2,072 MLB PLAYERS | 14,476 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story  | 5/26/2021

College Reports: May 26

Vincent Cervino      Kyler Peterson     
Photo: Robert Gasser (American Athletic Conference)
College Player Report Database

Players Featured: Robert Gasser (Houston), Hunter Patteson (UCF), Garrett Schoenle (Cincinnati), Trent Johnson (Tulane), Keegen Gillies (Tulane), Doug Nikhazy (Ole Miss), Julian Bosnic (South Carolina), CJ Weins (South Carolina), Jaden Woods (Georgia), Jack Gowen (Georgia), Tommy Mace (Florida), Trey Van Der Weide (Florida), Carson Skipper (Auburn), Landon Marceaux (LSU), Sean Harney (Kentucky), Tyler Ras (Alabama)





Robert Gasser, LHP, Houston
One of the biggest risers during this draft cycle, Gasser has had one of the more unique stories to the forefront of the draft. After his freshman year at New Mexico, Gasser transferred to San Joaquin Delta for his sophomore year before ending up at Houston in 2020. In just seven innings during the 2020 campaign Gasser was…horrible, to the tune of an ERA over 11.00 during that time frame. In 2021, Gasser has been nothing short of dominant, starting every game for the Cougars with an ERA in the low-2.00s and a very high strikeout clip. He features one of the best finishing weapons on the college side of the draft with his plus slider and shouldn’t have to wait too long to hear his name in July.

Gasser is an athletic lefty who’s about 6-foot-1, give or take an inch or two, and features a methodical, slow-paced delivery out of the windup. He takes a minute on the rocker step to look down and gather himself before a moderate leg lift and a very online arm action with a slight hip turn at foot strike to really add an element of deception to the overall operation. He doesn’t throw with much effort and his lower arm slot allows for both repeatability and for the slider to play up as he tunnels the pitch very well.

The southpaw held his velocity well, sitting right around 90-92 mph for the duration of the start, notching a lot of 93s when he needed them and peaking right around 94-95 mph early in the outing. Gasser generates plus life on the fastball with a ton of arm-side run and sinking action that allows him to miss bats within the strike zone. The fastball command was notable as Gasser both filled up the zone and moved the fastball to both sides of the plate with relative ease.

Gasser’s money maker though is his slider, a true plus weapon that had some hellacious movement, late bite, and has all the markings of a future out-pitch at the next level. The pitch worked in the 80-84 mph range, raw rpms right around 26-2700 per the spin rate gun, with terrific biting action down and to the glove side. The best sliders he threw were often buried down and on the back foot of right-handed hitters, an impressive achievement for an amateur arm to locate that pitch on a consistent basis. The pitch was very consistent, grading out as plus for a majority of the night and giving Tulane hitters fits in the process. Gasser also has a firm changeup that he adds and subtracts from in the 84-88 mph range with the better ones coming toward the lower end of that velocity spectrum; he’s showed a bigger, slower curveball in the past but that wasn’t observed on Tuesday night.

Gasser moves well off the mound as he fielded a number of bunt attempts and converted most into outs while showing off the athleticism in the process. He didn’t get challenged much early and thanks to his ability to mix his pitch selection as well as locate his pitches he worked through relatively unscathed innings. The Tulane offense eventually got to Gasser late as he served up the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and was dealt the tough-luck loss after two more runs crossed in the eighth. Left-handers with plus sliders and true fastball command don’t come around often so it’s easy to imagine a starter’s arsenal as both his mannerisms and the consistency of the breaking ball gave off some late-career Rich Hill vibes, but Gasser’s floor is that of an impact reliever as regardless of how much he develops, that slider is going to be a difference maker; Gasser has a day one grade following this performance along with his track record and he’ll go in a very good spot come July.


This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.
Sign in
DiamondKast
PG Special Events
Travel, Lodging, Entertainment
PG Partners
Recommended
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2024 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.