Baltimore Orioles Top Ten Prospects for 2017
Newcomer to Keep an Eye On: Matthias Dietz, RHP
Birthdate: 9/20/95 (21 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: short-season A
Stats in 2016: 18 2/3 IP, 4.82 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 12.2 BB%, 9.76 K%
Dietz was the top junior college player in the 2016 draft after he added about 10 pounds of brawn to his 6’6″ frame. He now stands with a solid 225 pounds on his frame and with a fastball reaching the upper 90s.
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Dietz’s slider got sharper with his added strength and his change added more movement as well. His biggest issue is missing bats with pitches as he will get many weak swings from hitters, but no miss a ton of bats. That is not a major issue as long as he’s not putting extra runners on base, but in his pro debut he did allow those extra runners, and it bit him in the end.
At Dietz’s size, he’ll have great plane on the sinker, and if he doesn’t end up working as a starter, he could be an excellent weapon out of the bullpen with his intimidating size and dynamic stuff.
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