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October 6, 2016

Eyewitness Accounts

October 6, 2016

by BP Prospect Staff

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Jordan Montgomery
Conner Greene
Tyler Beede
A.J. Simcox
Nick Senzel
Richard Urena

Jordan Montgomery


	Born: 12/27/1992 (Age: 23)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Left
	Height: 6' 6"	Weight: 225

Arm Action: Abbreviated extension in arm swing, mild arm wrap, free and easy action, full vertical extension at release

Delivery: Over-the-top slot, severe body tilt; average leg kick, average stride adds to height at release; moderate effort

Body: XL frame, filled-out; long, sturdy lower half, high waist; broad shoulders with mild slope; long levers

Control: 55/60
history of limiting walks; consistent throwing FB and CH for strikes, CB not far behind; improvement locating SL where most gains to be made

Command: 50/55
utilizes FB to both sides of the plate; advanced feel for CB and CH--meeds to minimize use up in zone; some feel for SL, though likely remains a fringe offering

Evaluator	Adam Hayes
Report Date	09/07/2016
Affiliate	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (AAA, Yankees)
Dates Seen	8/2/16
OFP/Risk	50/Low
Realistic	45: No. 5 Starter
MLB ETA	2017
Video	Yes

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
FB	60	60	91-92	93	Heavy downhill angle from high release, maintains angle up in zone; slight cut, run at times; worked to all quadrants of zone, misses most frequently to glove-side; held velocity into later innings, maintained velocity from stretch
CH	50	55	82	84	Maintains arm speed, quality velocity separation from FB; slight fade, solid drop; heavy use to armside, will leave it up in zone
CB	45	50	80	81	12-6 break, mostly vertical depth, slight horizontal sweep at times; will work to both sides of plate, inconsistent command, will leave elevated, miss high
SL	40	45	87	89	Two-plane break, more vertical tilt than sweeping action, mild bite; heavy glove-side use, struggles to control; throws early in counts as a strike-stealer

Montgomery was a fourth-round pick in 2014. He's a large-framed left-hander with a high release point and three average-or-better pitches, along with a fourth that shows some utility. The fastball plays up as a plus pitch, sitting 92 with pronounced downward plane; there's two-way action to it, and demonstrates the ability to work it effectively to both sides of the plate. The change is his best off-speed pitch, playing well off the fastball to generate swings and misses. The breakers are both functional, with the curve flashing as a potentially consistent average third pitch. This is a low-risk arm with enough stuff, control, and size to be a durable rotation piece. Likely role in the back of a rotation, with fallback potential of a tough-look lefty out of the bullpen.

Conner Greene


	Born: 04/04/1995 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 185

Body: Long, wiry frame, spindly levers; long, narrow torso with room to add; broad shoulders with moderate slope, narrow at waist

Delivery: High leg kick, lower-leg tuck, slight body coil; long stride, lead arm pulls torso open early, three-quarter release; mild effort, mild body tilt, recoil after release a bit violent

Arm Action: Slight wrist and arm wrap, otherwise free and easy action; plus arm speed

Evaluator	Adam Hayes
Report Date	09/12/2016
Affiliate	New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA, Blue Jays)
Dates Seen	8/27/16
OFP/Risk	55/Medium
Realistic	45: No. 5 Starter/Power Reliever
MLB ETA	2017
Video	Yes

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
FB	65	70	94-96	97	Generates sink to both sides of plate, run can be inconsistent, will flash plus movement; works side to side, keeps it down in zone consistently; command over control presently, maintained sitting velocity through start, touched 97 in 5th inning; maintains velocity from stretch
CH	50	60	85	86	Advanced feel, flashes plus fade with drop, healthy velocity separation from FB, can throw hitters off balance; lowers arm slot at release, tendency to elevate in zone
CB	45	50	83	85	12-6 shape, limited horizontal break, mostly vertical depth with sharp bite; shape can be inconsistent, flatten; uses low in zone, frequent low misses, release point raises when throwing
CONTROL	30	45			Struggles to limit walks; capable of throwing all pitches for strikes, tends to play off corners too much COMMAND: 45/55 Feel to spot pitches, works effectively to both sides with the fastball, keeps the ball down

