Spring Scouting: Stuff Savants
Joe Boyle, Ben Casparius, Mason Fluharty
Welcome to “Spring Scouting”, a series which aims to highlight any intriguing Spring Training players or storylines. This article will cover 3 pitchers that grade out very well in my tjStuff+ model.
Joe Boyle - TB
Joe Boyle is an enigma. His pro career has been highlighted by extreme strikeout and walk rates, and one thing has always stayed constant; his stuff is absurd!
There hasn’t been much time this Spring for his command to falter, but we can tell that he has made a few changes to his delivery and arsenal. In regards to his delivery, Boyle slightly lowered his vertical release point and is now standing ~8” closer to 3rd base than last season. The lowered slot has caused his fastball to have ~1” less iVB but also gain nearly 3” of run. He supplemented this change with 2 additional ticks to his fastball to launch its tjStuff+ grade to 112.
His slider is now slightly slower but he is getting a lot more movement on the offering. Last season it hovered in the “gyro” region, but now is exhibits more 2-plane movement with high 80s velocity. The offering was graded a favourable 113 tjStuff+ in 2024 and it has seen a nice bump to 116 tjStuff+ this Spring.
On another note, Boyle showcased a new “splinker” in his lone Statcast outing thus far, and it was bonkers. He gets incredible amount of arm-side run and depth on an offering which sits in the mid 90s. It deviates greatly from his fastball and gives him a vital 3rd offering.
Boyle’s future as a starter is still up in the air, but you cannot deny his raw talent. I expect the Rays to workshop Boyle as a starter at the start of the regular season with the fallback option of him being a shutdown reliever if needed.
Ben Casparius - LAD
Ben Casparius has made some very substantial changes this Spring, with essentially all of them being positive. Arm slot changes are easy to notice and, in Casparius’ case, very substantial. He is releasing the ball from ~4” higher than last season which has caused a significant change to his fastball shape. Firstly, he is throwing his fastball harder which will always help it play up. He hasn’t eclipsed his max velocity from 2024, so my theory is that he is more comfortable to hover near his max more often in these shorter Spring outings. In terms of shape, his fastball has +2” iVB and -1.5” HB which gives it more cut fastball-like movement. The increased velocity and movement change transformed the offering from merely average (98 tjStuff+) to a plus offering (109 tjStuff+)
With Casparius’ role on the Dodgers likely out of the bullpen, he has focused mostly on his fastball/slider combo as his primary method to defeat batters. He might not need more than that in shorter stints, but he has been working on a revamped cutter that looks excellent. The offering sits squarely between his fastball and slider in terms of velocity and movement and grades out at 112 tjStuff+.
Casparius has been one of my prospect crushes for quite a while now, and it looks like it is all coming together. His ability to induce elite spin rates gives his breaking balls a lofty floor and his recent developments help raise his ceiling.
Mason Fluharty - TOR
It’s not often you see a pitcher with a sub-90 MPH fastball grade out this well in a pitching model, but Mason Fluharty is not your average pitcher. Consistency has been the name of the game for Fluharty throughout his pro career as he quickly jumped to AAA after being drafted in the 5th round of the 2022 draft.
Now knocking on the door to the Majors, Fluharty wields a peculiar arsenal highlighted by a high 80s cutter and big sweeping slider. He is a low slot lefty with no arm side moving offerings which may seem like an issue against RHH, but Fluharty has been effective against either handedness throughout his career. He is proficient at inducing weak contact and is particularly deadly against LHH.
Now for how his arsenal grades out so well given its seemingly low velocity. First, it is important to note that his “4-Seam Fastball” is actually a cutter, so its velocity is around MLB average rather than bottom of the barrel. His cutter also gets more cutting action than expected given his lower arm slot. This plays into the phenomenon of “unexpected movement” which helps the offering play up. His sweeper is very strong weapon thanks to its immense glove-side movement. It’s not the best option against RHH, but he zones it well enough to help it return average results.
Fluharty is a crafty lefty that could break camp with Toronto and slot into a medium leverage relief role and flourish.
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