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Alec Asher

Born: 10/04/1991 (Age: 23)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 4" Weight: 230
Mechanics
Build: Strong, workhorse type build; strong legs, thick mid-section, barrel chested; looks the part of starting pitcher who can eat up innings; type of build that could put on worrisome some weight as player ages.

Mechanics: Smooth, fluid, repeatable delivery from windup, but not robotic; very deliberate with tempo and rhythm; arm remains loose, free, and easy as it comes through; gets to the balance point consistently without drifting forward and great timing with hand separation as he drives to the plate; loads the backside well and maintains connection with rubber to maximize stride and leg drive; stride is straight to plate and landing is consistent; arm is at high three-quarters slot upon release and ball has great downward plane; consistent is operative word to describe mechanics from windup; from stretch, timing and rhythm of leg kick and hand separation were inconsistent; primarily slide step with runners on (1.2-1.25), arm was not catching up with the body and left fastball and change letter high; since windup is so deliberate he has to drastically speed up tempo to combat running game and in turn release point becomes varied; looked uncomfortable from stretch.

Evaluator Colin Young
Report Date 05/06/2015
Affiliate Frisco RoughRiders (AA, Rangers)
Dates Seen 4/26/15
OFP/Risk 55/50/moderate
Realistic Back-end rotation
MLB ETA 2017
Video No

Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
Fastball 60 60 92-95 97 Four-seam fastball with good late life; able to spot well with it in strike zone, up/down, in/out; great downward plane; stays out of the middle of the plate well with pitch; fastball flattens out a bit from the stretch, leaves it up in the zone.
Slider 45 45 82-85 86 Slider varies from slurve to slider depending on the count; great depth and bite when looking for an out pitch; able to vary speeds and take something off for early in count strike pitch; seems to have good feel and command for action of pitch, but it's not something hitters seemed too fooled by.
Changeup 45 50 86 87 Arm action with changeup was fantastic; fastball arm speed was very deceiving to hitters; changeup mirrored fastball delivery with no slow down in arm action and windup; good command in zone and looked to have confidence in pitch; not afraid to throw it behind in count; lacked drop and depth; changeup was a one-plane pitch without a lot of movement, pretty straight; arm speed and difference in velocity creates the deception rather than any movement.
Overall

Asher looks the part of an innings gobbler or a quality back end of the rotation starter. With his strong build and command of three solid pitches, he could project to be a long relief or quality 4 or 5 starter. He looked focused and intent on executing his game plan and maintained good poise in precarious situations. From the windup, he located well with his fastball and kept hitters off balance with the changeup, and also mixed in the slider when ahead in the count or to put a hitter away on two-strike pitch. He did rush (mechanically) a bit for my liking from the stretch, primarily using the slide step. He was consistently high with his release point with runners on and got hit around when up in the zone. Despite his strong build, conditioning may be a factor moving forward. I thought his pitching IQ was above average in terms of setting up hitters and working the strike zone. I was very impressed with his poise and he showed no emotion even when things got a bit hairy. He was able to come back within himself and make pitches to get out of jams and stop the bleeding. If Asher can work on controlling the running game and maintaining good tempo and release point from the stretch, a better projection is possible. I'd like to see him work on finding some more movement with changeup and throwing it early in the count as well once the fastball is established.


