Jason Neighborgall
| IP | 42 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 17.357 |
| WHIP | 4 |
| BB/9 | 27.429 |
| SO/9 | 10.286 |
- Full name Jason Beckley Neighborgall
- Born 12/19/1983 in Durham, NC
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Georgia Tech
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Drafted in the 3rd round (81st overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 (signed for $500,000).
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The draft's biggest enigma, Neighborgall shows first-round stuff and not-drafted stuff, sometimes in the same inning. Neighborgall (advised by Scott Boras) was looking for a Josh Beckett deal ($7 million) coming out of high school. Three years later, he has gotten limited work at Georgia Tech, and he has more career walks (110) than innings pitched (101). Neighborgall has an amazing arm with as much arm strength as any pitcher in the world. His fastball has broken 100 mph in one-inning stints in the Cape Cod League. This spring, he was at 95-97 mph at his best with an upper-80s slider with two-plane depth, and his changeup earns praise from scouts, who consider it an above-average pitch. The obvious problem is command. Clearly part of his problem is mental; he lacks confidence, particularly after an ugly start at Miami in a 20-1 loss. His mechanics are shot, as he flies open with his front shoulder, short-circuits the long arc of his arm and lands awkwardly, pushing himself away from home plate. Neighborgall's ceiling is higher than that of any pitcher in the draft, but his likelihood of reaching his ceiling is perhaps lower than any pitcher's. The Boras relationship complicates matters when trying to figure out where he's selected; he's expected to go anywhere from the sandwich round (to a team with extra picks and a history with Boras clients) to the fifth round, or to go completely undrafted.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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At the cost of a third-round pick and $500,000, Arizona took Neighborgall, the ultimate high-risk, high-reward player in the 2005 draft. He likely would have been a first-round pick out of high school in 2001, but he sought a Josh Beckett-like big league contract ($7 million). The Red Sox took him in the seventh round and floated a seven-figure offer, but he opted to attend Georgia Tech instead. After struggling with his control as a freshman, the wheels came completely off as a sophomore, as Neighborgall pitched just 6 2/3 innings while walking 24. As a junior, he started well before falling apart again, finishing with a 7.13 ERA and 53 walks in as many innings. The numbers from his pro debut were markedly worse. He's one of the most fascinating and frustrating pitching prospects in baseball. He's one of the few pitchers in the game with two pitches (fastball and slider) that earn 70 or better raw grades on the 20-80 scouting scale. But at the same time, his extreme control problems leave most scouts doubting he'll ever make it. He sits in the upper 90s with his heater and consistently hits triple digits. His slider features two-plane break and comes at hitters with velocity (88-91 mph) that's typical of a fastball. He even sells his changeup with excellent arm action, and it can be a third plus pitch at times. Much of Neighborgall's troubles can be traced to his mechanics, which are just plain awful. His shoulder flies open, and his extremely violent landing often leaves him offline from the plate. His problems are also partly mental, as he has little confidence. The Diamondbacks admit there's no magic formula to fix Neighborgall. They started off in instructional league by having him pitch out of the stretch to remove the number of moving parts, and getting his landing to be both softer and more aligned with the plate. While they were happy with his progress, they have no timetable for him. If he pitches well in spring training, he'll begin the year as a starter in low Class A.
