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Direct Links to Individual Player Reports

Luke Jackson Rougned Odor Matt Wisler
Clinton Hollon


Luke Jackson

RHP

Texas Rangers

DOB:

Height: 6’2’’

Bats: Right

MLB ETA: 2015

Weight: 185

Throws: Right

Current Team: Double-A Frisco

Date(s) Seen: 07/13/2013

Date Filed: 08/08/2013

Have Video? Yes

How Acquired: Supp 1st; 2010

Filed By: Jason Parks

Mechanics

High 3/4 slot; delivery has some effort; rocks back and explodes with a long stride; execution requires perfect timing/balance; offers good deception with loud moving parts; breaks hands behind big leg lift; struggles to get over high front side

#1 Pitch

Fastball is easy plus pitch; worked 92-96; touched 97; good angle but lacked big movement; command component is below average; shows some control but doesn’t spot the pitch well; tendency to miss arm-side and up; big arm strength; held velocity during start; 95 mph whenever he needs it.

Grade: High 6 Present/ 7 Future

#2 Pitch

Curveball was average offering; would flash plus potential; good shape (11/5) ; 80-82 mph; comfortable with offering but break would get long and easy to track; showed a few at 82 with sharper two-plane break; I don’t see a consistent plus pitch; it’s good but not major-league good.

Grade: 5 Present/High 5 Future

#3 Pitch

Changeup worked 82-84; good sink; liked the pitch more than curveball; maintained fast arm; had every positive characteristic: deception/action/velo separation/location; would like to see pitch used more; bad swings on offering; I like it; plus pitch with more consistency and confidence.

Grade: 5 Present/6 Future

Other

Showed a slider at 84-86 mph; more cutter-like with late-glove-side movement; didn’t have much tilt; limited looks; could be a good short-burst offering; average at present; projectable.

Command profile is fringe; delivery is timing heavy and has to be in rhythm to work; made good in-game adjustments and worked well with runners on; 1.3 to plate with FB; 1.4 on secondaries; held velocity from stretch w/ runners; stayed in the game when he struggled; a competitor; attacked hitters and wasn’t afraid to work inside or back them off; shows high baseball IQ.

Overall

Big arm strength/fast arm with some effort in delivery; fastball is big offering but lacks much movement; command is fringe at best; curveball is average with a little more in it; changeup was my favorite pitch in the arsenal; decent short slider in the mix; reliever profile for me, but impact potential arm; has mentality and approach for late-innings/high-leverage; command profile/delivery the roadblock for the rotation; major-league pitcher regardless of the future role.

OFP Grade: Role 5; set-up reliever

Risk Factor: Low risk

***

Rougned Odor

2B

Texas Rangers

DOB: 02/03/1994

Height: 5’11”

Bats: L

MLB ETA: 2014

Weight: 170

Throws: R

Current Team: Double-A Frisco

Date(s) Seen: 07/08-11/2013 (High-A)

Date Filed: 08/08/2013

Have Video? Yes

How Acquired: International free agent; VZ; 2011

Filed By: Jason Cole

Physical/Health

Listed height/weight appears to be from signing in 2011; height may be an inch generous and weight may be slightly low; well built with good athleticism and a very strong core; minimal injury history and body should be durable going forward.

Hit Tool

Potential .300 hitter at major-league level; high-contact profile with mature overall approach and pitch-recognition skills; compact lefty stroke with line-drive ability to all fields; hands/wrists are quick and strong; aggressive on pitches within the zone; can get overaggressive and expand at times; should have enough feel to tighten approach and increase walk rate as he matures; flashed ability to make adjustments in this look; was lunging at the ball/selling out for power during BP in first two games, and carried over into game action; made adjustment and stayed back/more balanced in both BP and game in final two.

Grade: Present 60/Future 70

Power

Future fringe-avg power profile; packs plenty of strength into smallish frame; couples it with quick/strong hands and some leverage in swing; will sell out for power at times; shows gap punch to all fields with some pull-side HR pop; should develop into high-doubles hitter with approx. 15 HR annually.

Grade: Present 40/Future 45

Glove

Range at 2B is easily plus; advanced defender for age with soft hands; good athlete who moves around well; instincts/reads/quickness of feet are very good; showed youth by forcing the occasional throw after making a rangy stop up middle; mature look overall; has the tools and instincts to handle SS if needed, with a fringe to avg defensive profile there.

Grade: Present 50/Future 60

Arm

Plenty of strength for 2B; mechanically sound and under control when throwing from second; have seen him sling the ball with low arm slot from shortstop, leading to wild throws; has enough arm strength to handle left side of infield if needed.

