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| Born: 03/07/1996 (Age: 21) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 3" | Weight: 175 |
| Mechanics |
| Long levers, lean frame; deliberate, controlled movements; athletic, still growing into his body; graceful, shows physicality to maintain posture and balance, inconsistent at present, minor spine tilt; deep arm action, long swing to high-three-quarters slot, plus arm speed; open at foot strike, landing can get short and bumpy, generally clean, easy deceleration; 1.37-1.46 fastballs, varies times, doesn't show a great move, can pick his pocket on first move. |
| Evaluator | Wilson Karaman |
| Report Date | 04/30/2017 |
| Affiliate | Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A, Dodgers) |
| Dates Seen | 4/22, 4/27/17 |
| OFP/Risk | 70/High |
| Realistic | 60: High No. 3 Starter |
| MLB ETA | 2019 |
| Video | Yes |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| FB | 60 | 70 | 95-98 | 99 | Extremely easy velocity, ball jumps out of his hand; four-seamer holds plane, life in and above zone, can play above barrels; plane, creates plane to attack lower-third, generates swing-and-miss in and out of zone; command projection to play to velocity at maturity, true plus-plus potential in a starting role |
| SL | 50 | 60 | 82-86 | 86 | Inconsistent shape, rounder version bites with curveball depth, will snap off harder, two-plane variant with plus tilt and finish; immature feel for snapping off pitch, commanding at present, flashes plus movement with utility into and out of zone; swing-and-miss pitch with groundball tendencies, plus projection |
| CH | 40 | 55 | 87-89 | 90 | Hard, straight change, will get on the side of it and cut it; vertical action, average tumble, mild fade; arm speed inconsistent at present, pitch gets firm and straight, can bleed into slider when he doesn't turn it over; keeps it out of danger zones, shows some feels, flashes plus with arm speed consistency, athleticism and nascent feel suggest ample projection |
| Overall |
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Signed for $16 million (and a matching penalty) out of Cuba, Alvarez has the raw goods of a frontline pitching prospect. His body has matured beyond his ability to harness it consistently at present, but the physicality and athleticism are there in spades, and there are enough flashes throughout a given start to project liberally for gains in command and consistency. His fluidity and easy delivery suggest solid-average command potential down the road, and if the changeup takes enough of a step forward he can develop into a true No. 2 starter. Ever without developing ceiling changeup and command, there's enough here to profile comfortably in the middle of a rotation as a durable, high-strikeout performer. |
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| Born: 08/30/1994 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Height: 6' 5" | Weight: 210 |
| Mechanics |
| Pitches from a half-windup, long-limbs, low-effort delivery but tends to fall towards the 1B side. Long arm action with above-average arm speed, three-quarters slot. |
| Evaluator | Steve Givarz |
| Report Date | 05/02/2017 |
| Affiliate | Bradenton Marauders (High A, Pirates) |
| Dates Seen | 5/1/2017 |
| OFP/Risk | 50/Low |
| Realistic | Role 5, Set-Up |
| MLB ETA | 2019 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 70 | 70 | 95-96 | 97 | Easy velocity, velocity jumps on hitters when delivery is in sync and fastball has some tail, often flat and can easily be tracked.
Movement- 45/45 |
| Slider | 40 | 50 | 86-88 | 88 | Shorter action with tight spin, hard action, inconsistent with depth but features tilt, struggled with command of offering, often in the dirt. Future average offering. |
| Changeup | 40 | 40 | 84-86 | 86 | Lacks arm speed on offering, some late tail but did not seem comfortable with pitch, could be a change of pace offering but will not be part of routine arsenal. |
| Overall |
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While Hearn has premium arm strength, holding his velocity deep into games, he profiles best in the bullpen given his lack of command, third pitch, and his delivery issues. In the bullpen he profiles as a set-up reliever, with the potential to close. Command – 35/45 |
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| Born: 09/22/1995 (Age: 21) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 185 |
| Mechanics |
| Lean body, could add weight to frame without sacrificing flexibility. Pitches from a full-wind, low-effort delivery, easy arm action with above-average arm speed, three-quarters. |
| Evaluator | Steve Givarz |
| Report Date | 05/02/2017 |
| Affiliate | St. Lucie Mets (High A, Mets) |
| Dates Seen | 4/20, 5/1 |
| OFP/Risk | 60/Moderate |
| Realistic | Role 55, No. 3/4 Starter |
| MLB ETA | 2019 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 60 | 65 | 92-94 | 96 | Has life when located down, inconsistent with mechanics and consistency of offering, did a better job locating in the second game than in my first viewing.
