Brett DeVall Scouting Report (2009)
As a former supplemental 1st round pick in the 2008 draft, Brett DeVall's 2009 season ended prematurely due to an elbow injury which required relatively minor surgery. I was able to catch his third to last start in June and his injury issues are likely to blame for his pedestrian performance.
Physique & Athleticism: The one word I can come up with to describe Brett DeVall's body is soft. With little size through the calves, forearms, and shoulders, his size through the mid-section did not appear to be “good” weight. Improved strength and conditioning may help with his mechanics and help lower his risk for future injury. Few will mistake DeVall for a plus athlete, but his mechanics are repeatable and fluid. The only red flag was he had quite a bit of arm effort for a pitcher throwing in the mid-80's. Again, this could have been due to the injury which ended his season.
Fastball: At 84-86 MPH, DeVall showed the ability to spot in and out well. Out of his hand however, it looked as if he was throwing a shot put. Movement on the pitch was lacking, but this may also be attributed to injury as his delivery included much more effort than a mid-80's thrower should which tends to flatten pitches out.
Curveball: A solid third pitch, the 72-73 MPH offering was more of a big breaker which DeVall was able to consistently throw for strikes. It is not sharp enough to be an out pitch at this point, but a healthy elbow may allow for better arm snap which should tighten the downward movement on the pitch.
Changeup: His best offering, the pitch ranged from 71-74 MPH. With excellent feel on the pitch, he was able to pound his outside spot to right-handers consistently. In the future, the pitch could move from solid average to plus status, but I am not sure a 12-15 MPH velocity difference from the fastball is ideal when his curveball is of identical velocity.
In retrospect, I saw a number of the red flags which should have led me to the conclusion DeVall may be damaged goods. As it turns out, I was in attendance for his final quality start of the 2009 season. In 2010, DeVall should once again open in the "Sally" and I hope to see him again early on in the season.
Physique & Athleticism: The one word I can come up with to describe Brett DeVall's body is soft. With little size through the calves, forearms, and shoulders, his size through the mid-section did not appear to be “good” weight. Improved strength and conditioning may help with his mechanics and help lower his risk for future injury. Few will mistake DeVall for a plus athlete, but his mechanics are repeatable and fluid. The only red flag was he had quite a bit of arm effort for a pitcher throwing in the mid-80's. Again, this could have been due to the injury which ended his season.
Fastball: At 84-86 MPH, DeVall showed the ability to spot in and out well. Out of his hand however, it looked as if he was throwing a shot put. Movement on the pitch was lacking, but this may also be attributed to injury as his delivery included much more effort than a mid-80's thrower should which tends to flatten pitches out.
Curveball: A solid third pitch, the 72-73 MPH offering was more of a big breaker which DeVall was able to consistently throw for strikes. It is not sharp enough to be an out pitch at this point, but a healthy elbow may allow for better arm snap which should tighten the downward movement on the pitch.
Changeup: His best offering, the pitch ranged from 71-74 MPH. With excellent feel on the pitch, he was able to pound his outside spot to right-handers consistently. In the future, the pitch could move from solid average to plus status, but I am not sure a 12-15 MPH velocity difference from the fastball is ideal when his curveball is of identical velocity.
In retrospect, I saw a number of the red flags which should have led me to the conclusion DeVall may be damaged goods. As it turns out, I was in attendance for his final quality start of the 2009 season. In 2010, DeVall should once again open in the "Sally" and I hope to see him again early on in the season.
