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Brady Aiken
Born: 08/16/1996 (Age: 17) |
| Bats: Left |
Throws: Left |
| Height: 6' 4" |
Weight: 205 |
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| High three-quarters slot; starts from the middle of the rubber; works through all quadrants of the zone; creates angle and downhill plane; perfect pitcher's body; 15 pounds to add on; plus athlete; plus command profile; plus makeup; athletic delivery; high leg kick; long stride; drives off of the rubber; stays balanced; incorporates entire body into the delivery; compact arm action; loose, strong arm; hides the ball well; doesn't rush; difficult to nitpick anything. |
| Ron Shah |
| 03/18/2014 |
| (Rookie, ) |
| 03/18/14 |
| 75 |
| 2017 |
| Yes |
| Fastball |
70 |
92 |
96 |
Four-seam fastball with late run; hides the ball well; lefties cannot pick it up; creates angle and downhill plane; plus fastball command; doesn't miss spots; precise; capable of elevating, running it on the hands, or dropping it on the black; lost some velocity towards the end of his outing; continued maturation and arm strength building should allow for consistent plus-plus velocity. |
| Curveball |
70 |
82 |
83 |
Curveball; at least a present plus offering; flashed double-plus more than occasionally; tight spin; strong depth; vicious break; increased velocity allows for the jump; arm slot creates angle on it; pitcher can easily drop it in down-and-in on opposite-sided batters; great feel for it; plus command; will double down and work backwards; thrown for called strikes, quality strikes, and chase swings; added strength will create for a harder hammer; only nitpick is offering starts outside the zone at times. |
| Changeup |
60 |
82 |
83 |
Changeup; present fringe-average offering; flashes plus; consistent arm speed; possesses fade; plays up due to deception in delivery and great arm speed; strong feel for it; commands it east-west; isn't lagging in given developmental path; works it into sequencing; not afraid to throw it regardless of competition. |
| Cutter |
50 |
85 |
86 |
Cutter; brand new offering the player unveiled for the first time; only threw it four times; first two were flat, leaving me unsure of what he was experimenting with; next two were much better; late, short cutting action; betting on the player's makeup and feel for pitching at just 17 years old combined with repetitions for its jump in future grade. |
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With a plethora of highly ranked team officials in attendance, the 17-year-old UCLA commit wowed the audience with strong command of his lethal four-pitch arsenal and pitchability beyond his years. The outing had me blown away and left me believing he is the most talented player in this year's draft class.
He began this outing as a two-pitch pitcher, using his vicious fastball and curveball combination before mixing in a changeup and cutter, ultimately working backwards before exiting in the midst of a no-hitter (passed ball on a strikeout) once he hit his low pitch count limit. He can get over any of his secondary offerings for quality strikes, and double down on them, then freeze hitters by running a mid-90s fastball in on their hands. This kind of aptitude and understanding of pitching is an excellent quality for anyone to have, but it makes hitting against him a daunting task.
He won't struggle against the high school hitters he is currently facing, but he could be getting out minor league hitters right now due to the aforementioned reasons. In regards to the arsenal, it consists of a potential plus-plus fastball-curveball combination, 60-grade changeup, and a cutter to mix in. All of this is coming out of the left hand of an player whom possesses a 6'4" body to dream on and a clean delivery that will allow for at least plus command in the future. To round it off, the player's shown great makeup and mound presence throughout his time in the spotlight.
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