Movement – 45/50 |
| Slider | 50 | 60 | 82-84 | 85 | Late action and movement, looks like FB out of hand with late darting action and tilt, hitters struggle to pick up spin, swing/miss offering, could improve command as he would leave up against LHH. |
| Curveball | 35 | 40 | 78-79 | 79 | 11/5 shape, get-me-over offering, mixed it in second/third time through the order, change of pace pitch, not a sharp offering but can drop in zone for strikes. |
| Changeup | 35 | 50 | 84-85 | 86 | Has feel for offering and uses it vs. LHH, good velo separation off FB, features late tail, inconsistent with feel and location but think it can be a future average offering. |
| Overall |
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Dunn got a moderately aggressive assignment, heading to the FSL in his first full professional season. This will also be his first full season starting, as he was a member of the bullpen in college and transstioned to the starting rotation later. Dunn still has a future in the bullpen with his FB/SL combination, but has a lot of promise in the rotation. Command- 35/50 |
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| Born: 11/06/1997 (Age: 19) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 4" | Weight: 195 |
| Mechanics |
| three-quarters arm slot with athletic delivery; uses moderate effort; repeatable; needs to get more compact if he hopes to improve his control/command; high leg kick; bends his legs on release; keeps mechanics consistent when throwing all pitches, doesn’t give away pitch selection; falls away from home plate on his follow through, isn’t in a good fielding position upon release. |
| Evaluator | Greg Goldstein |
| Report Date | 05/03/2017 |
| Affiliate | Asheville Tourists (Low A, Rockies) |
| Dates Seen | 4/9/2017 |
| OFP/Risk | 70/High |
| Realistic | 60; Number three starter; possible closer |
| MLB ETA | 2019 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 70 | 70 | 95-96 | 100 | The pitch jumps out of his hand with arm-side movement, which can help lead to swings and misses; Hitters have a hard time catching the pitch up in the zone; the plus-plus offering can play down due to spotty command, but future growth should help it play to its potential. |
| Changeup | 50 | 55 | 85-86 | 87 | Rarely thrown; fades out of the zone; still developing, looks like it should be an average offering with a possibility to get plus because of the movement and strikeout potential. |
| Curveball | 55 | 60 | 82-83 | 84 | 11/6 movement with sharp and late movement; definite out pitch, made a few hitters look silly; frequently uses it with two strikes; commands it better than his fastball, will rarely be in the zone, instead uses it to get hitters to chase; The velo separation, in addition to the movement, will cause plenty of whiffs. |
| Slider | 45 | 50 | 82-83 | 84 | Used much less than his curveball during the start; still had some sharp bite to it, although not as sharp as his curveball; has some late movement, could be a strikeout pitch. |
| Control/Command | 40 | 50 | Fastball was all over the place during the start, jacked up the pitch count; throws rather than pitches at this point; Didn’t miss in one particular spot, fastball was all around the zone. His mechanics make it difficult for Pint to hit his spots consistently. |
| Overall |
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Pint is a projectable and athletic right hander whose stuff is some of the best in the minor leagues. Unfortunately he has some major strides to make in terms of his command/control. If his fastball command improves as he gets older, the sky's the limit for Pint, who possesses a sharp breaking, swing-and-miss curveball and a major-league caliber slider/changeup to complement his mid 90s heater that he can push to the triple digits. There is big upside in his profile, but also the chance that his spotty control will hold him back from reaching his potential. If this is the case, Pint can break into the league as an elite back-of-the-bullpen arm in a worst case scenario. |
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| Born: 04/01/1995 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Height: 6' 0" | Weight: 225 |
| Mechanics |
| Body: Has a stockier build, but it doesn’t seem to affect his energy throughout his start
Easy three-quarters delivery with minimal effort; finishes pointing at homeplate; compact and steady until the release; lacks jerky movements, clean throughout |
| Evaluator | Greg Goldstein |
| Report Date | 05/03/2017 |
| Affiliate | Frederick Keys (High A, Orioles) |
| Dates Seen | 4/23/17 (5.0 IP) |
| OFP/Risk | 55/Low |
| Realistic | 50; No.4 starter |
| MLB ETA | 2018 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 60 | 60 | 91-93 | 95 | Sat at 93-95 in the 1st inning, sat at 91-93 in the rest of of the start; slightly above-average arm speed allows him to maintain velo well; Mostly straight with arm-side movement at times; hitters were frequently late on the pitch. |