Grade: Present 50/Future 50

Baserunning/Speed

Will flash plus times from left side; saw 4.13 home-to-first on DP ball; most times 4.15 to 4.25; speed likely to take a step back as body matures/thickens a bit down the line, but should remain at least average; quick out of box; good instincts enable speed to play up; aggressive on bases; isn’t a burner but stole 27/35 in 99 High-A games.

Grade: Present 55/Future 50

Other

Excellent #want; hard-nosed style and an intense competitor; plays the game with confidence and a touch of swagger; kind of player you hate if you’re against but love to have on your team.

Overall

Odor features a solid across-the-board package with a carrying hit tool; he’s a potential .300 hitter with some pop, a good glove, and decent speed. His instincts and mature skill set should enable his raw tools to play at full utility at the highest level. He could reach the majors in mid-to-late 2014. For me, Odor is a no-doubt big leaguer in some form. The moderate risk factor applies to him being a potential first-division regular. Texas is currently stacked at 2B/SS right now, but I think Odor could handle a Martin Prado-type role with a little more speed and athletic ability.

OFP: 60; first-division regular

Risk Factor: Moderate

***

Matt Wisler

RHP

San Diego Padres

DOB: 09/12/1992

Height: 6’3”

Bats: R

MLB ETA: 2014

Weight: 195

Throws: R

Current Team: Double-A San Antonio

Date(s) Seen: 06/10/2013

Date Filed: 08/08/2013

Have Video? Yes

How Acquired: 7th round; 2011

Filed By: Jason Cole

Mechanics

3/4 arm slot; some effort/rigidity to delivery; head jerk at release; appears to be a good athlete; repeats relatively well despite the noise; creates some deception with it; generally maintains direction to plate but can overthrow and pull off-line on occasion; very good arm speed; lacks downward plane out of delivery; struggles to get on top at times, causing stuff to flatten.

#1 Pitch

Fastball, Velocity: 91-96 mph, sit 92-94. Command: below average present, future average. Movement: Excellent arm-side life with occasional sink. Notes: fastball has easily plus life when he gets on top, but can straighten and flatten when he’s on the side; lacks plane so late movement/life will be important; maintained velo well through five-inning start, reaching 94-95 late; control shouldn’t be an issue; within-the-zone command lags behind; cleaning up delivery would help command profile.

Grade: Present 60/Future 60

#2 Pitch

Slider, Velocity: 82-86 mph. Command: below average present, future average. Movement: True two-plane slider shape with horizontal break and very good late depth. Notes: future plus offering that will miss bats at highest level; shows ability to manipulate velo and break; has feel for locating/working in and out of zone; inconsistent overall; can loosen and flatten when he doesn’t get on top; flashes plus with late snap when he does; FB/SL combo has potential to eat up righties; didn’t seem entirely comfortable with it vs. LHH.

Grade: Present 50/Future 60

#3 Pitch

Changeup, Velocity: 85-86 mph. Command: below average present, future average. Movement: Plus fade and sink. Notes: Third pitch at present, but shows potential; would like to see him use it more often; command of offering not as developed as other pitches; on the hard side but creates deception by repeating fastball arm slot/speed with it; very good movement to pitch; used primarily to lefties but will flash to righties; should be at least average once he refines command/gets more comfortable with it.

Grade: Present 45/Future 55

Other

Also has 74-77 mph curveball but threw only twice in this start; on the loose side but good depth; works as fourth offering/second breaking ball; flashes four usable pitches for strikes with at least two future pluses; still very young; shows impressive feel for pitchability given his age, though mound presence needs maturing.

Grade: Present 40/Future 50

Overall

Wisler profiles as a mid-rotation arm who throws strikes with a four-pitch mix. He’ll need to refine his delivery, secondaries, and command, but he’s also just a 20-year-old in Double-A, so there’s no rush or cause for concern. I see a guy who misses more MLB barrels than bats but still posts a respectable K rate given plus velo and SL. I saw him touch 98 mph in short bursts in spring training, and for me, his floor is as a late-inning relief arm who can dominate RHH with the fastball/slider combo. That’s a last resort, though, and unless health becomes a factor, I don’t think sticking in a SP role will be an issue.

OFP: 60; no. 3 starter

Risk Factor: Moderate

***

Clinton Hollon

RHP

Toronto Blue Jays

DOB 12/24/1994

Height 6’1”

Bats R

MLB ETA 2017

Weight 191

Throws R

Current Team GCL Blue Jays

Date(s) Seen 7/31/2013, 8/6/2013

Date Filed 8/8/2013

Have Video? No

How Acquired Drafted 2nd round; 2013 Toronto Blue Jays

Filed By Chris King

Mechanics

High ¾ slot; fluid and repeatable delivery with some effort; somewhat high leg kick; lands with good balance and square to the plate.

