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|
| 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: RHH: |
| 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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