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Max Scherzer

Born: 07/27/1984 (Age: 29)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6-3 Weight: 220

Mechanics
Low 3/4 arm slot; hands above head to core section as high leg kick meets; good balance and momentum to the plate; small drop-and-drive as back leg stays loaded; explodes towards home with long stride and slight crossfire; hips and shoulders work just out of unison as shoulders work to become parallel with home; bend at the waist and chest over front knee extreme at the point of delivery; small leg "kick" with front foot right before foot strike creating deception; slight head jerk at foot strike; back elbow can get offline and high at times; release point will vary causing him to pull pitches at times.


Evaluator CJ Wittmann
Report Date 10/10/2014
Arm Angle Low 3/4
Windup Fluid
Rubber 3rd side
Present Role Years expected to
perform at current level
Future
8; Ace 3 6; mid-rotation starter

Pitch Type Present Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
Fastball 70 93-96 98 Arm-side life; lacks huge plane; likes to start off plate and work back; plus command; will throw inside to LHH/RHH.

Thrown ~55%; ~9.5% whiff rate.

Changeup 70 82-85 86 Arm-side fade with vertical drop; comes from same arm slot and arm speed; huge deception in pitch; loves to feed it away to LHH and work down; can get away with elevating because of deception and movement.

Thrown ~21%; primary secondary weapon to LHH.

Slider 60 84-87 88 Tight spin; hard bite with tilt; will work in to LHH, away to RHH; loves to bury it away to RHH; will start at hip of RHH and work inside.

Thrown ~14%; primary secondary weapon to RHH.

Curveball 55 77-79 80 Tight spin with good shape; arm slot does not allow to get truly on top; likes to use as a chase pitch for LHH/RHH; 11-5 type break.

Thrown ~10%; used more to RHH than LHH.

Pitch Usage*
vs LHH vs RHH
FA CH CU SL SI FA SL CH CU SI
Usage 55.56% 27.85% 14.49% 1.55% 0.55% 53.73% 32.42% 10.34% 3.45% 0.07%
Strike 67.84% 66.12% 55.66% 47.06% 50.00% 69.11% 68.55% 65.99% 63.27% 100.00%
Swing / Miss 10.01% 16.53% 7.23% 14.71% 0.00% 11.26% 22.56% 12.24% 16.33% 0.00%

* Only showing top 5 pitches by pitch count. Stats are for the 2014 season

Approach

No true pitch tendencies as the game progresses; throws his pitches same percentages at any time.

Tendencies v. LHH:
– will throw the changeup between 20% to 40% of the time.
– with two strikes, 0-0, and ahead in the count, he will throw the slider/curve 20%, otherwise he will stay away from throwing them

RHH:
– will throw his slider 30% to 50% of the time except on 3-1 and 3-0 counts where he goes mainly to his fastball.
– will use his change 10% of the time when ahead in the count

Makeup

Plus makeup; keeps composure but knows when to show emotion; have heard raves of work ethic.

Strengths

His whole pitch arsenal is a strength.

Effective pitching inside; working down in the zone with all of his pitches.

Plus command profile.

Rises to the occasion and pitches off momentum.

Weaknesses

Mechanics can become inconsistent and pitch location can get loose.

Fastball lacks ideal plane and can get hit if elevated.

Means of Exploitation

Work deep counts and make him elevate.

Capitalize on mistakes because he doesn't make many.

Overall

Max Scherzer is one of the game's elite starters. He has the arsenal of a double-plus fastball/change combo, a plus slider and solid-average curveball. These pitches, along with a plus command profile and the art of knowing how to pitch and execute, are what make Scherzer so good. Not to mention they are the reasons why he is in line for a huge payday coming up. Look for him to stay in the game's elite for a few more years then in the latter stages of his career to become a mid-rotation, valuable starter.


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Marcgiz
10/30
"Make up" left out "smart." Lots of reports here in Detroit about his knowledge of the numbers and the "work ethic" includes studying in depth the hitters' numbers for weaknesses.
mmcma007
10/30
if he was born 7/27/84 he would be 30 not 29