Juaron Watts-Brown was a three-spot athlete as a California high school. However, a shoulder injury playing quarterback as a senior pushed him to focus on baseball. Watts-Brown made his college debut last spring for Long Beach State, throwing the school’s for no-hitter while setting a record with 13.6 K/9. He shows some feel for pitching and should be able to refine his control and command as het gets more innings. He struck out 117 batters in 78 innings despite walking 47 batters in 2023. This all came after he transferred to Oklahoma State from Long Beach. The 21-year-old is considered to be a second or third round pick in the upcoming 2023 MLB Draft. However, with two breaking pitches that are great for strikeouts, that could carry him into the first round selection.
Juaron Watts-Brown Draft Profile
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50
Strengths
The right-hander has been a very good strikeout pitcher in college as he can work his pitches on both sides of the plate. His spin rates have been as high as 2600 RPM. His fastball works on the inside part of the plate, sitting 90-94 mph but tops at 96 with decent running action. It’s an ordinary pitch when it comes to velocity and it gets harder than any of his pitches. As for his next-best weapon, he has an 83-86 slider that commands very well. That pitch shows the ability to get swing and misses in and out of the strike zone as he works it glove side. It can be very devestating when facing against left-handed hitters. He also employs a low-80s curveball with a bigger break than his slider and an average mid-80s change up.
2023 top round #MLBDraft prospect Juaron Watts-Brown is feeling it today. FB up to 94, SL 84 86, CB 80 83. Makes quick here with a 3 pitch SO. JWB features one of college baseball’s best breaking balls. Can change shape and speed. Plus to better pitch.@PBR_DraftHQ @d1baseball pic.twitter.com/qrphCPKg3U
— David Seifert (@DSeifertD1PBR) June 3, 2023
Weaknesses
With plenty of upside, Brown does struggle to throw strikes consistently and can walk a good number of batters. His 3.6 BB/9 in 2022 went up to 5.2 BB/9 in 2023 which is unfortunate because his command can get erratic too. He can throw the ball in the dirt a bit too much as he likes to work hitters low in the zone. As for his slider, he struggles to throw it consistently for strike whereas his curveball can be loopy at times. He will have to find a more consistent bite and spin with it. With the right development, if he can continue to fool batters with his off-speed offerings, the walks won’t be as bad as they seem. In addition, if he can develop better command after the draft, he shouldn’t have an issue being in a starting rotation. However, if he continues to struggle, he will likely end up being in the bullpen.
MLB Player Comparison
At times, Watts-Brown looked like Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs. Watts-Brown throws plenty of two-seam fastballs with sliders and changeups mixed in. Many of his pitches move within the strike zone, but not a crazy velocity, similar to Stroman. The 32-year-old has been on a tear this season, sporting a 1.51 ERA and 34:14 K:BB across 41 2/3 innings. Those numbers are somewhat similar to what Watts-Brown put up in college.
Photo Credit: © NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
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