A seventh-round pick in 2013, Greene is a lanky right-hander with two plus pitches and a third average offering. The fastball can get to plus-plus, with sink and run to both sides of the plate and feel for manipulating it in spite of some struggles to control it at times. The fastball, changeup, and curve all come from different release points, which can impact deception. Limiting self-inflicted damage will be greatest impediment to success, and the control issues will limit the likely role to the back half of a rotation.

Tyler Beede


	Born: 05/23/1993 (Age: 23)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 210

Body: Prototypical starter's frame; all, broad shoulders, strength in lower-half; durable, workhorse profile

Delivery: Semi-wind, quiet side-step into average leg-lift, straight-on front side, high lead arm through the drive; controls body throughout, clean extension over lower-half, direct lines to plate; plus delivery, definite starter kit

Arm Action: clean, compact, in-line circle coming out of the glove; average arm-speed, low-maintenance to a high three-quarter slot

Evaluator	Adam McInturff
Report Date	09/26/2016
Affiliate	Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA, Giants)
Dates Seen	3x (2016)
OFP/Risk	55/Low
Realistic	50: Regular No. 4 Starter
MLB ETA	2017
Video	No

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
FB	55	60	91-92	94	Two variants; two-seamer with longer arm-side run at 88-91, true four-seam at 93-94; advanced pitchability, adds and subtracts situationally, keen sense for when to reach back Control/Command: Impressive poise and polish, advanced feel to pitch; potential true plus control and command; consistently controls around the zone, best pounding two-seamer away from left-handers down and glove-side
CT	50	55	88-89	90	Cutter action at 86-90, flashes above-average late dart to glove-side; average present pitch, gives him a third fastball to show hitters as the lineup turns over; potential above-average pitch with increased repetition
CB	50	55	80	83	Power three-quarters breaking ball, slurvy tilt, will flash sharp, downer action; struggled to land in-zone for early strikes, ingredients of a zone-expanding swing-miss pitch
CH	45	50	82-83	84	Plays fairly straight, sells well with arm speed, generates above-average velocity separation; lacks bottom to miss bats, plenty of utility to stay off left-handed barrels

Ceiling: Impact starter w/ upper-third role in a rotation; sum-of-the-parts stuff, plus pitchability, winning makeup make him reliable rotation piece

Realistic: Regular back-rotation starter, dependable innings-eater, #4 type role; high floor, low-risk prospect

Beede demonstrates outstanding makeup and pitching IQ. He's a competitor on the mound with track record of winning. The delivery is highly polished, with good feel to move a solid-average mix of stuff around the zone. He's close to the majors and when he gets there will likely develop into at least a dependable rotation option, with intangibles that could play it up to more.

A.J. Simcox


	Born: 06/22/1994 (Age: 22)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 185
	Primary Position: SS
	Secondary Position:

Large frame, ideal body for position player, good looking athlete

Evaluator	Steve Givarz
Report Date	09/26/2016
Dates Seen	15x April-August 2016
Affiliate	Lakeland Flying Tigers (High A, Tigers)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2019	Medium	45	40: Utility Player	No

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	40	Even, tall stance, short hand path, fair hands, average bat speed; line-drive swing path, uses the whole field, power is primarily pull-side; shows an eye and some zone command, tends to get aggressive early in count
Power	30	Well below-average power, not a part of game; lacks loft in swing, pop he has will play at full utility with doubles, limited over-the-fence power
Baserunning/Speed	50	Average runner, good runner, speed plays better than size suggests
Glove	55	Average present fielder, quality footwork, soft hands, confidence on the backhand; surprising lateral range given size, strong first step, body control to execute difficult plays
Arm	60	Plus arm strength, quality throws with mustard, accuracy comes and goes, fairly consistent with mechanics

Simcox won't bring much to the plate, but he profiles well as a utility infielder capable of bringing strong defensive value all over the diamond.

