Brian Fluharty-Imagn Pictures
The trail Shane Baz took to Tampa Bay’s beginning rotation was something however uneventful. He was drafted twelfth general in 2017 by the Pirates out of Concordia Lutheran Excessive College in Tomball, Texas, the place Ke’Bryan Hayes, Glenn Ottoand Be a person additionally performed. The next summer season, he was dealt to the Rays in a commerce Pirates followers are detest to recollect. The Bucs acquired Chris Archerwhereas the Rays acquired Baz, Tyler Glasnowand Austin Meadows.
Baz went on to make his main league debut in September 2021, and 6 months later he topped our 2022 Tampa Bay High Prospects listing. Then his elbow started barking. The appropriate-hander subsequently underwent Tommy John surgical procedure, and didn’t toe the rubber for the Rays between July 2022 and July of final yr. He’s been stable since coming back from his two-year restoration. Over 162 innings — together with 82 2/3 this season — Baz has an 11-6 document to go along with a 3.94 ERA.
What did Baz’s scouting report appear to be when he ranked third on our 2018 Pittsburgh Pirates High Prospects listing, which was revealed the earlier December? Furthermore, what does he give it some thought all these years later? Wanting to seek out out, I shared a few of what Eric Longenhagen wrote and requested Baz to reply to it.
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“Baz had among the many most electrical stuff within the 2017 draft. He was as much as 98 within the spring, sitting within the mid-90s for many of his begins whereas additionally producing one of the best fastball spin charges within the draft class.”
“That was the massive factor on the time,” replied Baz, who has made 15 begins and received seven of 10 choices — albeit with a 4.79 ERA and 4.83 FIP — within the present marketing campaign. “All people was speaking about spin fee. I didn’t actually know a lot about it, so I positively wasn’t anxious about it. I used to be principally anxious about making an attempt to get the ball over the plate. However I do really feel like I had good things after I bought drafted. I used to be as much as 97-98 (mph) and making an attempt to stay round 94-96. It was principally about honing it in.”
“Baz can even spin an influence breaking ball and throw a nasty cutter.”
“Yeah, I had a cutter on the time,” the righty recalled. “That’s a pitch I’ve sort of put within the again pocket, nevertheless it was a go-to again then, extra so than my curveball was. My cutter sort of become an even bigger slider, and now I’m throwing the curveball extra.
“That occurred extra post-surgery,” Baz added. “I began throwing my curveball so exhausting that the 2 pitches have been sort of working collectively. You need the one with extra motion, so I caught with the curveball.”
“Some scouts famous his heater was extra hittable than they anticipated given its velocity.”
“On the time, most likely,” the righty responded. “I imply, I don’t actually keep in mind how I pitched my first yr of professional ball. It was awhile in the past, so I don’t actually know.”
“Baz is a tightly wound, however athletic, 6-foot-3 with an excellent construct and room for extra weight as he ages.”
“Yeah, I’d say that making an attempt to placed on weight was an enormous factor on the time,” Baz mentioned. “That and get stronger. I really feel I’ve executed an excellent job of that. I used to be most likely 180 kilos after I got here out of highschool, and now I’m round 205 or 210. One other factor I used to be making an attempt to do was engaged on making my supply easy.”
“His head-whacking supply toes the road between explosive and erratic, and he generally struggles to throw strikes.”
“That’s not too far off,” the Houston-born hurler mentioned. “It’s gotten rather a lot higher. Clearly, the extra constant you may make your supply, the extra you’re going to command the ball. So yeah, I’d say that was correct on the time. I did have (a head whack). Again then, I simply wished to throw as exhausting as I might. I didn’t care about issues like longevity, consistency, or the supply.”
“That might want to enhance for Baz to keep away from an eventual transfer to the bullpen… Even when that’s the place Baz finally ends up, his stuff is such that he’s a possible late-inning arm.”
“I feel any approach I might have gotten to the massive leagues, I’d have executed it,” Baz mentioned. “I used to be a catcher as a sophomore. I imply, rising up I used to be all the time advised to attempt to assist the group win in any approach I can. That’s how I’ve all the time checked out it.”
“Baz additionally performed the infield in highschool.”
“I used to be advised that as a place participant I might go someplace round rounds three to 5,” recalled Baz, who bypassed a dedication to Texas Christian College to signal with the Pirates. “I didn’t know what I wished to do. I used to be going to go to school as a two-way participant. I don’t know the place I’d have ended up enjoying. I principally performed infield in highschool, however with the arm and the velocity, I most likely would have ended up within the outfield.
“I took the two-way factor critically. It was again earlier than (Shohei) Ohtani and (Michael) Lorenzen — guys like that who might do each — however I positively thought of it. However not a whole lot of groups wished each, even to attempt doing each, so I made a decision to only keep on with pitching. Would I do it now? I feel that ship has sailed at this level.”
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Earlier “Outdated Scouting Studies Revisited” interviews will be discovered by way of these hyperlinks: Cody Bellinger, Matthew Boyd, Dylan Stop, Matt Chapman, Erick Fedde, Kyle Freeland, Max Fried, Lucas Giolito, Randal Grichuk, Ian Happ, Jeff Hoffman, Tanner Houck, Matthew Liberatore, Sean Newcomb, Bailey Ober, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Joe Ryan, Max Scherzer, Marcus Semien.
