Spring Scouting: Prospect Parade

Bubba Chandler, Grant Taylor, and more!

Welcome to “Spring Scouting”, a series which aims to highlight any intriguing Spring Training players or storylines. This article will cover some intriguing outings from prospects thus far.

Bubba Chander - PIT

I ranked Bubba Chandler as my #3 Pitching Prospect in baseball this past December and he has exhibited why he deserved such a high ranking. His arsenal is highlighted by the same high-riding fastball and bullet slider that we have been so many elite pitchers employ. One such pitcher is Chander’s fellow teammate Jared Jones who burst onto the scene last Spring with similarly gaudy metrics. While their profiles are eerily similar, Chandler’s changeup is a weapon that could vault his ceiling into the stratosphere. He has only tossed a single changeup thus far and it was thrown so hard (92.7 MPH) that Statcast classified it as a sinker!

Chandler isn’t currently on the Pirates 40-Man Roster, but he would easily slot into one of their best starters once he gets the call. Perhaps he can force his way onto the roster with a strong Spring.

Grant Taylor - CWS

Taylor has been injured for most of his pro-career as Tommy John surgery held him out for over a year after he was selected in the 2nd round of the 2023 draft. Despite the limited time, he has been nearly untouchable when he is healthy. He had a dominant showing in Lo-A and also pitched a bit in the Arizona Fall league to end his 2024. Now we are watching Taylor in all his glory during Spring Training.

His arsenal is headlined by absurd velocity; Taylor is averaging 99.7 MPH on his fastball in his abridged outings and has topped out at 101.2 MPH. He has also tossed a low 90s cutter/slider that gets a ton of depth for its speed. The most exciting development for Taylor was the introduction of a kick changeup which had scouts salivating during the AFL. He’s only tossed 2 this Spring and they have been as advertised.

Taylor appeared on multiple Top 100 Lists this winter, including being ranked as my #26 Pitching Prospect, and I would not be surprised if he climbs his way to the top of the prospect ranks. The stuff is simply that good.

Richard Fitts - BOS

Fitts remains absent from Top Prospect Lists, but that may change following his very loud appearance on Friday. Fitts has always been known as a command artist who flashed decent stuff, but after he was acquired by Boston for Alex Verdugo last winter, he has ticked a lot of boxes for me. He maintained his strike throwing ability while flashing much stronger stuff than he had previously. Fast forward to his most recent Spring outing and we saw exactly that, but dialed up to the nines.

In 2024, Fitts topped out at 97.5 MPH. On Friday, he averaged 97.6 MPH on his fastball and hit 99 MPH. Not only that, he introduced two new pitches into his arsenal that should elevate his floor. His new sinker sat in the mid 90s with a good amount of run, while his new curveball gives him additional depth and an early count strike stealer.

I ranked Fitts as my #33 Pitching Prospect, and I’m very happy with that selection. I was already in on Fitts prior to the Spring, and these early developments makes me very optimistic that he can be an impact arm in the Majors this season.

Will Warren - NYY

Warren had an MLB cup of coffee so cold that he left analysts and scouts pondering if his arsenal could hold up in a starter’s role. I leaned more on the optimistic side as I ranked him as my #32 Pitching Prospect, but his inability to attack LHH remained his biggest hurdle.

Warren may have the most steam of any pitcher in Spring Training after he started off on a high-note with 5 consecutive scoreless innings while striking out 7 of the 17 batters he faced. After all, it is just exhibition games, but this iteration of Warren feels different. His fastball has a bit more life and his elite sweeper somehow improved. The most notable change comes in the form of his changeup.

Last season, his changeup and sinker shape heavily overlapped. This was an issue for Warren because these offerings had very little deviation from one another. His changeup looked like his sinker, but was just slower. In his spring outings, Warren has started to separate the pitches as his changeup is getting significantly more depth. This differential in movement should help his changeup play up and give him a true put-away pitch against LHH. He also reintroduced his old curveball into his arsenal to give him another N-S option.

Warren is ticking all the right boxes this Spring. He has made meaningful changes to his arsenal to resolve his weakest links and has already begun to see the fruits of his labour.

Nick Frasso - LAD

A shoulder injury and subsequent labrum surgery kept Frasso out for the entirety of 2024. It was an unfortunate situation for the Dodgers Top Prospect as he looked primed to make his MLB debut on the heels of a really effective 2023.

Now healthy, Frasso is ready to roll, and he looks better than before! His velocity is back to his pre-injury levels and each of his offerings is showing more life. His fastball has exhibited +2” of both iVB and HB which has shot the grade up to from an average to near plus. His slider has also evolved as it is displaying more cutter-like movement compared to its typical depth-y variety. Frasso rounds out his arsenal with his best pitch in his changeup which has been nothing short of incredible this Spring. The offering sits 10 MPH slower than his fastball while displaying elite arm-side run.

It is difficult to trust such small samples, but these changes fell tangible. Although the Dodgers’ pitching staff is stacked to the brim with exciting arms, Frasso is making his case to be the next in line.

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