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Born: 08/03/1995 (Age: 21) | |
Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 191 |
Mechanics |
FWU: closes his front shoulder and conceals the ball, clean separation, high lead arm with a deep, clean arm action, slightly late a footstrike; quick arm; repeats very well, athletic, deceptive, mild effort; high-three-quarters. Lean, narrow body, well proportioned body. |
Evaluator | Javier Barragan |
Report Date | 05/19/2017 |
Affiliate | Palm Beach Cardinals (High A, Cardinals) |
Dates Seen | 4/20,5/3,5/17 |
OFP/Risk | 55/Moderate |
Realistic | Role 50 – No. 4 Starter |
MLB ETA | 2018 |
Video | No |
Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
Fastball | 60 | 60 | 93 | 96 | Manipulates into three different pitches.
Four-seam fastball, 90-96, to expand the zone up where he finds swings and misses. Two-seam, 90-94, dots corners, often starting in to open outer half, short movement Cutter, 92-93 also uses at the corners, mainly glove-side, used occasionally with mild movement and occasional darting action |
Slider | 50 | 50 | 89 | 91 | Short, 10-5 depth, uses for swings and misses, used ahead, behind and even in counts, commands most to glove side and glove side down, sells it well, average command/control; tunnels well off of fastball and command allows it to play up for whiffs. |
Curveball | 40 | 50 | 78 | 80 | 11/12-5 shape, some soft, more with moderate edge, big depth, occasionally uses as a chase pitch, will use to steal strikes and finish hitters, throws to both, sells it well, commands well. |
Changeup | 40 | 50 | 84 | 87 | Decent action, flashes average, occasional bottom, has used in a variety of counts to but is still learning to repeat the movement with better consistency, sells it well, a work in progress but not too far behind, used sparingly. |
Overall |
With an advanced feel for sequencing, control and poise, Zac Gallen is not flashy but commands all his pitches well. He has several options to get outs — FB up, CT/2S at corners, SL/CB away to RHH, CH away to LHH. When needed, Gallen has made in-game adjustments, rarely ever letting the game speed or rile him up. He is an athlete who can field his position and manages the run game with no reported injuries. There is a lot to like here, Gallen projects to be a fourth starter. Command 50/60 |
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Born: 10/05/1995 (Age: 21) | |
Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
Height: 6' 3" | Weight: 190 |
Mechanics |
Semi windup, clean separation, high lead arm, clean, loose arm action, clean footstrike and direction, hip/shoulder separation, good elbow flexion, average arm speed, cross body, arm extension, finishes over front foot and down; three-quarters slot; minimal effort, easy delivery, repeats
Runner on first 1.26, 1.32 |
Evaluator | Javier Barragan |
Report Date | 05/24/2017 |
Affiliate | Tampa Yankees (High A, Yankees) |
Dates Seen | 5/23/17 |
OFP/Risk | 50/Moderate |
Realistic | 45; Swingman/Long Relief |
MLB ETA | 2019 |
Video | Yes |
Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
Two-Seam/cutter | 45 | 55 | 88-89 | 91 | sat 90-91 first inning, then 88-89 through the rest, decent arm-side run, mild command to several parts of the zone, holds velo from stretch, more velo to come with improved balance and increased muscle mass, occasionally cut to the glove side, soft action.
Movement 40/40 |
Curveball | 45 | 50 | 73-75 | 75 | 11-6, with better than average depth, can place for strikes and beneath the zone, small hump out of hand, occasionally can stretch the depth for more drop, lacks edge but with fair bite, manages to gets swings and misses and roll overs. |
Slider | 45 | 50 | 83-86 | 86 | Generally a short 11-6 but can vary shape and depth, fastball out of hand, moderate bite, sneaky, used initially to RHH then to both, varied looks by using it to steal strikes later in game, moderate command, can place in zone and out but mostly glove-side, sells it. |
Change-up | 40 | 50 | 83-86 | 86 | Flashed good action but inconsistent, tailing more than a tumble, sells it, mostly to LHH then to both, used in fastball counts, works it in game, command is scattered. |
Overall |
Not a pitcher with overwhelming stuff by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely overwhelming with a 21-year-old's ability to pitch. Zack Littell sequences, throws strikes with all his pitches and competes; things you want to see in your starting pitcher. He works with a good tempo, and is always the first player on the field to start the inning. With his advanced feel for pitching and poise, Littell was able to navigate through the lineup, albeit a very poor one, scattering an 88 mph fastball and then inducing swings and misses and outsmarting hitters with his offspeed stuff. The downside is his limited margin of error on his two-seamer. With a bump in velo and improvement in his consistency for his change-up, Littell projects to be a swingman/5th starter. |
Born: 11/24/1998 (Age: 18) | |
Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
Height: 6' 3" | Weight: 175 |
Primary Position: SS | |
Secondary Position: |
Physical/Health |
Tall kid with no muscles, young 18-year-old body, a lot of growing to be had, needs to hit the gym, a lot of room for lean muscle. |
Evaluator | Javier Barragan |
Report Date | 05/13/2017 |
Dates Seen | 5/6, 5/9, 5/10,5/12, 5/13 |
Affiliate | GCL Cardinals (Rookie, Cardinals) |
MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
2022 | High | 55 | 50; Second-Division Starter | No |
Makeup |
Body language and intensity waivers, haven't been able to clock him due to lack of intensity, between pitches appears disinterested BUT when the ball is in play instincts and attentiveness peaks, defensively has a punky swagger but is finding an identity at the plate, a baseball guy with makeup and maturity concerns. |
Tool | Future Grade | Report |
Hit | 45 | Light toe tap, has a bat wrap but good foundation nonetheless, average bat speed, long bat path to the ball, mild leverage, point of contact out front, rolls top hand after contact, extension through.
