When most people think of the term ‘prospect’, they envision a young player years from making a difference at the big league level. That is certainly true in many cases, but as we scout MLB.com‘s list of the top right-handed pitching prospects in baseball, its hard not to notice each player’s astonishing blend of superior skills and major league readiness. Four of the five top pitchers will likely see big league time this season, and I would not be surprised if a few of these hurlers were battling for the Rookie of the Year award this September.
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Giolito was scheduled for Tommy John surgery immediately following the 2012 Draft, but that didn’t stop the Washington Nationals from gambling their first round pick on the right-hander from Los Angeles, California. So far, that risk has payed off in a big way. Besides posting a stellar 2.20 ERA, striking out 110 batters in 98 innings, and finishing A-Ball with a clean 1.00 WHIP, Giolito has an impressive array of pitches in his arsenal. His curveball has the potential to be 75-grade offering (on the 20-80 scale) and Bleacher Report’s Mike Rosenbaum is equally impressed with the pitch, describing it as “possibly the best I’ve seen in four years”. To go along with the hook, Gilioto also throws a low-80s slider that drops out of the so-called kitchen sink, a fastball that can reach the upper 90s, and an impressive change that could grade out as a plus pitch in a few years.
Syndergaard’s 2014 numbers were considerably down from his career totals, but that’s to be expected from any young arm who regularly pitches in the poisonous Pacific Coast League. Here’s what Baseball Prospectus’ Zach Mortimer had to say about the New York Mets top prospect back in a 2013 scouting report.
"“[Syndergaard’s] fastball is an elite offering with premier velocity and life, [His] curveball plays well off of [his] fastball and has sharp break with bat-missing ability. Syndergaard is a future top-of-the-rotation pitcher with a near elite arsenal, complete with no major weaknesses, and secondary offerings still have room for projection moving forward.”"
A career-low left-on-base percentage (67%) and an unreal .378 BABIP against (70 points higher than his career number) show that Noah’s struggles were more indicative of some bad bounces than a step back in development. Expect a big 2015 from MLB.com’s second best right-handed pitching prospect.
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Glasnow’s 2014 season with High-A Bradenton was nothing short of sensational. The 2011 fifth round pick posted a minuscule 1.74 ERA across 23 starts, struck out 157 batters in 124 innings, and allowed only 74 hits en route to establishing himself as one of the top arms in a deep Pittsburgh Pirates system. Glasnow overpowers batters with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball and changes pace with an plus curveball and average change. His control still needs to improve (he walked more than four batters per nine in 2014), but the 21-year-old still has time to harness his stuff before he reaches the bigs. If he continues to exhibit the same knack for racking up strikeouts as he did last year (11.4 K/9), Glasnow will fly through the big league system and quickly develop into a frontline major league starter. The top prospect will begin the 2015 season in Double-A, but could push for a big league roster spot by September should he replicate his 2014 results.
For the fourth time in his professional career, Archie Bradley joins the ranks of the top right handed pitching prospects in baseball. Still, 2014 was a struggle for the powerful hurler; he walked nearly six batters per nine innings last year with Double-A Mobile, leading to a career-high 4.23 FIP and an embarrassing 1.28 K/BB ratio. However, despite the poor numbers, it’s hard to keep a young player with such great upside off any top prospect list. The 6’4” Oklahoman sports a mid-90s fastball with nasty downward movement; the pitch could grade out as an 80 in just a few years. For secondary pitches, Bradley throws a devastating knuckle-curve with sharp 12-6 break and an average change-up that could turn into a plus offering with more development. A few elbow issues may caused Bradley’s ineffectiveness and exacerbated his control issues, so expect the former first round pick to rebound and potentially earn a spot in the Arizona Diamondback’s rotation by midseason.
Gray’s fastball velocity is down a tick from where it was prior to his draft selection. Nevertheless, the combination of an high-90s fastball, a baffling slider, and an improving change-up has the Rockies excited about their best pitching prospect in years. Keith Law, ESPN.com’s minor league analyst, had a very positive review on the Colorado Rockies’ 2013 first round pick.
"Gray’s a physical presence on the mound, with a lightning-quick arm, taking a long stride toward and accelerating his arm quickly after a slightly stiff landing. He’s a potential No. 1 starter with a very high floor as long as he stays healthy, as even fringy command will still lead to a ton of swings and misses on his primary two pitches."
Surprisingly, Gray’s excellent make-up did not lead to excellent Double-A results in 2014; he only struck out 8.2 batters per nine and posted a mediocre 3.91 ERA. However, more professional experience should allow the Oklahoman to return to past form (12.3 K/9 in ’13) and join the Rockies after the super two deadline.