Tagged: Scouting Report
Oswaldo Arcia Scouting Report
Name: Oswaldo Arcia
Position: Outfield
Club: Minnesota Twins
Country: Venezuela
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 220
Hits: Left
Throws: Right
Arm Strength: Arm is average to a shade above average. Once in a while he can really let one go but that’s few and far between. Good accuracy with his throws. Grade: 4
Speed: Looking at his numbers a decent amount of triples stick out. This is more attributed to hime busting it out the box than his natural speed. Not a very graceful runner, runs hard though. Good instincts on the base paths. Grade: 3
Hitting: Starts in a good athletic stance, doesn’t get too low but does have some bend in his knees. Uses a drop and drive hand path. His hands start at about shoulder-height, he then drops them letter-high and brings them through the zone. Loads with a small leg kick and strides about the length of the plate. Creates a little distance with his hands, as his body goes forward before his hands follow suit. This slows him down a hair, but he’s still fairly quick through the zone. Hands stay tight and form a nice power L at a contact. He’s hit for a good average at every level and projects to continue that at the big league level. He may have to shorten his stride a little as well as have his hands stay with his body better as time progresses. Those are the two “slow” spots in his swing, tightening those up will make him quicker at the plate. Grade: 6
Power: Doesn’t have a ton of power, projects as 10-15 home run guy. He has a longer swing which prevents him from cranking on inside pitches that he can’t get his body into. He has a strong lower half which allows him to drive balls gap-to-gap. Shortening up his swing will improve his power numbers but the habits he has are hard to change. Nonetheless, he’s strong and puts a lot into his swing. Grade: 4
Fielding: Good enough arm to play rightfield, won’t scare too many runners, however. Ok instincts in the field, not a highlight reel player out there but is more than serviceable. Projects as a solid, serviceable right fielder. Grade: 4
Summary: Arcia has the ability to hit at the Major League level. Has a few areas in his swing that he could clean up but could hit for a good average as is. Not a huge power threat as of now, but could have a few 20+ homer seasons with some coaching. Powerful build and a good athlete. Lacks speed but is a hard worker in the filed and while running the bases. Good baseball instincts in both those places as well. Projects as a solid, high average, major league right fielder.
Trevor Bauer Scouting Report
Name: Trevor Bauer
Club: Cleveland Indians
Country: USA
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 190
Delivery: Bauer is not a big guy so he uses a somewhat funky delivery to generate his power (think Tim Lincecum). He doesn’t employ a very big leg kick, bringing his knee just above his belt before exploding forward. Bauer gets low and drives to the plate with an over-the-top delivery. On the way to the plate Bauer really leans into the pitch and gets his arm into throwing position quickly. One problem area is his front leg, which he keeps very straight and stiff. This causes him to fly open a little too much with his hip and looses a little of all the energy he’s generated. Loosening up his front leg and landing a little with a little more athleticism will really help Bauer’s game. Grade: 4
Stuff: Bauer claims to throw a lot of different pitches. After examining a few of his outings, it seems that he really only throws four defined pitches. The knock on pretty much all of his pitches is that he can’t throw them for strikes consistently.
Fastball: Throws a hard straight fastball, hitting between 90-95 on the heat gun. Not a lot of movement on this pitch and he doesn’t do a good job of locating his fastball. Location is the main issue with this pitch. Doesn’t throw enough consistent strikes. Grade: 3
Curveball: Hard, explosive pitch. Nice 12/6 movement on this pitch. Nice change of pace from his fastball, sitting around 75-80 on the heat gun. Main problem is that he spikes the pitch way too far in front of the plate. Instead of having the pitch dive into the dirt in front of the catcher, he routinely puts it close to the grass in front of the hitter. Will be an effective pitch if he can learn to locate a little better. Grade: 4
Changeup: Another solid pitch but also need refinement. It has a little tail on it but nothing to drastic. Another good pitch to keep hitters off balance with. Comes in at about 80-84 on the gun. Again, needs to command this pitch better for it to be a effective. Grade: 3
Screwball: This is the pitch that Bauer calls the reverse slider. Its speed is in-between his fastball and changeup but its movement is more similar to the changeup. It tails just a little bit. Its an ok pitch but not really any different than a slower 2-seam fastball. Grade: 3
Summary: Bauer is an interesting prospect. His stuff is pretty good action-wise but he struggles locating most his pitches. His deliver is quirky but effective. The delivery could use a little work as mentioned before. Overall, Bauer has a nice arm that could be valuable to a Major League club. He’ll need to accept the coaching that he gets in order to get better. The main thing he needs to focus on is control. If he can’t use his plus-arm to get his pitches across the plate, he won’t cut it.
