Justin Lange Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	143
ERA	5.538
WHIP	1.517
BB/9	6.797
SO/9	13.28

Full name Justin Craig Lange
Born 09/11/2001 in Fredericksburg, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Llano
Drafted in the CB-A round (34th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2020 (signed for $2,000,000).

View Draft Report

Lange looked fairly pedestrian at the 2019 Area Code Games, with a fastball that ranged from 86-93 mph with no real breaking ball and a lot of hard contact against him. But he looked significantly better at the Future Stars Series at Fenway Park in the fall, when he was up to 95, struck out four batters and also ran a 6.50 60-yard dash. He took an additional step forward this spring, getting his fastball all the way up to 100 mph—showing some of the best pure fastball velocity in the 2020 class. Lange has all of the foundational pieces to be an impact arm at the next level. He’s tremendously athletic with easy, high-octane velocity and lots of natural life on the pitch as well. With a 6-foot-4, 191-pound frame, it would be easy to see him add more weight and maintain his fastball velocity deeper into games and more consistently. There are also a lot of question marks with Lange. While he has some of the best natural arm talent in the country, he’s extremely unrefined. His command is near the bottom of the scale and his slider is a work in progress, with well below-average grades and inconsistent spin at best. The pitch has impressive velocity, getting into the upper 80s, but the shape and spin of the offering needs plenty of work. Perhaps 10 years ago, Lange’s arm talent, projectable body and athleticism would be enough to make him a no-doubt first-round pick. Today, teams are more skeptical of hard-throwing prep righthanders, but he has enough projection and athleticism to believe he can make the necessary control improvement. Any player development program would love to work with Lange’s collection of high-end tools instead of watching him go to Dallas Baptist, and it’s possible a team buys into his upside at some point on the first day.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Lange originally committed to Dallas Baptist as an infielder with plus-plus speed, but a huge velocity increase his senior year pushed him up draft boards as a pitcher. The Padres selected him 34th overall in 2020 and signed him for an above-slot $2 million bonus. Lange reported to the alternate training site and instructional league after he signed but was limited by shoulder fatigue. An injury again hindered him in 2021 as a knee issue limited him to just 22 innings in the Arizona Complex League in his official pro debut.

Scouting Report: Lange is a long-term project with very real but very raw arm strength. His fastball has exceptional carry and sits 95-98 mph when he’s healthy, although his balky knee sapped him of velocity over the summer. His work-in-progress secondaries include a potentially above-average slider that sits in the mid-to-high 80s and a seldomly-used change-up. Lange’s command of his secondaries have a long way to go for him to make good on the Padres’ investment. His control is well below-average overall, largely because of his inability to throw his secondary pitches for strikes.

The Future: Lange remains a lottery ticket with a wide range of potential outcomes. Getting healthy and improving his command of his secondaries are his most important steps in 2022.
TRACK RECORD: Lange topped out in the low 90s during the Area Code Games entering his senior year of high school, but came back sitting 95-98 mph in the spring and rocketed up draft boards. The Padres drafted him 34th overall and signed him for $2 million to forgo a Dallas Baptist commitment. Lange joined the alternate training site after signing but was limited by shoulder fatigue in instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lange has a projectable 6-foot-4 frame and is extraordinarily athletic. He originally committed to DBU as an infielder and is a plus-plus runner. Lange's fastball sits 94-95 mph, touches 98 with ease and has clipped 100 mph. He doesn't quite have command of it yet, but that should improve as he grows into his long limbs and gets stronger. Lange's secondaries are works in progress. He flashes an above-average slider at 86-89 mph but gets under the ball too often and has rarely used his mid-80s changeup. His control of his secondaries is behind his fastball control.

THE FUTURE: Lange is a bit of a lottery ticket. His athleticism and velocity are a good foundation, and the Padres will see if his secondaries and control come along.