Luis Severino

Born: 02/20/1994 (Age: 21)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 195
Mechanics
Slender, athletic frame; long legs; strength concentrated in butt and thighs; excellent arm speed; three-quarters right-handed pitcher with some effort in his delivery; hides ball and deceptive front side with shoulder tilt; inconsistent release point; often lands on stiff front leg; rushes and front shoulder sometimes leaks open; shoulder-heavy delivery; doesn’t use lower half well and keeps weight back; finishes up; both impairs command profile and a long-term health concern.
Evaluator Al Skorupa
Report Date 05/11/2015
Affiliate Trenton Thunder (AA, Yankees)
Dates Seen 04/29/2015; 05/10/2015
OFP/Risk 60/Medium
Realistic 60; No. 3 Starter or Closer
MLB ETA Mid 2015
Video No
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
Fastball 55 60 93-97 97 Sinks with some tail to arm side; above-average movement; future average command; feel for pitching with fastball; throws to different quadrants and will challenge up in the zone; misses bats; maintains velo late into starts.
Slider 40 50 82-87 11-5; downer action; tight spin and late break; inconsistent feel; throws as chase and can also shorten up for strikes or back-up; future fringe-average command; lacks confidence in pitch; clear third offering.
Changeup 55 65 86-89 Sink and some fade; thrown with good arm speed; very tough pickup contrast to fastball; tremendous confidence in pitch; throws in all counts and will throw multiple times in a row; swing-and-miss offering; plus command and feel; locates both sides, up, down, and out of zone.
Overall

60; no. 3 starter or closer. Two plus pitches, a quality breaking ball, and big fastball velocity with future average command. Misses bats. Plus MLB arm in either role.


Michael Chavis

Born: 08/11/1995 (Age: 19)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5' 10" Weight: 190
Primary Position: 3B
Secondary Position:
Physical/Health
Sturdy core; muscular legs; strong forearms and wrists; strong legs; frame has room for extra bulk/muscle but will sap some of his speed.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 05/04/2015
Dates Seen 5/2/15 – 5/3/15
Affiliate Greenville Drive (Low-A, Red Sox)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2019 High 55 45; Second-Division Starter Yes
Makeup

Having fun; knows when to be serious; displayed an overall professional attitude during the series.

Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 45 Above-average bat speed; slight hitch; swing is quick through zone due to strong wrists and forearms; leveraged swing; moderate barrel control; deep load and a leg kick; timing issues currently; swing can become inconsistent and does not always barrel pitches; hips can leak; will get unbalanced and hit off front foot at times; shows mild ability to recognize spin; needs to stay back on off-speed; will struggle against elite velocity, but should be able to handle stuff a tick or two below.
Power 55 Plus raw power; plays down slightly due to hit tool; leveraged swing with above-average bat speed; generates backspin with ease.
Baserunning/Speed 40 4.50 home to first; slow out of the box; second gear is better; speed is not an asset and continued growth into frame will drop speed below average.
Glove 50 Aggressive defender; footwork is currently inconsistent; can get choppy and sometimes does not set feet for throws; average range; plays better down the line at third base; continued repetitions at third will improve overall defense; shows flashes; lacks the athleticism to stick at shortstop but could potentially play an fringe-average second base.
Arm 60 Plus arm strength; throws have carry and are on a line from behind third base; displayed a strong throw on a short hop while charging; enough arm to play on the left side of the infield.
Overall

Chavis displayed his power during this series, using his deep load and leg kick to hit the ball with force to the gaps. Timing issues are currently present, but the swing does not have any serious flaws.

Chavis does not have the athleticism to work defensively up the middle, and he played third base during my viewing. The glove is inconsistent currently, but he has enough raw ability to potentially work average at third. The risk is high, as Chavis is still raw in many phases of the game, but the inherent ability shined during this series.

Round Drafted: First round (26th overall), 2014
Why; Plus raw power up the middle; raw tools are visible, could play at SS, 3B, 2B.


Yairo Munoz

Born: 01/23/1995 (Age: 20)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 165
Primary Position: SS
Secondary Position: 3B
Physical/Health
Broad frame that looks like it will thicken out more at maturity; potential for bad weight; high-waisted player.
Evaluator Mauricio Rubio Jr.
Report Date 05/11/2015
Dates Seen 5/2-5/3/2015
Affiliate Beloit Snappers (Low-A, Athletics)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2018 High 50 Realistic 45 – Second-Division Starter No
Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 45 Sets up with hands above his ears; brings hands back down during load phase; wide, open stance; small leg pick up; finishes with stiff landing leg; solid-average bat speed; leveraged swing with a small contact plane; overly aggressive approach; difficulty picking up spin; swings early and ends up on front foot against off-speed stuff; tends to over-swing; has the hand-eye coordination to cover the plate; makes weak contact due to over-aggressiveness.
Power 55 Plus raw power; leveraged swing with solid-average bat speed creates good backspin, but the power will play down in game because of approach.
Baserunning/Speed 45 Gets out of the box awkwardly; 4.3-4.4 times to first; will lose speed as he fills out; isn’t a natural athlete; won’t be a factor on the basepaths.
Glove 40 Stiff motions at short; choppy steps when fielding the ball; average hands; bad actions when going to the backhand.
Arm 60 Arm action is awkward, but the arm strength is plus; accuracy gets loose, especially when on the run.
Overall