Much of Perez's weak contact comes from poor mechanics (a bat wrap lengthens the swing in the back) and over aggressiveness, and poor pitch recognition. Contact quality can be improved with proper instruction. Given the actions, feel for the game, age and proper instruction the probability is there that the hit tool will improve. |
Power | 50 | Swing path built for line drives and pulled balls, would need to tweak to create more loft, has present extension, more raw power to come, needs to hit the gym, underdeveloped frame. Currently bottom of the scale power due to lack of weight on frame. |
Baserunning/Speed | 55 | Usable speed, doesn't run hard, doesn't "show off" speed, not a base stealer, unrefined on the basepaths, needs to focus on explosiveness, current body composition ages well. |
Glove | 60 | Rangy, good on balls ahead and glove side, comfortable backhand, soft glove, plus glove control, instincts, demonstrates agile footwork around the bag, immaturity is present now, occasionally tries to do too much, lazy pre-pitch, the loose actions play at short, will stay. |
Arm | 60 | Enough for position now, gets the job done, clean arm action with average arm speed, most on bag, occasionally rushes throws, inconsistent footwork leads to poor throws, ability to throw from different angles, with maturation muscle growth and proper footwork arm will be plenty. |
Overall |
A young, toolsy player who plays the game with ease and looseness, Perez has a lot of upside. Naturally, at 18 years old, he is far from his final product but these are the things he has on his sid: his instincts, the ease, size, glove, arm, age, and potential. There are questions about the ability to reach his full potential, but Perez has shown coachability in his mechanical changes as well as changes in approach at the plate that have occurred over two weeks. Having the instincts and talents to stay at short, Perez projects to be a glove first shortstop on a championship caliber team. |
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Born: 11/22/1995 (Age: 21) | |
Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 195 |
Primary Position: LF | |
Secondary Position: RF |
Physical/Health |
Square shoulders, narrow waist, strong forearms, light in the lower half that taper into sticks for ankles that are garnished with big feet; very low body fat, muscular body. |
Evaluator | Javier Barragan |
Report Date | 05/19/2017 |
Dates Seen | 5/11-13,5/15-5/18 |
Affiliate | Jupiter Hammerheads (High A, Marlins) |
MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
High | 50 | 40; End of roster up-and-down guy | No |
Makeup |
Competes, tempered emotions, even-keeled considering very poor numbers, attuned to every pitch, good teammate. |
Tool | Future Grade | Report |
Hit | 40 | Narrow stance, upright; load and toe tap, some length to the ball, suboptimal usage of lower half, healthy extension for after contact.
Poor approach, seemingly caught between hit for average and run producer, swings at pitcher's pitch, can get too aggressive, chases often, swing-and-miss in zone, swing can get lengthy leading to swings and misses especially vs. plus velo, must shorten, has an idea of the strike zone but approach inhibits it, has shown an ability to line the ball the other way but is mostly pull, shows poor plate coverage away with some ass-out swings, correctable faults in approach |
Power | 60 | Strong forearms, strength in upper body, more power to come, good extension for power but not with current approach, also poor pitch recognition and execution at the plate has deterred proper lift, will continue to develop |
Baserunning/Speed | 50 | Ability to swipe bags presently but maturation will slow down to average, alert on the base paths, will score from second, avg 1st to 3rd
Dig 4.21 |
Glove | 50 | Solid defender, catches what he gets to, charges the ball, actions are a bit clunky but playable at the corners, occasionally rushes. |
Arm | 50 | Fringy arm that plays up with his accuracy, plays the bounce well, on line and on target, rigid arm action. |
Overall |
Garrett has yet to play in a full season, in part due to a, uh, prank gone awry in 2016. Furthermore, Garrett played two sports prior to signing pro in 2014. Therefore, in terms of development, he still needs more seasoning than a typical high schooler drafted in 2014. Currently not playing his best baseball because he is behind developmentally. With his aptitude and talents, performance will improve. Although his approach is poor, Garrett has flashed the ability to command the zone, recognize pitches and line the field with hits versus more advanced pitchers. I do wonder if there are lingering effects of his right hand/nerve injury, as it reportedly affected him last season. With further development, Garrett projects to be a second-division left fielder. |
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