Brandon Moore News:
Mets righthander Brandon Moore was suspended 50 games by the commissioner's office for a second violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Moore, 25, tested positive for a drug of abuse. He went 10-8, 4.47 at Double-A Binghamton, leading the team in innings pitched (133), strikeouts (105) and wins.
Full Name: Brandon L. MooreI saw Moore in person and thought he had the potential to be a solid innings eater if things broke well. He finesses the zone and has pretty good break on his breaking pitches.
Before the suspension I was sending Moore to AAA where he'd join former Gnat Mark Cohoon. Unfortunately now I think Moore will ultimately be lost in the shuffle of Generation 2K. It's a bad time for Moore to get suspended as he was still ahead of the top kids in terms of development and might have gotten a crack at the majors first. Then... things like this happen.
Moore's Scouting Report:
Moore's fastball topped out at 90 MPH and sat close to 88 for most of the game. His slider was his go-to pitch and accounted for all but one of his K's. He threw the slider between 76 and 85 MPH and would have it sneaking into or diving out of the zone. He was hit pretty well a few times but kept the hitters using the biggest part of the ball-park. In the later part of the game he had a BIG at-bat vs. Latimore where he managed to get him to strike out on a good slow change up. Moore had good control for MOST of the night but is VERY uncomfortable when he is behind and WILL walk people rather than give up on the breaking pitches.
Full Name: Zachary Harrison WheelerWheeler is a real talent and a lot of scouts like him even more than Matt Harvey. I'm not in that camp but that doesn't mean I don't love what I see.
Harvey has real talent and his one flaw is that his talent is sometimes a bit too... talented to control. If I ignore his work in the Giant's organization this year... well... I don't have to have those concerns. Wheeler will not be under pressure to shine right away as he's in a group with plenty of talent. He'll get his shot in 2013 or 2014.
Wheeler's Scouting Report:
Fastball
Wheeler works off a 91-94 MPH fastball with hard, sharp-bending tail. He doesn't nibble with the pitch and likes pitching inside. Able to touch 95 MPH when he needs it, he also was willing to slow things down and sacrifice velocity for command when he needed it -- dipped to the high-80s at times.
His fastball command came and went a little when I saw him. The pitch also straightened out at times. Wheeler exhibited better fastball command when pitching inside. He struggled with consistently throwing strikes on the outside corner. He was also up in the zone with his fastball a bit too much, something that could easily lead to lower ground-ball rates as he advances.
Because of his excellent movement and velocity, Wheeler's fastball projects as a plus offering. He attacks the zone with a lot of quality strikes and isn't at all afraid to challenge hitters. When he allows walks, it's not because he's nibbling, it's because he can't hit his spots.
Curveball
Wheeler's 72-78 MPH curveball has elite, two-plane break and is a no-doubt swing-and-miss offering. The gif to the right is of him buckling Jose Altuve on an 0-1 count. He went on to strike Altuve out with another curveball -- this time in the dirt -- the very next pitch.
Wheeler threw mainly curveballs in his third inning of work, after only occasionally showing the pitch his first two innings. He consistently snapped of curveballs like the one in the gif. It was very impressive. When he located it where he wanted to, it was unfair. Hitters could know it was coming and still swing through it.
He generally kept the pitch down in the zone, but he missed in the dirt a bit too much. Similar to his fastball, Wheeler has room to improve his curveball command. He's presently getting some swing-throughs on curveballs out of the zone that many big leaguer hitters won't offer at.
Still, the pitch is already above-average and it's close to surfacing as a true plus offering. As impressive as Wheeler's fastball was, I think his curveball is his best offering.
Changeup
Wheeler lowered his arm slot a little when he threw his 82-84 MPH changeup. It had bit of sink and late tail to it, but not as much as his fastball. Given how infrequently he threw it, I wasn't able to get a great read on it. I liked the movement, though he's going to need to up his arm speed and intent as well as his arm slot up a little in order to be able to sell it better to big-league hitters.
The changeup I saw was a below-average offering, but it's not far from being average and it could end up being slightly above.
Mechanics/Misc.
Wheeler throws from a 3/4 arm slot. He has a good, aggressive tempo. He's not a max effort pitcher. He stays balanced through his delivery and repeats it well.
He has big feet and broad shoulders. There's a good chance that his body isn't done filling out. Added muscle could lead to better body control, better command and more velocity.
Overall
Wheeler has two pitches that could surface as plus, in his fastball and curveball. The changeup I saw doesn't look like it will be more than a slightly above-average pitch. He could use more seasoning with his changeup as well as his command, but he could be a back-of-the-rotation starter in the big leagues tomorrow. His upside, which he could still be 3-4 years from reaching, is as a very good No. 2 starter and maybe even an ace for stretches of time.
Every young pitcher comes with a good amount of injury risk, but Wheeler's mechanics make him an unlikely bet to avoid major arm injuries over the next five years. Hopefully he can stay healthy, mature into his frame, sharpen his command and get a chance to face big-league hitters. Wheeler is a treat to watch and one of the higher upside arms in the minors.
This round is a decisively easy win for The Gifted.
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