisingly good feel for and confidence in the pitch. Will triple up on it at times and really features it against left-handed hitters. Pitch is inconsistent; will throw some good ones and some bad ones. Sometimes it looks like a fastball he took something off of. Average potential.

Slider: 83-86 mph. Short, vertical break. Lacks consistency. Does not consistently get over the pitch and will drop his arm slot and get on the side of the ball, causing him to yank it. Potential fringe-average offering.

Career Notes: Signed late in the 2018-19 signing period in December. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021. Missed the first two months of the 2022 season due to injury. Returned to the IL after leaving his July 6 start in the second inning and missed another month-and-a-half.

Summation: Potential minor league reliever. Ceiling of an up-and-down relief arm. Stuff over command-and-control type right now with a wide range of potential outcomes. Best suited for a bullpen role long-term due to his height and command profile, but will show enough raw stuff that you can dream on a major league future.

#58: Ryan Zeferjahn, RHP 

Age: 24

2022 Teams: Greenville and Portland

2022 Stats: 71.1 IP, 5.05 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 80 K, 33 BB, 12% swinging strike rate

2023 Projected Level: Portland

Scouting Report

Physical Description: Large pitcher's frame. Looks the part. Tall and filled out with a sturdy lower half.

Mechanics: Throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. Stiff delivery with considerable effort. Starts in the middle of the rubber and does not use a wind-up. Has a high leg kick and rocks back before coming forward. 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: 95-97 mph. Tops out at 98 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: 85-87 mph. 10-to-4 shape. Pitch will show depth and bite at its best when he really gets over it. Will bury it down and out of the zone when ahead in the count. Above-average potential.

Changeup: 81-83 mph. Throws with deceptive arm speed and has good separation from his fastball. Has splitter-like, late drop. Shows confidence in pitch. Uses primarily against left-handed hitters. Potential average offering.

Curveball: 76-78 mph. 12-to-6 shape. Average depth. Lacks bite. Viable pitch when sequenced correctly to steal a strike early in the count. Rarely thrown later in the count. Does not consistently get over it. Fringe-average potential.

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 the side on mechanics 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.

Summation: Potential up-and-down emergency reliever. Has the raw stuff to profile in a major league role, but command needs refinement and needs to find more consistency with his stuff from outing to outing. Delivery brings injury risk, but if he can stay healthy, he is another intriguing power arm with a legit fastball/breaking ball combination.

#57: Chase Shugart, RHP

Age: 26

2022 Teams: Portland and Worcester

2022 Stats: 62.2 IP, 5.31 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 63 K, 21 BB, 13% swinging strike rate

2023 Projected Level: Worcester

Scouting Report

Physical Description: Short, average frame. Athletic, quick feet. No remaining projection.

Mechanics: Throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot from the third base side of the rubber. Simple mechanics. Compact delivery with little wasted motion. High leg kick with no runners on base. With runners on, streamlines delivery with an abbreviated leg kick. Very quick arm. Has some effort in delivery.

Fastball: 93-96 mph. Tops out at 97 mph. Pitch lacks plane and straightens out up in the zone. Below-average life and does not miss as many bats as you would expect given the velocity. Fringe-average control, but below-average command profile. Potential average pitch with refined command.

Curveball: 77-79 mph. 12-to-6 shape. Has feel and confidence in the pitch. Willing to throw in any count to both right- and left-handed hitters. Shows tight rotation and depth when he snaps it off. Potential above-average offering.

Slider: 85-88 mph. Short, tight, 10-to-4 break. Looks cutterish at times. Pitch is more horizontal than his curveball, but shows some bite. Struggles to land in the zone consistently. Potential fringe-average offering.

Changeup: 88-90 mph. Inconsistent movement. Firm; looks like a fastball that he took something off of at times. Will show drop on occasion. Clear fourth pitch, only uses as a change of pace offering and to steal a strike. Limited bat-missing ability. Below-average potential.

Career Notes: Undrafted out of high school. Pitched out of the Texas bullpen for two college seasons before moving into the rotation for his junior season. Stuff unexpectedly ticked way up after signing in 2018, likely surprising even the organization, but only pitched in short stints after increased spring workload and Texas' run to the College World Series. Suspended for 50 games at the outset of the 2019 season for a second failed drug test. Participated in the Fall Instructional League in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Underwent a procedure on his knee in roughly May 2020. While he did not miss time because of the procedure due to the canceled season, he did not pitch at Fall Instructs as a result. Participated in the 2022 Winter Warm-Up. Moved into a bullpen role in 2022. Pitched briefly in the Dominican Republic in the 2022-23 offseason but was released early on to make room for other players on the roster. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB spring training in 2023.

Summation: Projects as a solid organizational depth arm. Ceiling of an emergency major league depth reliever. Fastball and curveball show the most potential in arsenal. Athletic and repeats delivery well, but lacks consistency and may not miss many bats against major league hitters.

#56: Daniel McElveny, C 

Age: 19

2022 Teams: FCL and Salem

2022 Stats: 178 PA, .206/.376/.338, 20.2% BB, 30.9% K

2023 Projected Level: Salem

Scouting Report

Physical Description: Athletic, average frame. Needs to add strength and physically mature.

Hit: Starts square with his hands high. Slight leg lift. Loose hands. Compact, level swing. Strong feel for hit. Rarely chases and works deep counts. Has shown the ability to hit fastballs, but struggles against secondary pitches. Potential for above-average plate discipline. Swing-and-miss in his game is mainly in the zone and because he is passive and often gets in deep counts. Potential average hit tool.

Power: Gap-to-gap power right now. Can create backspin, but needs to add strength to tap into his power. Fringe-average max exit velocities for his age. Below-average power potential.

Run: Average speed. Solid baserunning instincts.

Field: Athletic behind the plate. Still a work in progress with his receiving and ability to block balls in the dirt. Moved to catcher during the 2021 Fall Performance Program. Played both infield and outfield in high school.

Arm: Average arm strength.

Career Notes: Committed to San Diego State. Went to high school less than two miles from 2021 first-round pick Marcelo Meyer's high school. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021, where he began working at catcher. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian.

Summation: Drafted as a hitter without a clear defensive home, appears to have taken to catching. Has some feel on both sides of the ball, but a long way to go developmentally. Lacks a standout tool, but does not really have a tool that is lacking either. Competitive, smart player. Will work hard to get the most out of his ability.

Note: This page will be updated with a complete scouting report after the scouting team has seen the player in person.

Photo Credit: Victor Santos, Ryan Zeferjahn and Daniel McElveny by Kelly O'Connor.

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

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