Player: Josh Pettitte
Drafted by: New York Yankees (No. 1124 overall)
Position: RHP
DOB: 11/3/1994 (Age: 18)
Height/Weight: 6’1″/190 lbs.
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Deer Park HS (TX)
College Commitment: Baylor
Background
Josh Pettitte, son of Andy, made some headlines earlier this year when he threw a no-hitter for his high school team in Texas. While that was a nice individual achievement, it doesn’t tell you much about his draft prospects.
Fortunately, there is some good news, as Pettitte is showing better stuff this year and could be a Day 3 selection for a team—it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s the Yankees, considering their connection to his father. But he still has a long way to go to prove he will have a big league career.
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:
A bit undersized for a right-hander; frame is already filling out without huge velocity increase, so there doesn’t seem to be a lot of projection left; does have a nice, clean delivery with easy arm action and push off the mound.
Fastball: 40/45
Increased velocity this season; will touch 88-89 on occasion but sits in the mid-80s; may find more consistency in the high-80s/low-90s range when frame is all filled out; won’t have more than fringe velocity at peak, and pitch is a little too straight for comfort, but he mixes in, shockingly, a decent cutter and two-seamer.
Curveball: 40/45
Advanced feel for breaking ball; will have to succeed with off-speed stuff and keeping hitters off balance due to lack of velocity on fastball; shows some depth and snap at the end but can get a little loopy when he tries to overthrow it.
Changeup: 40/50
Ability to locate changeup gives it average big league potential; some downward movement but will stay straight at times; throws it with good arm speed and separation from the fastball; best weapon in arsenal at present.
Control: 40/50
Very aggressive with all of his pitches; stays around the zone very well; needs to get better at spotting pitches; lack of velocity hurts his attacking approach, as hitters will square him up easily; good enough to have average control at his peak.
Command: 35/45
Needs to focus more on trying to spot pitches rather than always staying in the zone; inability to command stuff will lead to a lot of hard-hit balls; ability to mix and match pitches does give him some future potential.
MLB Player Comparison: Carlos Villanueva
Projection: Organizational guy who might get an occasional cup of coffee to spot start.
MLB ETA: 2018
Chances of Signing: 20%
Even though the pedigree is there for Pettitte, he would be much better off going to Baylor for three years, proving he can keep increasing his fastball velocity, working on his off-speed pitches and getting more polished to improve his stock.
As things stand now, Pettitte has enough in his arsenal to be a very late Day 2 or early Day 3 selection. The money, or lack thereof, at that spot shouldn’t be enough to get him out of college right now.
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