 |
|
| Born: 10/07/1991 (Age: 23) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 205 |
| Mechanics |
| Low 3/4 right-handed pitcher with above-average arm speed. Side windup; medium pace. Effort in delivery; some stiffness and slingy arm action; finishes on a stiff front leg and loses release point. Deceptive front side and hides ball. |
| Evaluator | Al Skorupa |
| Report Date | 06/04/2015 |
| Affiliate | Indianapolis Indians (AAA, Pirates) |
| Dates Seen | 05-12-2015 |
| OFP/Risk | 50/Low |
| Realistic | 45; No. 5 Starting Pitcher |
| MLB ETA | 2016 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 45 | 55 | 90-93 | 94 | Tail and sink; average life; more sink when thrown low; sometimes turns over and cuts to glove side. Below-average command; but works in and out; throws to both sides of plate. Fastball most effective down. |
| Slider | 45 | 50 | 84-86 | 10-4 shallow depth; varies between slurve and cutting action. Complements FB well; good for inducing groundballs. Above-average feel and command; pitches with SL. | |
| Changeup | 40 | 45 | 84-88 | Sinking change; firm with below average life. Thrown with good arm speed. Fringe average command; inconsistent feel. Not enough velo separation from FB. Clear third offering. |
| Overall |
|
45; No. 5 Starting Pitcher in sinker/slider mold. Some arm strength and sink, but no out pitch, below average command and his offspeed lags behind other pitches. |
 |
|
| Born: 05/21/1993 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 4" | Weight: 205 |
| Mechanics |
| 3/4 right-hander with plus arm speed; free-and-easy arm action but somewhat compact extension. Sidestep windup. Deceptive front side but flashes ball behind him with hip slap pickup leading to slight stab; small head jerk as he releases; recovers well and repeats relatively well anyway; excellent athlete. |
| Evaluator | Al Skorupa |
| Report Date | 06/04/2015 |
| Affiliate | Harrisburg Senators (AA, Nationals) |
| Dates Seen | 05-06-2015 |
| OFP/Risk | 55/Medium |
| Realistic | 50; No. 4 Starting Pitcher |
| MLB ETA | Late 2016 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 50 | 60 | 89-93 | 94 | Two-seam and four-seam. Plus life; sink and tail; misses bats in any quadrant and up. 45 command; sometimes finishes up on a stiff front leg and FB rides up and over the plate. Pitch as raw stuff grades out higher (65+), but plays down because of command and pitchability issues; doesn’t attack hitters. Reluctant to pitch inside; nibbles. |
| Slider | 45 | 55 | 80-87 | 11-5 shallow slurve; inconsistent spin. Plus feel and average command; plays with depth; can shorten up to throw for strikes and also will throw as chase when ahead. | |
| Changeup | 45 | 55 | 82-86 | Circle change; above average life. Average feel and thrown with good arm speed. Not enough separation from FB velo band. |
| Overall |
|
50; No. 4 Starting Pitcher. Three above-average pitches but command, pitchability and consistency limit effectiveness. |
 |
|
| Born: 02/20/1991 (Age: 24) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 4" | Weight: 225 |
| Mechanics |
| 3/4 right-handed pitch, above-average arm speed; somewhat stiff, compact arm action. Uptempo delivery from side windup; high leg lift, slightly hunched torso, hand break at numbers; deceptive front side; flashes ball in back. Throws with effort; releases with head jerk and falls off to first base side. Doesn't repeat delivery well; not athletic; release point drifts up. Big, durable frame and good size, but doesn't keep the ball down or pitch with plane consistently. Doesn't hold runners well. |
| Evaluator | Al Skorupa |
| Report Date | 06/16/2015 |
| Affiliate | Toledo Mud Hens (AAA, Tigers) |
| Dates Seen | 02-20-1991 |
| OFP/Risk | 45/Low |
| Realistic | 40; #5 Starting Pitcher or Middle Reliever |
| MLB ETA | 2015 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 45 | 45 | 90-93 | 94 | Tail and some sink; fringe-average movement. FB doesn't miss bats consistently, but will induce swings and misses when elevated. Below-average command, misses target regularly; reluctant to pitch inside. FB often straightens out and rides up. |
| Slider | 50 | 55 | 80-84 | 11-5 slurve; fringe-average movement; inconsistent depth and spin. Plus feel; throws for strikes; locates back door to RHH; locates low and away as a chase pitch. | |
| Changeup | 60 | 60 | 83-86 | Big sinking action and some fade; plus action; sometimes too firm but thrown with good arm speed and deception. Plus feel and throws for strikes both behind and ahead in the count. Misses bats. Utilizes against both LHH & RHH. Good complement to FB. |
| Overall |
|
40; #5 Starting Pitcher or Middle Reliever. Farmer is a durable back-end starter with two above-average to plus secondaries. His fastball is thrown with plus velo, but lacks life and is thrown with below average command in large part due to some bullpen mechanical traits. Farmer can be useful in the back of a rotation and can also handle the middle innings as a reliever. |
 |
|
| Born: 03/15/1991 (Age: ) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 3" | Weight: 210 |
| Primary Position: CF | |
| Secondary Position: RF | |
| Physical/Health |
| Well-proportioned, athletic frame; high waist and butt; long legs and long arms. |
| Evaluator | Al Skorupa |
| Report Date | 07/05/2015 |
| Dates Seen | 06-08-2015; 06-10-2015 |