Signed for $280,000 as an International Free Agent in 2011. Munoz has an intriguing collection of physical tools. He has the barrel control and bat speed to be a solid-average hitter, but his approach and leveraged swing will prevent him from actualizing the hit tool to it’s full potential. It’ll be a drag on the power tool as well. The body looks like it will get thicker at maturity so he won’t be long for short. He has the arm for third base.


Amed Rosario

Born: 11/20/1995 (Age: 19)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 170
Primary Position: SS
Secondary Position:
Physical/Health
Tall, thin, very skinny; will need to add weight, but narrow shoulders may not allow for much growth
Evaluator Jeff Moore
Report Date 05/13/2015
Dates Seen 4/27/15, 5/4/15, 5/11/15, spring training
Affiliate St. Lucie Mets (High-A, Mets)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2018 High 60 50, Everyday Regular No
Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 45 Big swing with some length, good extension on finish but needs to shorten bat path to ball; above-average bat speed; up-the-middle approach, aggressive mentality; pitch recognition issues, doesn't recognize changeups out of pitcher's hand; doesn't make consistently solid contact.
Power 35 Some pop for a thin guy generated by bat speed and strong wrists; some power to shoot gaps, but not over-the-fence power; could hit for moderate doubles power in prime; will never be an impact, middle-of-the-order hitter.
Baserunning/Speed 50 More first-step quickness than straight-line speed; gets to top speed quickly, but not a plus runner.
Glove 60 Incredibly smooth actions in infield, works through the ball extremely well; attacks ball, rarely back on his heels; plus range at present, could get to plus-plus with footwork development; creative fielder, will go behind back, underhand, etc. when situation dictates; can get too fancy and make mistakes on routine plays, which comes with youth and inexperience—not a long-term problem.
Arm 60 Ideal shortstop arm, quick release for a long-armed player, can throw from all arm angles and still generate strength; throws carry well across diamond; can make all necessary throws to be a plus shortstop.
Overall

Rosario shows some promise with the bat, but doesn't make consistently hard contact and doesn't drive the ball. At his peak, he should offer some doubles power, but will never be a big over-the-fence contributor. His aggressiveness at the plate can be improved upon with age, but is also a part of his mentality as a player and thus likely doesn't have a ton of room for growth. That aggressiveness limits his swing utility and should ultimately cause him to be a down-in-the-order hitter, unless he proves to have better contact skills than he's presently showing.

Rosario is a fantastic shortstop, which will be enough to carry him to the big leagues. He has a chance to be a plus defender at a premium position, and will be able to remain at the position for the majority of his career. That lowers the bar on his bat, which should be good enough to be an everyday player, but won't be of the impact variety. With his defense, that won't matter.

The common assumption is that he will add weight onto his thin frame as he grows, but his narrow shoulders and slight build don't allow for much room for growth. This isn't a player who is going to fill out significantly and pack on substantial pounds. He'll get stronger, but only incrementally, which will keep his power in the gaps rather than over the fence. It will also keep him from having to move off of shortstop, which is ultimately more important.

There is still a lot of room for growth with Rosario, who is just 19, but unless he significantly improves his contact skills and feel for the barrel, he won't be an impact hitter. His defense is strong enough, however, to be an everyday player and an extremely good shortstop, and with the bar being where it is for shortstops offensively, reaching 45/35 with plus defense could still put him in the top half of shortstops in the league.


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