| Changeup | 45 | 50 | 80-81 | 82 | Potential average offering; went with the pitch in two-strike counts; has some movement down in the zone; His consistent delivery will cause some swings and misses when he plays the change off his fastball. |
| Slider | 50 | 55 | 81-82 | 82 | 2/7 movement; doesn’t give away the pitch, has sharpness to it although, it doesn’t have elite-level late movement; Will be effective against both righties and lefties. |
| Control/Command | 50 | 55 | Was in the zone for most of the start, frequently attacked hitters high in the zone in two-strike counts; has the ability to get ahead early and can hit his spots with his offspeed offerings; not plus plus control, but his steady mechanics keeps his pitches from getting too wild. |
| Overall |
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Akin doesn’t have a build or the athleticism that jumps off the page, but everything else about him signals a future rotation piece. He offers polish more than pure stuff, though he could boast two plus pitches in time, in his low-to-mid-90s fastball, and his darting slider. The latter will require some refinement as there are outings when he struggles to put away hitters, and he runs up his pitch count. The change can flash parachute action and has room to grow into an average offering. He maintains his stuff well because of his clean mechanics and lack of effort in his delivery, which makes him a pretty safe bet to project as a starter moving forward. |
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| Born: 12/12/1995 (Age: 21) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 6" | Weight: 225 |
| Primary Position: CF | |
| Secondary Position: RF | |
| Physical/Health |
| XL frame, ample present strength, projection to carry mild additional musculature into maturity, athletic for his size, quality body control |
| Evaluator | Wilson Karaman |
| Report Date | 05/02/2017 |
| Dates Seen | 5x April 2017 |
| Affiliate | Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A, Dodgers) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2019 | Moderate | 55 | 50: Major League Regular | Yes |
| Makeup |
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Quiet intensity, will show some fire in the belly, express disappointment outwardly; generally low-key, stays within himself |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 45 | strong wrists, produces above-average bat speed to offset some length into the zone; long levers, extends well, hard line-drive contact to all fields, adept at shooting oppo gap on balls away; struggles to pull the hands in, can elevate and work him in, consistently struggles to handle velo to both locations when behind in the count; works deep counts, advanced pitch recognition, will strike out; fringe-average hit tool projection will play up with solid-average on-base skills |
| Power | 60 | Plus present raw, projection for another half grade; loud contact, hit balls carry to pull side in BP; game swing has flatter plane, mild loft, hard line-drive contact, has started turning on balls in when ahead, power plays to all fields; works himself into good hitting situations, should be able to get to bulk of power in games, 20-plus homer bat |
| Baserunning/Speed | 50 | Home-to-first times push plus right now (4.24 average on four clocks), 55 present tool, projects to lose a half-grade at maturity; surprisingly quick start-up given size; long crossover, slower getting moving on steal attempts and releases from first; over-aggressive at present |
| Glove | 50 | Solid reads and breaks in center, reacts well to contact, route-running is raw but passable at present, good concentration closing out plays; solid second gear closing into the gaps, still learning how to decelerate, field-and-throw on the move; speed and instincts for fringe-average utility in center, glove profiles to average in right |
| Arm | 55 | Plus raw arm strength, long arm action, takes a beat to get behind his throws; raw footwork circling on tag plays, solid accuracy on the move, balls have plus velo, lower trajectories with average carry; projects to 55 utility at present, room for a half grade bump if he finds a shorter arm action/quicker delivery system |
| Overall |
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2014 fourth-rounder boasts impressive physicality, with strong command of a large, long frame. There is length in the swing that produces holes likely to pose long-term challenges to the hit tool. His contact is loud, however, and he shows an advanced ability to work himself into favorable hitting counts and offset batting average concerns with on-base skills. He should get to most of his plus or better raw power in games, and the bat accordingly profiles in right field, where arm strength pushing plus will play with an average glove. |
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I think that the Dunn evaluation is a little underwhelming, but he has also been pitching pretty poorly so far.