As the MLB Draft creeps closer, many young men are wondering in the back of their heads what fate has in store for them come June 3rd. Getting drafted is an experience unlike any other as boyhood dreams become a reality. One player that appears primed to be drafted is Graeme Stinson.
Graeme Stinson 2019 MLB Draft Profile
Stinson is a left-handed pitcher who is currently a junior at Duke University where he has split time as a starter and reliever. 2019 has been an up-and-down season. In five games, according to D1baseball.com, he has a 2-2 record with a 4.58 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched. His season came to an untimely end due to an injury. A silver lining to his season is that despite a high ERA, he has still held opponents to a .167 average.
His best college season came last season when he appeared in 23 games, starting four of them. His ERA in 62 innings sat at a microscopic 1.89 with a 5.16 K/BB ratio. Opponents hit .200 against him over the course of the season.
Strengths
Stinson, the top-rated four-year college pitcher at the start of 2019, has a three-pitch repertoire featuring a fastball, slider, and changeup. His slider garners the most attention, receiving a 65/80 grade from MLB.com.
When he is healthy, his slider is believed to be the best of any pitcher in the draft. The slider has the potential to be a real plus-plus pitch with its ability to break two planes and hit the mid-80s velocity wise. This pitch has helped him produce an eye-popping 13.83 K/9 over his collegiate career.
His fastball also has plus pitch potential, ranging from 91-96 MPH. MLB.com grades this pitch a 60/80. The changeup, graded 50/80, is not a strength for Stinson right now, but it has the potential to develop into something exceptional. Stinson did not throw the pitch when he was coming out of the bullpen so it is still in the early stages of development.
Weaknesses
Despite his high regard to start 2019, Stinson’s fall to 65th in the prospect rankings highlight some of several concerns. His season-ending injury sends red flags about his durability. Listed at 6’5 and 260 pounds, his body has been described as ‘soft,’ and he lacks elite athleticism. As a result, this can lead to an inability to repeat his mechanics over time.
This struggle in repeating mechanics will impact his control. MLB.com grades him a 50/80 for his control as it is. This has been displayed in his time at Duke as he has walked 40 batters in 110 career innings as a Blue Devil. This comes out to a below average 3.27 BB/9 ratio.
MLB Comparison
Graeme Stinson, when completely healthy, compares well to that of the Cleveland Indians Brad Hand. Both feature a low-to-mid 90s fast ball, complemented with a slider that breaks deep in the zone. At his best, Stinson has a higher velocity on his slider than Hand does, which would result in more swings and misses with that pitch than Hand gets. Either way, they both utilize those two pitches to get high K/9 rates (Hand is averaging 12.5 over the last three seasons).
If Stinson can better develop his changeup, he would be more suited to start games and compare to another 6’5 left-handed starting pitcher. New York Yankees J.A. Happ has enjoyed a lengthy MLB career utilizing a repertoire similar to what Stinson currently features. Happ has learned to throw a sinker throughout his career, but he still throws a fastball, slider, and changeup in the same range of velocities as Stinson currently does.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
