The 2020 Major League season was obviously unique for any number of reasons. One of the side effects of the expanded rosters, the taxi squads, the compacted schedule and the increased doubleheaders is what seemed like an exceptional number of Major League debuts, especially for what was only a 60-game schedule. The lack of a 2020 minor league season also makes it very difficult to predict who might be in position to make their big league debuts in what everyone hopes is a “normal” 2021 season.
In this six-part feature, we will look at some prominent Perfect Game Alumni who did make their Major League debuts in 2020 and speculate on which Alumni will make the jump during the 2021 season. The schedule will be broken down by division and as follows:
Monday, November 30: National League East
Wednesday, December 2: National League Central
Friday, December 4: National League West
Monday, December 7: American League East
Wednesday, December 9: American League Central
Friday, December 11: American League West
(* denotes Perfect Game All-American)
RHP Tanner Houck (Red Sox)
An Illinois native, Houck ironically appeared in his first PG event before his junior season at the 2012 PG NorCal Showcase. An already strong 6-foot-5, 210 pound athlete, Houck worked up to 83 mph with his signature long and whippy ¾’s arm action and power slider. A year later, he was up to 89 mph at the WWBA 17U World Championships and working consistently in the low-90s as a senior. There was plenty of draft talk about Houck in 2014 and the Blue Jays spent a 12th round pick on him but Houck moved on to Missouri to play college ball.
Houck proved a durable SEC starter in three years at Missouri, never missing a start while posting a 17-18, 3.26 record over three years. Scouts loved his raw stuff and especially his swing and miss slider but many had issues with Houck’s aforementioned arm action and his crossfire mechanics as a future starter. The Red Sox liked him the most and picked him with the 24th overall pick in the 2017 draft, signing him for a $2,614,500 bonus. It should be noted that former Perfect Game scouting supervisor, Todd Gold, was Houck’s signing scout.
With the Red Sox tinkering with Houck’s mechanics, his command and prospect status lagged for two years after signing, including a 7-11, 4.24 year in High A in 2018 and an extended trip to the bullpen in 2019. Restored to his old mechanics in 2020, Houck was outstanding in the Red Sox pandemic training camp and was called up in mid-September and made three dominant starts over the final two weeks of the season, going 3-0, 0.53 and allowing only six hits in 17 innings
RHP Clarke Schmidt (Yankees)
Schmidt’s older brother, Clate, was a 2011 PG All-American and the younger Schmidt developed more slowly than his brother as a baseball talent. Clarke worked mostly in the mid to upper-80s in high school, although he topped out at 91 mph at Jupiter during his senior year. He went undrafted in 2014 and was ranked 231st in the PG class rankings. But scouts quickly saw that it was just a matter of timing before Schmidt caught up with his brother, as he pitched for Team Elite at the WWBA 18U National Championships after he graduated and was up to 94 mph with an 83 mph slider.
Schmidt continued to develop quickly at South Carolina and by the start of his junior year was one of the top pitching prospects in the game, with a plus fastball/slider combination and outstanding command. He was 4-2, 1.34 mid-way through the 2017 season when he hurt his elbow and had to undergo TJ surgery. The injury hardly impacted his draft status, though, as the Yankees still selected him with the 16th overall pick, although Schmidt did have to settle for a well under slot $2,184,300 bonus due to his elbow.
After a quick recovery, Schmidt bounced back to throw 23 innings in 2018 and 90 more in 2019, finishing in AA, and establishing himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the Yankees system. He got into three games during the 2020 season, including a four-inning start against Miami on September 27.
LHP Shane McClanahan (Rays)
McClanahan attended Cape Coral High School in the Fort Myers area and was a regular at Perfect Game’s Fort Myers events. A plus athlete, McClanahan has a slender young build and was listed at 6-foot-2, 165 pounds as a senior. He generally worked in the upper-80s with his fastball, topping out at 91 mph, to go with a quality slider and change up. Perfect Game had him ranked 91st overall in the 2015 class and the Mets ventured a 26th round pick on him, but McClanahan decided to attend South Florida.
McClanahan missed his freshman year at South Florida after undergoing TJ surgery but came back stronger and more physically mature with better overall stuff. He went 4-2, 3.20 in 2017 with 104 strikeouts in 76 innings and posted very similar numbers in 2018, going 5-6, 3.42 with 120 strikeouts in 76 innings. McClanahan’s raw stuff was as good as any college pitcher in the country, with his fastball touching the upper-80s and his slider/change up combination both flashing plus and McClanahan was often talked about as a potential top 10 pick despite struggles with command and his quickly reaching pitch count limits even when not walking many hitters. Still, it was a surprise when he lasted all the way until the end of the first round, where Tampa Bay landed him with the 31st overall pick and signed him for a $2,230,100 bonus.