Draft Prospects

Lange looked fairly pedestrian at the 2019 Area Code Games with a fastball that ranged from 86-93 mph, no real breaking ball and a lot of hard contact allowed. But he looked significantly better at the Future Stars Series at Fenway Park in the fall, when he was up to 95 mph, struck out four batters and also ran a 6.50 60-yard dash. He took an additional step forward this spring by getting his fastball all the way up to 100 mph, some of the best pure fastball velocity in the 2020 class. Lange has all of the foundational pieces to be an impact pitcher at the next level. He is tremendously athletic with easy, high-octane velocity and lots of natural life on his fastball as well. With a 6-foot-4, 191-pound frame, it is easy to see him filling out and maintaining his fastball velocity deeper into games. While Lange has some of the best natural arm strength in the country, he is extremely unrefined. His command is near the bottom of the scale and his slider is a work in progress, with well below-average grades and inconsistent spin at best. The pitch has impressive velocity, getting into the upper 80s, but the shape and spin need plenty of work. Perhaps 10 years ago, Lange’s arm, projectable body and athleticism would make him a no-doubt first-round pick. Today, teams are more skeptical of hard-throwing prep righthanders, but he has enough projection left and athleticism to believe he can make the necessary control improvements. Any player development program would love to work with Lange’s collection of high-end tools instead of watching him go to Dallas Baptist, and it’s possible a team buys into his upside at some point on the first day.

Scouting Reports

Track Record: Lange originally committed to Dallas Baptist as an infielder with plus-plus speed, but a huge velocity increase his senior year pushed him up draft boards as a pitcher. The Padres selected him 34th overall in 2020 and signed him for an above-slot $2 million bonus. Lange reported to the alternate training site and instructional league after he signed but was limited by shoulder fatigue. An injury again hindered him in 2021 as a knee issue limited him to just 22 innings in the Arizona Complex League in his official pro debut.

Scouting Report: Lange is a long-term project with very real but very raw arm strength. His fastball has exceptional carry and sits 95-98 mph when he’s healthy, although his balky knee sapped him of velocity over the summer. His work-in-progress secondaries include a potentially above-average slider that sits in the mid-to-high 80s and a seldomly-used change-up. Lange’s command of his secondaries have a long way to go for him to make good on the Padres’ investment. His control is well below-average overall, largely because of his inability to throw his secondary pitches for strikes.

The Future: Lange remains a lottery ticket with a wide range of potential outcomes. Getting healthy and improving his command of his secondaries are his most important steps in 2022.
TRACK RECORD: Lange topped out in the low 90s during the Area Code Games entering his senior year of high school, but came back sitting 95-98 mph in the spring and rocketed up draft boards. The Padres drafted him 34th overall and signed him for $2 million to forgo a Dallas Baptist commitment. Lange joined the alternate training site after signing but was limited by shoulder fatigue in instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lange has a projectable 6-foot-4 frame and is extraordinarily athletic. He originally committed to DBU as an infielder and is a plus-plus runner. Lange's fastball sits 94-95 mph, touches 98 with ease and has clipped 100 mph. He doesn't quite have command of it yet, but that should improve as he grows into his long limbs and gets stronger. Lange's secondaries are works in progress. He flashes an above-average slider at 86-89 mph but gets under the ball too often and has rarely used his mid-80s changeup. His control of his secondaries is behind his fastball control.

THE FUTURE: Lange is a bit of a lottery ticket. His athleticism and velocity are a good foundation, and the Padres will see if his secondaries and control come along.
TRACK RECORD: Lange topped out in the low 90s during the Area Code Games entering his senior year of high school, but came back sitting 95-98 mph in the spring and rocketed up draft boards. The Padres drafted him 34th overall and signed him for $2 million to forgo a Dallas Baptist commitment. Lange joined the alternate training site after signing but was limited by shoulder fatigue in instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lange has a projectable 6-foot-4 frame and is extraordinarily athletic. He originally committed to DBU as an infielder and is a plus-plus runner. Lange's fastball sits 94-95 mph, touches 98 with ease and has clipped 100 mph. He doesn't quite have command of it yet, but that should improve as he grows into his long limbs and gets stronger. Lange's secondaries are works in progress. He flashes an above-average slider at 86-89 mph but gets under the ball too often and has rarely used his mid-80s changeup. His control of his secondaries is behind his fastball control.