#1 Pitch

Fastball, Velocity: 91-94 (T 95). Command: above average. Movement: some life and does a good job staying on top to generate some downward plane. Notes: Showed the ability to move the pitch up and down, side to side with command intact. Grade: Present 60/Future 65

#2 Pitch

Slider, Velocity: 86-87. Command: average. Movement: sharp horizontal break. Notes: shows a good feel for this pitch; will throw it to both the front and back door; generates swing and misses; good strikeout pitch, especially against right-handed batters. Grade: Present 50/Future 60

#3 Pitch

Knuckle-curve, Velocity: 78-83. Command: average. Movement: slow spin 12-6 break. Notes: his ability to throw for strikes allows him to throw it in any count. Mixes it in more frequently against lefties but can be effective to both. Grade: Present 45/Future 60

Other

Changeup, Velocity: 83-86. Command: fringe-average. Movement: some fade with depth, but not consistently. Notes: good velocity ratio to his fastball; still developing a real feel for the pitch; has flashed signs of an above-average pitch, but not there yet to be considered average. Grade: Present 40/Future 50

Overall

Hollon doesn’t have the ideal size you look for in a starter, but he has the pitches to do it. There were some pre-draft elbow issues that seem to be behind him now. He possesses a decent four-pitch arsenal that will only get better with more seasoning and growth. His style and mound presence will allow him some role flexibility down the road. He has a plan of attack that looks to be pretty advanced for his age and he executes that plan well. Developing the changeup into a legitimate offering will be key to his future role with the organization.

OFP: high-5; solid closer/no.3 starter

Risk Factor: High

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nolansdad
8/09
He doesn't play for my team's organization, but I like Odor a lot.

Saw his one game in Everett two years ago and he was noticeably the best player on the field even though he was younger than almost everyone there by 3-4 years. He made at least 2 great defensive plays, took a heads up extra base and hit a grand slam in that game, all while displaying a massive amount of #want and swagger.

#OdorEnvy
Rockshu
8/09
Great article as always. Really enjoyed the information on Hollon. Good to see the stuff is still there despite the previous arm issues. Hope they're a thing of the past, but the effort in his delivery does give me some pause.
mhmosher
8/09
I have to think at some point, Texas is going to have to trade from their surplus in the middle infield. They have nowhere to play those guys.
jivas21
8/09
I'd been looking for more info on Matt Wisler - thank you for the detailed write-up.

Any thought as to his ETA - perhaps mid-2014?
jivas21
8/09
Oops - pardon me - just saw the "ETA" field in the write-up. I'll show myself the door.
LoneStarDugout
8/09
Yeah, mid-to-late 2014 was my thought, although it wouldn't kill them if he spends all of next season in the minors. Have to think he gets a look at some point next year unless something goes seriously wrong, though.
boards
8/09
Saw Wisler pitch last night and he was clearly dominating the Arkansas lineup. I noticed he came out after five innings and only 67 pitches. Looking at his milb stat card, he is only going 5 or 6 every time out. Any word on an extremely low pitch count or is he having workload issues?
LoneStarDugout
8/09
Padres tend to be pretty cautious with pitch counts on their younger starting pitchers, so I don't think it's any more than an organizational philosophy.
MonkeyEpoxy
8/09
Man, last year it was the changeup holding Jackson back from being a starter, this year it's the curveball. Pitchers are weird, but late-inning arms with a big fastball, nice change, and curve that can be there are fun too
MonkeyEpoxy
8/09
followup: what has to happen for the Jackson's profile to shift over to mid rotation starting pitcher? a big jump in command?
MonkeyEpoxy
8/09
derp, saw that this was answered already.
nerck93
8/09
If Luke Jackson just used his windup from the stretch would it most likely improve his timing/consistency?
thelifeofbennyfg
8/11
Please, somebody tell me how to pronounce "Rougned" - is it like Roh-ned? Rog-ned? Ruffen'd?
dethwurm
8/11
I believe "ROOG-ned".
LoneStarDugout
8/11
Yep, you're correct. Everybody typically calls him "Roogie."
bluejaysplus
8/11
I think it bears mentioning in regards to Hollon that he signed well below slot after being taken in the 2nd round because of issues with his UCL. While he's pitching already in the GCL (and doing rather well), I'd have to suspect he definitely has TJ in his future.

Not saying that kills him as a prospect, but i think it should be known.