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2020 MLB Draft: Scouting Colorado Rockies third-round pick Sam Weatherly

By Daniel Wettstein II |
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: A MLB baseball rests on the mound prior the spring training game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals at Steinbrenner Field on February 26, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: A MLB baseball rests on the mound prior the spring training game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals at Steinbrenner Field on February 26, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
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DENVER – JUNE 30: Fans leave the front entrance of Coors Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Colorado Rockies into the evening in the National League game at Coors Field on June 30, 2003 in Denver, Colorado. The Diamondbacks defeated the Rockies 8-7 in 12 innings. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
DENVER – JUNE 30: Fans leave the front entrance of Coors Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Colorado Rockies into the evening in the National League game at Coors Field on June 30, 2003 in Denver, Colorado. The Diamondbacks defeated the Rockies 8-7 in 12 innings. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies entered the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft on fire after nailing their first three picks. They continued this trend in the third round.

Sam Weatherly, a left-handed pitcher out of Clemson was another solid selection by the Colorado Rockies with the 81st overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, something that you may sense becoming a theme. Sam is another selection that the circus was nothing new to as he was originally a selection by Toronto in the 27th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

When I started watching what tape I could find, the pitcher that stood out as the best comparison due to his competitiveness and use of a fastball/slider combo to rack up K’s in college was Ryan Rolison. I was also able to see why Ryan was a first-rounder, and Sam lasted until the 3rd.

I’ll let Kyle Peterson from ESPN explain it:

“The biggest question really is the walks,” ESPN analyst Kyle Peterson said during the draft broadcast. “Because if the walks stay to the point they are, and they’ve stayed very consistent over the course of his career, you can’t afford to have him start. You have to take a chance with him in the back end of the bullpen.”

Then I looked at the scouting reports, and yet again it was shown out to be true, Pitchability means millions when it comes to Lefties especially: Numbers for Sam Weatherly are from MLB.com, Numbers for Ryan Rolison are from 2080baseball.com

DENVER, COLORADO, – MARCH 26: People cycle in front of Coors Field on what was to be opening day for Major League Baseball on March 26, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. Major League Baseball has postponed the start of its season indefinitely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO, – MARCH 26: People cycle in front of Coors Field on what was to be opening day for Major League Baseball on March 26, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. Major League Baseball has postponed the start of its season indefinitely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Hopefully, the main difference between the Colorado Rockies left-handers will be fixed in the near future.

The only key difference I could find between Rolison and Weatherly was control and Ryan also has a more easily repeatable and cleaner delivery (which also lends to the control differences between them). This has been the bugaboo for Weatherly since he stepped foot on campus at Clemson.

Although, he has dropped his BB/9 rate every year since his freshman season (7.6 BB/9) to his junior season (5.6 BB/9). This is not a huge jump, and he will need to cut that number in half at least to stick as a starter, but it is a positive trend.

That is especially the case when you consider he has actually risen his K/9 rate at the same time going from 7.5 K/9 as a freshman two-way player pitching out of the bullpen to 17.1 K/9 as a senior while winning the Friday Night Starter role in the Clemson rotation.

The two-way player lends itself to the above-average athleticism he shows on the mound as well continuing the proud tradition of pitchers that refuse to be easy outs in LoDo. To continue the positive trends he showed in an abbreviated 2020 season was the fact he went 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA, 43 K’s, and 14 BB’s in just 22.2 IP.

Again, the walks are a bit concerning, but the fact he has racked up the K’s with pretty much only a 2 pitch mix as he admitted he only threw his changeup “maybe 5% of the time” so given time to complete the development of his third offering and harness that fastball command, he can no doubt stick as a starter with a middle-to-back end of the rotation ceiling. Being a lefty set-up man as the floor makes this yet another solid pick for the Rockies.

DENVER, CO – MAY 05: A detail of the scoreboard as sunset falls over the stadium as the Atlanta Braves face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 5, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The Braves defeated the Rockies 13-9. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – MAY 05: A detail of the scoreboard as sunset falls over the stadium as the Atlanta Braves face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 5, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The Braves defeated the Rockies 13-9. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

More from Rox Pile

The Colorado Rockies get to add some good depth to the pitching depth chart, or to the dearth of talent in the system’s bullpens.

Below you can see what MLB.com had to say about Sam Weatherly before the draft:

Weatherly’s best pitch is a low-80s slider that consistently grades as plus and can wipe out both left-handers and right-handers. He sets it up with a 91-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 with good spin rates that create riding life that leads to swings and misses up in the strike zone. His changeup is improving as he uses it more often as a starter and shows the makings of an average third pitch. Weatherly has the stuff to start and a 6-foot-4 frame built for durability. He’s also more athletic than most pitchers and his arm works well, which makes his struggles to throw strikes baffling. He commands his slider better than his fastball and will land in the bullpen if he can’t do a better job of finding the zone.

Most are going to assume Weatherly will be developed as a reliever. I do not believe that is best, he should be given the ability to prove he is not a starter. He obviously needs to work on fastball command (as do almost all young pitchers as they enter a system), and the changeup needs major development, but he has the raw tools and “bulldog” mentality to be a workhorse type starter with a 6’4″ 200+ lb. frame. This may be the last player from the class to make it to the show with a 2024/2025 debut the most optimistic I could muster.

Next. David Dahl breaks down Nolan Arenado's swing. dark

Though this is a bit of a long project, it was a worthwhile flyer on a high-upside arm in the 3rd round of a 5-round mini-draft. This is yet another A grade pick with plenty of excitement even this late in the draft. With the way things have gone, I am sure you have an idea of where the final grade is going.

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