The 2021 MLB Draft class contains several high-profile prospects. As the class draws comparisons to the 2005 and 1985 draft classes, two pitchers – Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker – are stealing the headlines. However, they are not the only collegiate pitchers ranked in the top-10. RHP Ty Madden is currently the ninth-best prospect, according to MLB.com after three seasons at the University of Texas.
Madden was drafted out of high school in 2018, but he opted for college instead. While pitching for Cyprus Ranch High School, he was on a staff that featured JJ Goss and Matt Thompson, both of whom were drafted in the first two rounds in 2019. Madden looks poised to be the highest drafted of that trio after his college development significantly bumped his draft stock up from being a 34th rounder in 2018.
Strengths
Ty Madden is a power pitcher. He gets batters out with a fastball-slider combination, and both pitches are graded 60/80 by scouts. He topped out at 99 mph in the fall while his fastball has natural sink to it. His over-the-top delivery allows him to generate good spin on the baseball and create late break on his slider. Additionally, he mixes in a low-80 mph changeup with good fade. With three quality offerings, Madden has compiled a 2.66 ERA and 9.7 K/9 in 148 2/3 innings at Texas.
Adding 35 pounds to his frame also helped his development. Madden now stands at 6’3 and 215 pounds. The added weight allows him to put more force into his delivery and repeat his mechanics with consistency. The uptick in strength has fueled his increase in velocity since high school where he topped out at 95 mph.
Weaknesses
The weakest aspect of Madden’s game is his curveball, but it still grades out as an average pitch. Currently, his fourth-best offering, it clocks in the upper-70 mph range. If he can throw the pitch with more consistency, he will have a deadly four-pitch arsenal to get MLB hitters out.
Madden also needs to be more consistent with his control. Through 81 1/3 innings in 2021, he has a 3.38 K/BB. Although that is a good number, it is down significantly from the 6.50 K/BB in 2020 – albeit in a small sample. For his career, that number is 2.82. Even with the inconsistent K/BB numbers, Madden limits base runners. His career WHIP is 1.150, and it sits at 1.070 in 2021.
Madden’s grade is a 55/80 for his control, which is consistent with what he has shown in 2021. Still, if he can sustain the control he flashed in the abbreviated 2020 season, he will be an even better MLB pitcher.
MLB Comp
High velocity and a good fastball-slider combination are Madden’s specialty. The same can be said for Washington Nationals RHP Max Scherzer. In fact, Scherzer and Madden have similar frames – both 6’3 tall and roughly the same weight. At his best, Scherzer averaged just under 95 mph on his fastball, and he still averages 94 mph at ager 36. Madden also operates at 93-96 mph with his fastball.
Additionally, Scherzer uses his slider 19.9% of the time as his second-best pitch, and his changeup at 14.2% for his third-best pitch. Although his changeup is faster on average than Madden’s, their sliders both sit in the mid-80 mph range. Scherzer is on his way to the Hall of Fame. It is unfair to say that Ty Madden will have Max Scherzer’s career, but given their similarities in size, repertoire, and power, he has the potential to dominate MLB hitters, similarly.
Players mentioned: Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, Ty Madden, Matt Thompson, Max Scherzer
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
