With their second round pick in the 2014 draft, the Angels dipped into the high school ranks to nab Joe Gatto. Did they find another gem from out of the Northeast?
Joe Gatto
10 words or less: High upside prep pitcher, relatively unknown/un-scouted from the Northeast.
Position: SP Born: 6/14/1995
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 204
2014 Rank: unranked
2014 Season Stats
[table id=59 /]
PITCHING
Fastball – B+. Gatto’s fastball in high school usually sat 92-94, with hard downward movement. There’s a high likelihood his fastball will continues to increase in velocity while his body matures. I think there’s a quite good chance he’s sitting in the mid-90’s before all is said and done.
Off-speed Pitches – C+. Gattos has a pretty sharp 11-5 slider/curve he’s working with right now. It’s not quite a “plus” pitch yet, but it’s above average and feel like it’s well on it’s way to being an effective out pitch. I know nothing of his changeup except to say he really hasn’t worked with it much yet.
Control – B. Gatto’s mechanics, release and general disposition on the mound lead to a lot of strikes thrown. This should remain a relatively consistent tool in Gatto’s arsenal as it’s likely he’ll simply continue to improve as he progresses.
Command – D. I haven’t seen Gatto as much as I’d prefer, but he does seem to leave the ball up rather frequently which leads to him being hit.
Mechanics – C. Gatto really shows no signs of increased stress on his shoulder or elbow, so I don’t believe injuries will be caused by his mechanics. However, Gatto consistently loses his release point on both his fastball and curve and throws across his body far too much. There are definitely a few things he needs to iron out before we see any breakout seasons.
OVERALL
Performance – B. Despite the numbers that don’t look so great in Rookie Ball, you have to give Gatto props. It’s hard enough to be drafted coming out of high school in the Northeast. But Joe managed to be selected in the second round, and even made his way up for an appearance in Orem, where they send most of the college players. All in all, I’d call it a pretty good year from Gatto.
Projection – B. If things progress as the Angels think they might, Gatto has the look of a workhorse #4 starter. He has a hard sinking fastball that may climb into the mid-90’s with a big looping curve. If his change up develops he should be good to go as an MLB starter. If not, he has the fastball to play in the bullpen.
Estimated Time of Arrival – 2020. Gatto is actually a year older than most high school seniors, and if he goes through one level per year beginning with Orem next year, Joe should make it to Anaheim by the time he’s 25-ish.
Grade as a Prospect – B-. There is clearly a lot to like here with Gatto. He doesn’t rely on hiding the ball, or particular movement. He simply throws hard, is projectable and could get a lot better, even though he’s already solid.
2014 in Review*
The big takeaway with Gatto is that the Angels are even using early draft picks on high school arms. There hasn’t been much of that going on the last few years. What it suggests is that the Angels are starting to get to a place where they don’t feel like they need to draft low ceiling college arms just so they have warm bodies in the upper minors. The farm system still isn’t very good, but that is because they are severely lacking on high upside picks. Drafting Gatto could help change that.
Gatto’s a big, projectable righty. It is going to be years before the Angels really get a sense for what his floor and ceiling are going to realistically be. You can dream on him amping up his heater and developing his changeup, but those are just dreams and nothing more at this point. Really, we just have to hope that the Angels perhaps have some sort competitive advantage over the rest of the league in their ability to find underscouted high schoolers out of the Northeast. I’d say that worked out pretty well for them at least once.
Looking Ahead*
Gatto made one appearance with Orem last year and he figures to return their again in 2015. That will be a nice challenge for him, but no matter what his numbers look like, the focus is just going to be on him making the improvements he needs to his offspeed pitches and command.
*As we do every year, the scouting reports and grades are provided by Scotty Allen while Garrett Wilson provides the 2014 in Review and Looking Ahead sections.
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