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May 25, 2017

Eyewitness Accounts

May 25, 2017

by Javier Barragan

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Zac Gallen
Zack Littell
Delvin Perez
Stone Garrett

Zac Gallen


	Born: 08/03/1995 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 191

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. Movement 30/30 Two-seam, 90-94, dots corners, often starting in to open outer half, short movement Movement 40/50 Cutter, 92-93 also uses at the corners, mainly glove-side, used occasionally with mild movement and occasional darting action Movement 30/40
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.

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
Control 60/70

Zack Littell


	Born: 10/05/1995 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 190

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 Control 50/70 Command 40/60
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.

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.

Delvin Perez


	Born: 11/24/1998 (Age: 18)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 175
	Primary Position: SS
	Secondary Position:

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

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.

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.

Stone Garrett


	Born: 11/22/1995 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 195
	Primary Position: LF
	Secondary Position: RF

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

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.

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.

Javier Barragan is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @JaviiGunz
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Related Content: Stone Garrett, Zac Gallen, Zack Littell, Delvin Perez

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