Player: Wil Crowe
Drafted by: Cleveland Indians (No. 921 overall)
Position: RHP
DOB: 9/9/1994 (Age: 18)
Height/Weight: 6’3”/225 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Pigeon Forge (Tenn.) HS
Previously Drafted: N/A
Background
The 2013 Gatorade State Player of the Year, Crowe put on quite a performance in his senior season. The right-hander went 16-1 with a sub-1.00 ERA and nearly 200 strikeouts. His final outing was a 15-strikeout, 157-pitch gem that clinched Pigeon Forge High’s first-ever state championship. Earlier in the season, he tossed a mercy-rule, game-shortened perfect game and a no-hitter in another.
Next season, assuming he doesn’t sign professionally, Crowe will be headed to the University of South Carolina where he will likely emerge as the staff ace in no time. If he doesn’t sign, he’ll likely be a top-10 candidate for the 2016 draft.
Full Scouting Report
Note: Numerical scores are on the conventional 80-point scouting scale, with the current score first and projected score second.
Body/Mechanics:
Impressive overhand delivery; strong, thick physical build; doesn’t have much physical projection left; clean mechanics and delivery; works quick; repeats his delivery very well; can get into stretches where his delivery gets out of whack, but they don’t last for very long; pretty good athlete for a guy built like he is.
Fastball: 55/65
Fastball sits 90-93 mph; rarely tops 94 mph, but he makes up for it with added movement to the pitch; offering has a lot of late life; feels faster than low 90s for hitters; hard to square up against his fastball; pounds away down in the zone and commands the pitch really well; lack of further physical development means he doesn’t have much velocity to add to fastball; does hold velocity deep into games and is no stranger to throwing well over 100 pitches.
Curveball: 50/65
Great feel for curveball; about as polished a breaking ball as any high schooler possesses in this year’s draft class; sits 76-81 mph; huge break on the pitch; commands it nearly as well as he does his fastball; willingness to throw the pitch in any count against any hitter; should be an above-average offering at the professional level.
Changeup: 45/60
Shows good feel for change; good velocity on the pitch, which sits 77-82 mph; some decent fading action on the pitch; considering how well he has developed his curveball, you can likely expect to see the same development on his changeup; could survive with just his fastball and curve, but will likely need changeup to thrive at the next level.
Control: 55/65
Shows great control over the pitches that he throws regularly (fastball and curve); fastball control is slightly ahead of his curve, but he controls his breaking ball better than most high school pitchers in any draft class; changeup is lacking in both control and command and will need some sharpening.
Command: 50/60
Nearly pinpoint command of his fastball; curveball grades out at slightly above-average, but could still use some work; changeup is lacking, but command should come with more use of the pitch; so good at repeating his delivery that command at the big league level should be average at worst.
MLB Player Comparison: Phil Hughes
Projection: No. 3 starter on a first-division team; workhorse inning-eater.
MLB ETA: 2018
Chances of Signing: 70%
It’s going to be hard to sway Crowe away from a commitment to the school that has become a regular in the College World Series. His overall package of stuff and mentality will be highly sought after on draft day, and if he goes high enough, he’ll get enough money to turn pro.
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