McClanahan blew through both A levels in his full-season debut in 2019, finishing in AA while going 11-6, 3.36 with 154 strikeouts in 120 innings. Last year, he had the rare distinction of making his Major League debut in the playoffs, working in four games for the Rays and even throwing a scoreless inning in the World Series. With the Rays generally slow development of their young pitchers and a couple of more experienced arms coming off of injuries, the irony is that McClanahan isn’t a sure thing to make his regular season debut in 2021.
*1B Ryan Mountcastle (Orioles)
Mountcastle played for current Perfect Game Scouting Director Jered Goodwin at both Hagerty (Fla.) High School and for the FTB travel team. He was considered one of the top hitters in the 2015 class and not only had the requisite bat speed and power potential but who also showed a very advanced understanding of how to hit and how to drive the ball to all fields. Mountcastle was a 2014 Perfect Game All-American and finished his high school career as the 34th ranked player in the 2015 class.
Because of concerns about his future defensive position, it wasn’t a sure thing that Mountcastle would get drafted high enough to pass on his Central Florida scholarship. The Orioles made it work, though, signing the right-handed slugger to a $1.3M bonus as the 36th overall pick. Ironically, Mountcastle was picked only four picks after the Pirates selected Ke’Bryan Hayes, who, like Mountcastle, had a short but dominant debut in 2020.
Baltimore took Mountcastle’s progression through the minors slowly despite the fact that he hit and hit immediately at every level. Scouts were concerned about his lack of walks at the plate and his gradual shift to a first base/left field defender but there was little questioning his offensive ability, especially after he was named the Player of the Year in the AAA International League in 2019 after hitting .312-25-83 with 35 doubles as a 22-year old. Mountcastle still retains his 2021 Rookie of the Year eligibility, falling four at-bats short of the line while hitting .333-5-23 in his 35-game big league debut.
RHP Nate Pearson (Blue Jays)
Pearson went undrafted out of high school while being ranked 206th in the final 2015 PG class rankings. His best performance was in his senior year when he topped out at 93 mph while pitching for the Royals scout team at the 2014 WWBA National Championships. A native of Florida, Pearson was every bit of his listed 6-foot-6, 230 pounds and was still growing into his coordination while also still developing his secondary pitches.
Pearson attended Florida International as a freshman and pitched well, posting a 1-1, 2.70 record in 33 innings. He decided to transfer to Central Florida CC as a sophomore and his raw stuff exploded, sitting in the mid-90s and reaching higher. Pearson went 5-2, 1.56 with 118 strikeouts and only 23 walks in 81 innings and was quickly rising on team’s lists as the draft approached. He slid further than some thought, going 28th overall to the Blue Jays and signing for a $2.452,900 bonus.
Sidelined by injuries in 2018, Pearson entered 2019 with lots of eyes on him due to reports of his 100 mph fastball during his rehab. He dominated through three levels in 2019, going 5-4, 2.30 with 119 strikeouts and only 27 walks and 63 hits allowed in 101 innings. He made his big league debut with 18 innings in 2020 and has a good shot at joining the Blue Jays rotation in 2021.
Potential 2021 Debuts
SS Jeter Downs (Red Sox)
Downs, who was named for Derek Jeter back in his native Columbia, was a standout at Monsignor Pace High School in Hialeah, Florida, and for the Elite Squad travel team. He attended the 2016 PG National Showcase, where he ran a 6.45 sixty and threw 93 mph during infield drills to highlight his physical tools. Downs impressed the most as a quick twitch athlete with middle of the field defensive tools. His stock took off as a senior as he consistently showed more power at the plate to compliment his outstanding athleticism.
The Reds picked Downs with the 32nd overall pick in the 2017 draft and signed him out of a Miami scholarship for a $1,822,500 bonus. He was traded that winter from the Reds to the Dodgers as part of the Matt Kemp/Yasiel Puig trade and fortified his prospect status as a top prospect by hitting .276-24-86 in 2019 between High A and AA as a 20-year old, adding 35 doubles and 24 stolen bases. Downs was then sent to the Red Sox as part of the Mookie Betts/David Price trade prior to the 2020 season.
While Downs has played mostly shortstop as a professional, he’s also seen action in about 20 games at second base, an important consideration with All-Star Xander Bogaerts already manning shortstop for the Red Sox.
*LHP DL Hall (Orioles)
Hall finished his high school career with Valdosta (Ga.) High School and the Chain National Travel team as the sixth ranked player in the 2017 high school class and was up to 96 mph during his inning on the mound at the 2016 PG All-American Classic. His report from the 2016 PG National Showcase reads as follows:
Strong athletic build, still projectable but looks to be bigger than his listed size. Stays over the rubber well in his delivery, explodes to the plate, bit cross body at release, delivery has smoothed out with less effort since previously seen. Fastball topped out at 95 mph early, settled in at 92-93 mph, mostly straight but explodes on hitters. Mid-70s curveball is tight with hard biting 1/7 shape and will buckle knees. Rare change up. Tends to drift from the stretch and lose command. Mastering fastball command will be key to his development, all the other tools are there.