Manny Machado Scouting Report
Name: Manny Machado
Club: Baltimore Orioles
Country: USA
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180
Age: 20
Arm Strength: Very good arm. Easily reaches 90+ across the infield. Has the arm to play shortstop or third base at the big league level. Projects better as a third baseman due to his fielding. Grade: 5
Speed: Runs in the 6.8 range. Not the mot graceful of runners but he gets the job done. Has the ability to nab a few bases when needed. Not a liability by any means, show good instincts on the base paths. Grade: 4
Hitting: Loads with his foot in the air, balancing at the top of his step and adjusting to the pitch. Does a fairly good job of this but could use more balance at the top. Gets his foot down in plenty of time to drive the ball. Starts his hands high and drops them into hitting position. Does a good job of keeping his hands inside the ball allowing him to drive it the other way with ease. Keeps his hands tight and extends through the ball pretty well. Very big follow through. Stands tall through the ball putting his whole body into his swing. High exit velocity resulting in lots of hard line drives. Grade: 5
Power: Has the strength and body to be a power hitter but his swing caters to line-drives and a high average versus high fly balls and home runs. Projects as a 12-18 home run player in his prime. Has the ability to go gap-to-gap for doubles. Will have a steady slugging percentage throughout his career. Grade: 4
Fielding: Very smooth in the field and controls his body very well. Plays with instincts and athleticism. Can get to almost every ball hit his way. Very good feet and has quick hands when handling the ball. Projects as a better third baseman but has the skills to play a decent shortstop as well. Grade: 6
Summary: Machado is one of the brightest young stars in the game of baseball. He can hit, field, run, and throw with the best in baseball. He won’t be a huge power guy, but his spring will provide consistent offensive results. Look for him to hit for a good average, high on-base percentage, and an above average slugging percentage through his career. In the field, he’s got great instincts and athleticism. Machado projects as an above-average hitter and a elite fielder.
Salvador Perez Scouting Report
Name: Salvador Perez
Club: Kansas City Royals
Country: Venezuela
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 245
Age: 23
Arm Strength: One of the better arms behind the plate in all of baseball. An argument can be made that he has the best arm for any catcher. No need for a heat gun to see how hard he throws. It’s a quick delivery and he’s very accurate with his throws. Not much need for discussion. Grade: 8
Speed: He’s not going to be stealing any bases, but he’s not a liability on the bases either. He’s so athletic that he can get around without any problem. As his knees get worn down behind the plate he may become more problematic when on base, but that will be a ways down the road from today. Grade: 3
Hitting: Very clean, line-drive swing. Steps into the pitch, adjusting with his front foot in the air. Does a good job of getting his foot down in time and not getting fooled by pitches. Doesn’t get cheated when he swings. Puts a lot into it but keeps in under control as well. Quiet hands through his swing and drops the barrel well. Very quick through the zone with the bat. Grade: 6
Power: Swing caters more to hard line-drives versus high towering home runs. As he grows as a hitter and a man his power will improve. Projects as 10 – 15 home run player when in his prime. Uses a quick, balanced swing more conducive for doubles than home runs. Grade: 4
Fielding: Excellent quickness behind the plate for a bigger player. Drops to his knees and uses his glove very well to keep balls in front of him. His exceptional athleticism allows him to make plays in front of the plate that most other catchers cannot. Bunted and weakly hit balls are easy plays for him. Grade: 6
Summary: Arguably has the best future of any catcher in the game. Has the body to endure an MLB season and the skills to play at a high level. Will be a building block for the Royals organization for some time to come. He’s young, strong, and athletic. Barring injury he will deserve a very large contract when his time comes.
Matt Harvey Scouting Report
Name: Matt Harvey
Club: New York Mets
Country: USA
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 225
Delivery: Pretty clean delivery, ball naturally comes out hard. He’s a big guy, saving on effort through his size. Uses a medium height leg kick and a moderate coil. His simple delivery produces a high velocity repeatable fastball. When he gears up too much, his control suffers. When using his simple, no wasted motion delivery, his control is much better. Not much changes from the stretch. He kicks a little higher, but still maintains a relatively simple delivery. Not wasting motion and using his big frame to deliver the ball creates the high velocity fastball he employs. Grade: 7
Stuff
Fastball – Hard, live fastball. Reaches the high 90’s with ease. Fastball will run a bit at times. Locates the pitch fairly well but could use some work in that area. When he muscles up too much he tends to miss his spots. Fastball location usually improves as the game progresses. Doesn’t miss in bad spots very often. Grades – Velo: 8 Movement: 5
Slider – Hard, cutter like slider. Locates it pretty well but could use some work, leaves this pitch up in the zone more than desired. Fairly sharp break and tight spin. Will be an effective pitch for him but unlikely to develop into a truly devastating pitch. Grade: 5
Curveball – Hard 12/6 pitch that sits in the low 80’s. Locates it well and has the potential to develop into a excellent out-pitch. As it develops it projects to become tighter and located better. Will be one of the better hammers in the game. Grade: 5
Changeup – Has a lot of movement, sinking and fading. Almost could be considered a breaking ball with the amount of movement on it. Projects as a plus changeup in the future but needs some refinement. His arm slows down a little too much and the pitch could be a little tighter. Doesn’t locate it great, but it does do a decent job of deceiving hitter. Grade: 4
Summary: Harvey is the real deal. He’s a big kid with an incredible right arm. He already has a good feel for all his pitchers. With some refinement all four pitches have plus potential. Experience and coaching will really benefit this budding star.
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