Nick Senzel


	Born: 06/29/1995 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 1"	Weight: 205
	Primary Position: 3B
	Secondary Position: 2B

Body: Average height; strong, sturdy build; boxy, muscular look; physical similarity to Brett Lawrie

Swing: Wide, square base, crouch at the knees; strong, high handset with wrapped bat; quiet head and hands through load and trigger, balanced, quick, short, efficient into the zone, sweet right-handed stroke

Evaluator	Adam McInturff
Report Date	09/26/2016
Dates Seen	July 2016
Affiliate	Dayton Dragons (, Reds)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2017	Low	60	55: Above-Average Regular	Yes

Breezed through low minors and didn't seem challenged there

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	60	Short, fluid, balanced path to the ball; hard contact, ability to spray line drives or open up and get to his power; simple, quiet trigger allows him to stay back on breaking stuff, commits late, able to spoil good pitches, limited holes in swing; potential plus tool
Power	60	Doubles and over-fence power, best game power to pull-side; situational awareness, will expand swing and get aggressive with pull-side lift in appropriate counts; raw will play to full utility in-game
Baserunning/Speed	50	Average athleticism and straight-away speed; stolen bases not a huge part of his game, not a liability on the bases
Glove	50	Average defender at third, instinctual player; average first-step, moderate range, reliable hands; competent corner infield glove who could likely slide in at 2B to get his bat in the lineup
Arm	55	Solid-average arm across the infield; clean transfer and footwork, accurate with carry, looks the part finishing plays with his arm from third base.

Ceiling: First-division infielder, able to hit for plus average and power.

Realistic: Lack of jaw-dropping carrying tool, well-rounded tool set doesn't play into consistent top-of-the-league production; high-floor player, safe bet to develop into an above-average regular.

SUMMARY: Polished college bat was best in class; potential impact cornerstone piece and long-term big leaguer. Middle-of-the-order offensive upside for average and power; average glove with a solid arm; best position is third base, versatility to second.

Richard Urena


	Born: 02/26/1996 (Age: 20)
	Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 0"	Weight: 185
	Primary Position: SS
	Secondary Position:

Lithe, narrow frame; wiry, lean strength in limbs

Evaluator	Adam Hayes
Report Date	09/27/2016
Dates Seen	8/25-27
Affiliate	New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA, Blue Jays)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2018	Medium	50	40: Utility Infielder	Yes

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	45	Switch-hitter, left-side only in looks; noisy, multi-stage hand load, high leg lift into stride, will get caught out on front foot; short swing path, plus bat speed; aggressive, all-fields hitter, contact-oriented approach, below-average contact quality, walks will be infrequent, some swing-and-miss
Power	30	Fringe raw to pull side, can generate some distance to middle of the field, limited carry; aggressive approach, will attempt to ambush early fastballs and sell out for power, quality of contact will limit power production; footspeed to stretch hits for extra bases
Baserunning/Speed	60	4.13 home-to-first from left side; gets out of the box on bunts; has not shown to be an active base-stealing threat
Glove	55	Versatile defender, demonstrates quality body control; capable charging balls, soft on the backhand; moderate range up-the-middle, will get handcuffed waiting on late hops
Arm	55	Above-average arm strength, accuracy from left side, velocity is just average, but throws hold their lines

A heralded J2 signing in 2012, Urena is a switch-hitting shortstop with above-average glove and arm tools and plus speed, though he tends to play below the tools offensively and on the bases. His offensive game is built on plus bat speed, but he shows an aggressive approach and produces inconsistent contact quality, which limits both the hit and power tools. And the speed plays more in the form of quickness; he'll bunt for base hits, but he has not shown base-stealing acumen, pushing the tool's utility down on the bases. He boasts a capable glove and arm at short, and that combination gives him projection as a big league-average shortstop, with a utility-infield floor if the bat stalls out.

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