Trevor Rogers 2017 MLB Draft Profile
Overview
Tall, left-handed prep pitchers who throw heat are always highly-sought commodities. Trevor Rogers, a 6’6”, 200 pound fireballer from Carlsbad, New Mexico, fits that description to a tee. Consequently, major league scouts have been following his every move during his senior season with the Carlsbad Cavemen. Rogers has committed to play college baseball with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but will almost certainly forego that scholarship should he be drafted in the first round as projected.
Strengths
Rogers’ fastball touches 95 miles per hour, which has blown away the competition in south east New Mexico. The evidence is an 11-0 record, 0.33 ERA, and 134 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings thus far. As with many prep hurlers, his velocity should increase as he gets older, stronger and receives professional coaching. Rogers throws an effective breaking ball that moves more like a slider than a curve. He has not needed his change-up often at the high school level. The raw talent is there to make that pitch a potential third option. There is major league pedigree in his family, as he is a cousin of former NLCS MVP Cody Ross.
Weaknesses
One of Rogers’ drawbacks is his age. Although a high school senior, he turns twenty in October. This makes him a little less attractive to scouts, as high school draftees need significant time to develop. Furthermore, the competition Rogers faces in New Mexico is relatively weak in comparison to the hotbed high school baseball states. So it is quite difficult for scouts to measure his dominance. Rogers’ change-up is not ready for the pro level. He needs more consistency with his strike zone command, particularly with his secondary pitches. He will not be able to rely solely on his plus-fastball when facing stiffer competition than he did in high school.