Hall’s curveball was in contention for the best breaking ball in the 2017 class. It wasn’t a true power breaking ball in velocity but it was superbly tunneled with his fastball with a very tight, biting break that overmatched right-handed hitters as well as left-handers. Unusual for a young pitcher, Hall had much better command of his curveball than his fastball. After a very strong senior season, Hall was signed out of his Florida State scholarship by the Orioles, who drafted him with the 21st overall pick and signed him for an even $3M bonus.
Hall’s professional career development has mirrored what he showed in high school; dominant raw stuff with big strikeout numbers and slowly improving command of his mid-90s fastball. With a normal 2020 season, Hall would have started the year in AA, with his short-term future hinged on the continuing improvement in his command. There are certainly plenty of openings on the Orioles pitching staff for Hall’s type of stuff and ceiling.
*OF Joshua Lowe (Rays)
Lowe was three years behind his brother, Tampa Bay first baseman Nate Lowe, at Georgia’s Pope High School. He was the best two-way player in the 2016 high school class and arguably the best overall athlete. Lowe attended the 2015 PG National Showcase, where he topped out at 94 mph with extreme projection in his 6-foot-4, 190 pound build, and was selected to play in the 2015 PG All-American Classic as a right-handed pitcher. Over the course of the summer, however, it became increasingly obvious that Lowe, a left-handed hitter who also played third base and ran a 6.57 sixty, might be an even better position prospect if his near top of the scale power potential was ever realized.
When Lowe hit .391-11-39 as a senior while just working out of the bullpen as Pope’s closer, the decision was made easier for scouts. The Rays signed him out of a Florida State scholarship with the 13th overall pick for a $2,597,500 bonus.
Lowe has taken a steady level by level progression through the Tampa Bay system, typical of that organization’s approach to development. He switched to centerfield in his first full season and has used his speed and plus arm to become a defensive standout at that position. Lowe’s bat has been a bit slower to progress, but his power production took a big jump in 2019 as a 21-year old in AA, where he hit .252-18-62 with 30 steals, over doubling his previous home run high.
RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (Blue Jays)
Woods Richardson was exceptionally young for the 2018 class and was also just as much a position player as a pitcher until his senior season. In fact, he was named All-Tournament at the 2017 WWBA 17U National Championships for Marucci Elite after hitting .700 with three extra-base hits, including a home run. A strong 6-foot-3, 200 pound athlete even at 16-years-old, Richardson generally worked in the 90-93 mph range with a big breaking curveball when on the mound.
Woods Richardson was ranked 49th in the final PG class rankings with a Texas scholarship in hand when the Mets picked him with the 48th overall selection in the 2018 draft and signed him for a $1,850,000 bonus. After an outstanding debut over two levels of rookie ball, Woods Richardson was then included in the Marcus Stroman trade to the Blue Jays.
Because of his very young age, Woods Richardson pitched all of 2019 as an 18-year old, moving to High A late in the season and striking out 126 hitters in 106 innings while only walking 24. Reports from the Blue Jays pandemic training camp were that Woods Richardson was one of the stars of the camp and may have almost put himself in position to make his big league debut as a teenager if the season had evolved differently.
RHP Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles)
Rodriguez was listed at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds at Central Heights High School in Northeast Texas and was a huge physical presence on the baseball field. He was one of the most dominant two-way players in the 2018 class and posted absurd numbers throughout his high school career on both sides of the ball. He came to the 2017 PG National Showcase as a primary first baseman, actually, but this scout’s first line on his report read “Primary first baseman but future is clearly on the mound.”
Rodriguez worked in the low-90s in the summer prior to his senior year and threw both a slider and curveball while exhibiting better command than one would expect out of an oversized young pitcher. The off-season prior to his senior spring season, Rodriguez dedicated himself to getting stronger and re-shaping his big body and that work really paid off. The Texas A&M commit came out throwing in the mid-90s with more power and bite to his breaking ball and scouts began flocking to Nacogdoches, Texas. The Orioles popped him a bit higher than the experts had him, taking him with the 11th overall pick and signing him for a $4.3M bonus.
Early impressions have Baltimore making a very wise choice. Rodriguez dominated in his first full season in Low A, striking out 129 hitters in 94 innings while going 10-4, 2.68 while showing the same type of stuff and command he showed prior to signing. The mature physicality and mature ability to throw strikes with multiple pitches means it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rodriguez in the big leagues as a 21-year old this year.