Juaron
Watts-Brown

At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, JW-B is lean and athletic. He has a loose, repeatable delivery with a quick arm. Touching 94 mph, he sat more 89-93 with sink and run at times. His slider flashed plus with late, sharp action at 81-83. In four innings of work he struck out six, walked one and allowed three runs on seven hits. He started hot out of the gates with two impressive innings, striking out two of the three Missouri hitters in the first and two of the four in the second. After two quick outs in the third, he scuffled a bit, finding barrels, hitting a batter and walking in a run. Overall, he did not meet the hype that he earned this fall in Stillwater when reports of a likely first round arm swirled around the scouting industry. This latest look was similar to the one I had last summer in the Cape, when I pegged him as a potential third-to-fifth round prospect. Clearly, one average start doesn’t make or break a season and JW-B has plenty of time to show the promise he displayed last fall.

Although he was solid in the Cape this past summer attacking with a 92-93 mph fastball and a good low-80s slider, he was even better this fall in Stillwater. The athletic 6-foot-2 righthander pounded the zone at 93-95 mph with a riding fastball and slightly above-average spin (2300-2400s) from an over-the-top slot, but his best pitch was an 84-87 mph slider with sharp, late tilt and tight spin close to 2800 rpm. It’s a devastating, swing/miss offering and such a deadly weapon that he rarely even needs to go to his changeup or his low-80s power curveball. Overall, it’s four distinct pitches and a top round draft profile.

Cape Cod: An athletic right-hander with a quick arm at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Watts-Brown throws from a three-quarters release point with more than average effort, showing good extension out front. He works quickly and aggressively with a three-pitch mix, consisting of a 92-93 mph fastball that touches 95, a low-80s gyro-variety slider and a firm 87-88 mph changeup. His fastball was straight and higher-spin at 2350-2475 rpm with average control, while his slider was more of a strike-stealer than out pitch on this look and his changeup is a work-in-progress. In 34 Cape innings this summer he struck out 45 to go along with a 3.70 ERA. He's an intriguing arm with plenty of upside and a good chance to add more velocity. Watts-Brown has early Day Two potential next summer.

Area Code Tryouts - Upper Class Notebook

SoCal ProCase: SPOTLIGHT

at Fresno Easter Classic - Texas Tech commit; Was a big draw on Day Two of the Fresno Easter Classic. The junior righty burst on the scene last summer at the Underclass Area Code Games where he flashed a lively fastball and two-plane slider and has improved his command of both pitches since then. His fastball showed some late life while working at 87-89 most of the night. It was straight at times but he showed the ability to elevate and bury it when needed while also working to both sides of the plate. Didn’t lose any velocity out of the stretch early before settling in at 85-87 from there late. Slider showed two breaks to it. Initially it was slurvy with late biting action, before it took on more of a curveball break with depth working at 75-77 and touching 78 with the pitch, he took something off from the stretch causing the break to be a tad loopier at 71-73 which also kept hitters off balance.

8/10-8/12/18 at Area Code Games: Large frame with a higher waist and pronounced strength in lower half; projectable build with more space for strength in lean and wiry upper half. Hands start at head and stay there through simple turn delivery; arm gets out of glove early and down to lower back before slight tuck and sits into back hip while driving down the hill. Very quick and loose arm gets to 3/4-release and jumps on hitters with longer extension using strong legs. FB 86-88, T89 MPH showing angle down through the zone with ability to dial the velocity up/down as needed. CHG 79-82 MPH was straight and heavy with limited feel and limited depth; actions showed pitch could be average offering as he continues to gain feel for pitch. CB 69-73 MPH showing tight spin with late 12/6 drop; pitch projects to be a true 2-level pitch with flashes where the tight spin really snaps through the zone. 2.2 innings pitched giving up 6 hits while walking 3 and giving up 4 runs and striking out 1; first outing were weak contact hits, but also consistent battling from behind while pitching around hitters. 2nd outing had balls squared up more consistently on him as fastball was up in the zone after pitching two days earlier.