KLaw on Zack Wheeler
Don't know if this is a user violation on TC but this is the verbatim ESPN insider scouting report of Zack Wheeler (the guy Jim Callis thinks the Braves will pick at 7) by Keith Law
Zack Wheeler is a tall loose-armed right-handed pitcher from East Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., who is a lock to go in the first round. On Wednesday, Wheeler threw a seven-inning two-hit shutout, fanning 14 while walking none. His fastball comes out of his hand easy and ran from 91 to 95 mph -- one scout mentioned that he had Wheeler at 96 the previous week -- with tremendous late life. His only real secondary pitch was a hard slurve at 74-78 mph that was all but unhittable; he'd sweep it away from a right-handed hitter and then throw a tighter one to hit the inside corner for a called strike. He threw one hard changeup at 88 mph that was more like a BP fastball than a true change.
His arm action is long but he repeats it well and the length seems to come from the low point where he separates his hands, which isn't that major of a fix for player development. He takes an enormous stride toward the plate with a little bit of drop-and-drive and generates good arm speed, which leads both to velocity on the fastball and sharpness on the breaking ball. He lands a little stiffly with some recoil. With a little projection left, two above-average pitches, and a good delivery, Wheeler should go in the top 20 picks and perhaps in the top 15 as one of the four best prep arms in this class (with Tyler Matzek, Shelby Miller and Matt Purke).
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If we
Go for a righty I’d rather have Shelby Miller!
by Jay212033 on Apr 21, 2009 3:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Is it a 4 Seam or a Sinker? i have read both.
by drumzalicious on Apr 21, 2009 10:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I worry about the overall durability of pitchers who throw the slurve… Mark Prior comes to mind. I could just be paranoid though.
by Chopaholic on Apr 21, 2009 12:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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