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Braden Shipley

Born: 02/22/1992 (Age: 22)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 190
Mechanics
High three-quarters arm slot; lots of arm speed; free and easy delivery; fast, but controlled; rock-and-rolls; inconsistent fastball plane; consistent arm slot and stride; strong balance throughout delivery; needs to improve timing of trunk rotation; plus-plus athlete; doesn't look like a pitcher; plenty of room to fill out; plus makeup.
Evaluator Ron Shah
Report Date 06/23/2014
Affiliate Visalia Rawhide (High A, D-backs)
Dates Seen 06/13/14
OFP 65
MLB ETA 2017
Video Yes
Pitch Type Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
Fastball 70 94 98 Generates fastball velocity effortlessly; features strong arm side movement at 93-94 mph; still possesses life in the mid-90s; straightens out some at the upper-90s.; held velocity well; hitting 95 mph in 6th; more control than command; does keep it down; attacks hitters.
Changeup 70 84 86 Changeup is the out pitch; mid-80s offering; flashes plus-plus; fastball disguise; consistent arm speed and slot; possesses at least plus fade; just dies at the plate; misses barrels and bats; great confidence in it; will throw in any count or situation; will even triple down; commands it arm side.
Curveball 60 79 82 Presently fringe-average; flashed at least plus; plenty of projection, but lots of work to do; command needs to tighten up; starts out of the zone and very high; could become a true hammer once he fills out; freezes batters with huge break; some had loose two-plane break; some are hangers; some don't break until after they cross the plate.
Overall

Braden Shipley is the type of pitcher I would love to add to my organization. He's an excellent athlete -- even beating a runner to first base on a grounder back to the mound -- that generates fastball velocity effortlessly, whether it's registering a 93 or 98 on the radar gun. The makeup is plus; he's light and flowing with positive energy, but he's cold-blooded with a mean-streak on the inside.

Realistically, he could be a No. 3 starter with more control than command and a solid-average curveball as his third offering. There's optimism for No. 2 starter potential, because he's shown tremendous feel for his arsenal with limited experience on the mound. To get there, he'll need to tighten up his command and continue making strides with the curveball.

There's moderate risk with Shipley, because of the projection in the curveball and command. He'll also take longer than some other college arms because of his limited mound experience. But I'm not going to bet against someone as athletic as Shipley. There's no reason he can't tighten up his command with more experience on the mound. The curveball is already flashing plus, if not more, too.

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