The Pittsburgh Pirates are a team that must live and die by its prospects. In a new series, PBD will project each of the team’s Top 20 prospects in 2017.
Welcome to a new recurring series here at Pirates Breakdown in which we count down and project the 2017 seasons for each of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top 20 prospects, ranked as per MLB Pipeline.
Today we look at the team’s #19 prospect overall – LHP Brandon Waddell.
Prospect Primer
Brandon Waddell busted onto the scene as he pitched a complete game gem for the Cavaliers of Virginia in the College World Series. Waddell was masterful in that game, which gained him national attention.
Waddell displayed an excellent ability to mix his pitches and throw strikes in front of a national audience that day. Waddell was then selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015. Waddell has experienced some level of success in the Pirates organization, posting a combined 3.49 ERA between Bradenton and Altoona in 2016.
Strengths
One of the obvious strengths in Waddell’s game is his ability to keep hitters off balance. Deception is something that all pitchers look to achieve, and Waddell’s slider delivers that deception despite working off of an average fastball velocity. He will also mix in a change up as well. Waddell struck out 120 batters in 147 innings of work in 2016.
Areas of Improvement
One area that Waddell must improve is his control. Last season Waddell walked 63 batters in 147 innings pitched.
At the University of Virginia, Waddell had control problems his junior season, which would have been 2014. He had been battling a blister all throughout college that would come and go. One could concur that he pitched thru it, but he was not nearly as effective as he could have been.
Waddell struggled with his control in 2015 with the West Virginia Black Bears in limited work. If you are not going to be a flame thrower in this league, you must rely on your control. Another area of concern when looking at Waddell’s game is the lack of fastball velocity. Waddell sits in the 89-91 mph range and the pitch projects on a relatively flat plane.
If Waddell does not experience an uptick in his fastball velocity, he will have to develop more movement to fool hitters at the big league level.
Where He Starts 2017
Waddell is projected to be in the starting rotation for the Altoona Curve to start the season. That should be a nice fit for him where he is at in this career with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Waddell needs to work on his control and fastball movement before he can realistically think of making a large jump. Extended time in Altoona should give Waddell time to iron out some of the inconsistencies in his game against mid-level hitters.
Where He Ends 2017
If Waddell is able to improve his control along with his deception, it is conceivable that he could end the season in Indianapolis. Waddell is a lefty, which are considered valuable in any system. He is going to get every chance possible to succeed. It would be highly unlikely that Waddell sees time with the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, unless there was a freak last second injury. Even then the Pirates would look at other options at the Triple-A level first.
[catposts]Image Credit – Bryan Green – Flickr Creative Commons
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