Ross Seaton Scouting Report (2009)
A supplemental 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft, Seaton was ranked the 28th best prospect pre-draft by Baseball America. Said to have a plus fastball and slider, he was considered to be the next in a long line of big Texas righties. However, his 3.96 FIP and 13.2% K% leaving him looking more like a soft tossing control artist than the power pitcher he was billed to be.
Physique and Athleticism: Every bit of his listed 6'4", 215 lbs, Seaton's physical appearance certainly fit the bill of the prototypical right-handed power pitcher. While well-proportioned, his legs and upper body have room for additional muscle which could help a relatively average fastball. His movements were somewhat mechanical and his arm action resembled more of a catapult motion than fluid arm action. His arm speed was also just average and he didn't seem to be generating the power one would expect from a pitcher his size.
Mound Presence: The first two words which come to mind are "poised" and "relaxed". He worked out of trouble the entire evening and remained unflappable. Seaton showed little if any emotion on the mound and could have easily passed for an older, more mature prospect.
Fastball: Scouting reports claim Seaton can hit 94 on the radar gun. On this occasion, he topped out at 91 MPH with his 4-seamer and was consistently in the 88-90 MPH range. Seaton also mixed in a 2-seamer at 85-86 MPH. Both pitches broke in on the hands of right-handed hitters. The movement was sharp and late as the pitch crossed the plate. It was also his most hittable offering as Mets hitters took advantage early in the count.
Slider: In the bullpen, the pitch broke slightly down and away from right-handed hitters. Unlike other pitchers I've seen who throw more of a "slurvy" pitch with bigger movement, Seaton threw a true slider which complemented his tailing fastball well. However, while the break on the pitch was quick, it lacked bite which goes a long way towards explaining both his low K% and GB%. At this point, it's simply not an out pitch.
Changeup - Seaton showed enough confidence in the pitch to throw it on back-to-back occasions during the game. At 75-76 MPH, the pitch was 12-15 MPH slower than his best fastball which is significantly slower than the ideal 8-10 MPH difference pitchers want.
Seaton's solid, but unspectacular performance was a bit disappointing overall. He showed the poise of a top pick, but I did not see the raw stuff which made him the 28th best draft prosect less than a year earlier. His mechanics also worried me some as I have never seen a pitcher with such a profound stiff arm when extending in his throwing motion. It looked unnatural and made me wonder if it was impeding his arm speed and will limit his velocity.
I would put Seaton in the 3rd tier of young starting pitchers I've seen this year behind the likes of Manuel Banuelos, Stolmy Pimentel, Jeurys Familia, and a handful of others. If I had to rate the ten best in order, my rough estimate is that Seaton would find himself in the 8-10 range.
Physique and Athleticism: Every bit of his listed 6'4", 215 lbs, Seaton's physical appearance certainly fit the bill of the prototypical right-handed power pitcher. While well-proportioned, his legs and upper body have room for additional muscle which could help a relatively average fastball. His movements were somewhat mechanical and his arm action resembled more of a catapult motion than fluid arm action. His arm speed was also just average and he didn't seem to be generating the power one would expect from a pitcher his size.
Mound Presence: The first two words which come to mind are "poised" and "relaxed". He worked out of trouble the entire evening and remained unflappable. Seaton showed little if any emotion on the mound and could have easily passed for an older, more mature prospect.
Fastball: Scouting reports claim Seaton can hit 94 on the radar gun. On this occasion, he topped out at 91 MPH with his 4-seamer and was consistently in the 88-90 MPH range. Seaton also mixed in a 2-seamer at 85-86 MPH. Both pitches broke in on the hands of right-handed hitters. The movement was sharp and late as the pitch crossed the plate. It was also his most hittable offering as Mets hitters took advantage early in the count.
Slider: In the bullpen, the pitch broke slightly down and away from right-handed hitters. Unlike other pitchers I've seen who throw more of a "slurvy" pitch with bigger movement, Seaton threw a true slider which complemented his tailing fastball well. However, while the break on the pitch was quick, it lacked bite which goes a long way towards explaining both his low K% and GB%. At this point, it's simply not an out pitch.
Changeup - Seaton showed enough confidence in the pitch to throw it on back-to-back occasions during the game. At 75-76 MPH, the pitch was 12-15 MPH slower than his best fastball which is significantly slower than the ideal 8-10 MPH difference pitchers want.
Seaton's solid, but unspectacular performance was a bit disappointing overall. He showed the poise of a top pick, but I did not see the raw stuff which made him the 28th best draft prosect less than a year earlier. His mechanics also worried me some as I have never seen a pitcher with such a profound stiff arm when extending in his throwing motion. It looked unnatural and made me wonder if it was impeding his arm speed and will limit his velocity.
I would put Seaton in the 3rd tier of young starting pitchers I've seen this year behind the likes of Manuel Banuelos, Stolmy Pimentel, Jeurys Familia, and a handful of others. If I had to rate the ten best in order, my rough estimate is that Seaton would find himself in the 8-10 range.
