SCOUTING PROFILE: It’s been well documented how deep the 2011 draft class is in top prospect pitchers. That’s unquestionably true in three of the four basic pitching demographics; college righthanders and lefthanders and high school righthanders. But the one area that is a bit thin is high school lefthanders, where Tennessee’s Norris clearly stands out among the nation’s prospects. In fact, only California southpaw Henry Owens is a sure thing to join Norris as a high school lefty in the first two rounds. Norris has been well known to scouts since the summer following his freshman year when he began pitching for the East Cobb Yankees, a predominantly 17-18 year old team in the East Cobb (GA) program, a 5 hour drive from Norris’ home in northeast Tennessee. Norris was touching 87 mph just after his 15th birthday but jumped up to 94 mph after his sophomore season, solidifying his status as a top prospect. Although one of Norris' trademarks as a pitcher is the wide variance in his fastball velocities during a start, one thing that hasn’t varied at all is his prospect status over the past two years, as he’s held down the number one spot in the Perfect Game Rankings for almost two years. Norris’ fastball will move anywhere from 88 to 96 mph during a typical outing, something he attributes to focusing on location and movement at times over velocity and power. The run/tail on his fastball can be plus at times. His best secondary pitch is a 74 mph curveball that has very sharp biting action and big depth to it, although it lacks ideal velocity. Norris has been throwing what he calls a slider in the upper 70’s over the last year, although it is more like a sweeping slurve, that, like his curveball, will need some refining before it reaches its potential. His low 80’s change flashes plus quality now, with outstanding late movement at the plate, and should continue to develop for him as he uses it more at the next level. Norris is an above average athlete for a top prospect pitcher and is very quick and sure handed off the mound. If drafted by a National League team, Norris could also prove to be an above average contributor with the bat. In addition to his complete package of fastball, breaking balls, change up, sound mechanics and overall athleticism, Norris has consistently impressed scouts over the years with his make up and enthusiasm for the game.
Projected Draft Position: First round / picks 15-25
| Perfect Game USA's Player Rating System |
10 | Potential very high draft pick and/or Elite level college prospect |
9 | Potential top 10 round pick and/or highest level college prospect |
8 | Potential draft pick and/or excellent college prospect |
7 | College prospect, possible future draft pick with development |
6 | Potential college prospect |
5 | Possible College prospect and/or possible HS varsity |
4 | HS JV |
3 | Possible HS JV |
2 | No prospect at this time |
1 | The game is too dangerous |