| Affiliate | Charlotte Knights (AAA, White Sox) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2016 | Medium | 40 | 40; fourth Outfielder | No |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 30 | Above-average bat speed. Leg kick; loads hands tight; long levers; long path to the ball. Slight uppercut; often loopy bat path. Poor idea of the strike zone; expands zone and will chase in all directions. Doesn’t track pitches well. Doesn’t recognize spin or soft stuff. Swing and miss in all quadrants, all offerings. Overly passive approach; will take a walk but no real plan of attack. |
| Power | 45 | 60 raw; hit tool limits utility of power. Home run power; power best to pull side. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 55 | Above-average speed. Speed plays on basepaths; will steal 15-20 bases but will get caught five times. Will take extra base. |
| Glove | 50 | Average range; covers ground well. Average reads and jumps with fringe average routes. |
| Arm | 50 | Average arm strength. Average accuracy |
| Overall |
|
40; fourth Outfielder. Will not hit for average, but capable of playing all three outfield spots with sporadic power while providing speed and base stealing off the bench. |
 |
|
| Born: 11/15/1992 (Age: ) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 180 |
| Primary Position: SS | |
| Secondary Position: 2B | |
| Physical/Health |
| Medium, well-proportioned build. Filled-in; physically mature with solid muscle definition. |
| Evaluator | Al Skorupa |
| Report Date | 07/05/2015 |
| Dates Seen | 05-05-2015; 05-06-2015; 05-15-2015; 06-17-2015; 06 |
| Affiliate | New Britain Rock Cats (AA, Twins) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2017 | Medium | 50 | 50; second-division shortstop | No |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 40 | Plus bat speed. Even stance; loads hands deep leading to moderately stiff lead; leg kick, creates good lag with upper body; patient with hands; quick hands explode through the zone but sometimes moves hands back and up slightly after load; minor hitch; correctable. Line drive swing plane; will at times sell out, drop his back side and uppercut. Generally selective hitter but inconsistent approach; will work the count and look for pitches he can drive, goal at the plate is extra base hits. Will hit outside pitches the other way but mostly works to pull side. Will chase in hitter’s counts; doesn’t recognize spin well; vulnerable to soft and spin away when he becomes too pull oriented. Vulnerable to fastballs on his hands. Good amount of swing and miss in the zone because he takes big cuts; two-strike approach lacking. |
| Power | 50 | 60 raw. Hit tool limits game power. Big home run power to pull side; drives gap straight away and oppo. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 55 | Above-average foot speed; better underway; finishes swings with commitment, often slow out of the box. Smart baserunner; will take the extra base consistently. Will steal 15-20 bases. |
| Glove | 45 | Plus athlete. Slow first step; below average reactions; fringe-average range. Footwork and actions below average; doesn’t move well to hole side. Average hands. |
| Arm | 50 | Average arm strength. Average accuracy. Quick release. |
| Overall |
|
50; second-division shortstop. Story fits the new mold of bat-first shortstops with fringy defense (ie. Jed Lowrie). |
 |
|
| Born: 05/25/1994 (Age: 21) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 185 |
| Primary Position: UT | |
| Secondary Position: SS | |
| Physical/Health |
| Medium, well-proportioned build. Flat chest; sloped shoulders; average waist and legs. Room for 5-10 pounds of muscle. |
| Evaluator | Al Skorupa |
| Report Date | 07/07/2015 |
| Dates Seen | 06-24-2015; 06-24-2015 |
| Affiliate | Staten Island Yankees (Short Season, Yankees) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2020 | High | 40 | 30; Up/Down/Emergency Utility Infielder | No |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 30 | Below-average bat speed. Even stance with wide base; small leg kick. Drifts forward. Loads deep; stiff lead; wraps hands behind him. Flat swing plane; slap hitter; sometimes loopy bat path. Average strike zone discipline; patient approach, but often overly passive; takes pitches early in the count but will expand zone all directions. Well below-average pitch recognition; doesn’t see spin or soft stuff; doesn’t track pitches well; will chase breaking balls in the dirt. Cannot catch up to good velocity; vulnerable to fastballs inside. Doesn’t make in-at-bat adjustments. Poor at-bats against same handed pitching. |
| Power | 20 | 30 raw. Slap hitter with flat swing plane; does not drive the ball with any consistency. Well below-average strength. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 45 | 50 speed; slow out of the box. Average baserunner. Will steal 5-7 bases, but basestealing reads and jumps below average. |
| Glove | 55 | Plus range; above-average shortstop actions. Below-average mobility, actions and footwork to hole side. Plus hands; quick and loose. Infield clock below average; rushes plays. |
| Arm | 60 | Plus arm strength. Plus accuracy. Quick transfer and release. |
| Overall |
|
30; Up/Down/Emergency Utility Infielder. Above-average defensive shortstop but will not hit enough to play every day or help consistently in a big-league role. |
Thank you for reading
This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.
Subscribe now