THE FUTURE: Lange is a bit of a lottery ticket. His athleticism and velocity are a good foundation, and the Padres will see if his secondaries and control come along.
TRACK RECORD: Lange topped out in the low 90s during the Area Code Games entering his senior year of high school, but came back sitting 95-98 mph in the spring and rocketed up draft boards. The Padres drafted him 34th overall and signed him for $2 million to forgo a Dallas Baptist commitment. Lange joined the alternate training site after signing but was limited by shoulder fatigue in instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lange has a projectable 6-foot-4 frame and is extraordinarily athletic. He originally committed to DBU as an infielder and is a plus-plus runner. Lange's fastball sits 94-95 mph, touches 98 with ease and has clipped 100 mph. He doesn't quite have command of it yet, but that should improve as he grows into his long limbs and gets stronger. Lange's secondaries are works in progress. He flashes an above-average slider at 86-89 mph but gets under the ball too often and has rarely used his mid-80s changeup. His control of his secondaries is behind his fastball control.

THE FUTURE: Lange is a bit of a lottery ticket. His athleticism and velocity are a good foundation, and the Padres will see if his secondaries and control come along.
Lange looked fairly pedestrian at the 2019 Area Code Games with a fastball that ranged from 86-93 mph, no real breaking ball and a lot of hard contact allowed. But he looked significantly better at the Future Stars Series at Fenway Park in the fall, when he was up to 95 mph, struck out four batters and also ran a 6.50 60-yard dash. He took an additional step forward this spring by getting his fastball all the way up to 100 mph, some of the best pure fastball velocity in the 2020 class. Lange has all of the foundational pieces to be an impact pitcher at the next level. He is tremendously athletic with easy, high-octane velocity and lots of natural life on his fastball as well. With a 6-foot-4, 191-pound frame, it is easy to see him filling out and maintaining his fastball velocity deeper into games. While Lange has some of the best natural arm strength in the country, he is extremely unrefined. His command is near the bottom of the scale and his slider is a work in progress, with well below-average grades and inconsistent spin at best. The pitch has impressive velocity, getting into the upper 80s, but the shape and spin need plenty of work. Perhaps 10 years ago, Lange’s arm, projectable body and athleticism would make him a no-doubt first-round pick. Today, teams are more skeptical of hard-throwing prep righthanders, but he has enough projection left and athleticism to believe he can make the necessary control improvements. Any player development program would love to work with Lange’s collection of high-end tools instead of watching him go to Dallas Baptist, and it’s possible a team buys into his upside at some point on the first day.
Lange looked fairly pedestrian at the 2019 Area Code Games with a fastball that ranged from 86-93 mph, no real breaking ball and a lot of hard contact allowed. But he looked significantly better at the Future Stars Series at Fenway Park in the fall, when he was up to 95 mph, struck out four batters and also ran a 6.50 60-yard dash. He took an additional step forward this spring by getting his fastball all the way up to 100 mph, some of the best pure fastball velocity in the 2020 class. Lange has all of the foundational pieces to be an impact pitcher at the next level. He is tremendously athletic with easy, high-octane velocity and lots of natural life on his fastball as well. With a 6-foot-4, 191-pound frame, it is easy to see him filling out and maintaining his fastball velocity deeper into games. While Lange has some of the best natural arm strength in the country, he is extremely unrefined. His command is near the bottom of the scale and his slider is a work in progress, with well below-average grades and inconsistent spin at best. The pitch has impressive velocity, getting into the upper 80s, but the shape and spin need plenty of work. Perhaps 10 years ago, Lange’s arm, projectable body and athleticism would make him a no-doubt first-round pick. Today, teams are more skeptical of hard-throwing prep righthanders, but he has enough projection left and athleticism to believe he can make the necessary control improvements. Any player development program would love to work with Lange’s collection of high-end tools instead of watching him go to Dallas Baptist, and it’s possible a team buys into his upside at some point on the first day.