Michael McAvene

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #20 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: McAvene had Tommy John surgery his freshman year at Louisville but rebounded to become the Cardinals' lockdown closer by the time he was a junior. The Cubs drafted him in the third round and signed him for $500,000, then sent him out as a starter at short-season Eugene in his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: McAvene has a high-powered arsenal fronted by a 93-96 mph fastball that touches 98-99 in short stints. He has a high-effort delivery with a pronounced head whack, but he's strong enough to repeat his mechanics and pound the strike zone. His fastball gets lots of swings and misses in the strike zone, and he complements it with a hard, sharp slider with unique depth that has a chance to be a wipeout offering. He has rarely used a changeup in his career and needs to develop one.
  
  THE FUTURE: McAvene's history, pitch mix and effortful delivery point to a relief future, but the Cubs see the athleticism and control to give him a chance to start. He's set to make his full-season debut in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #15 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: McAvene made five starts as a freshman at Louisville before having Tommy John surgery. After a shortened sophomore season spent kicking off the rust, McAvene reemerged as a force out of the Cardinals' pen in 2019 and showed enough to convince the Cubs to spend $500,000 on him in the third round. He moved back into the rotation with short-season Eugene and struck out 20 in 12.2 innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Unsurprisingly for someone with a reliever's history, McAvene has a high-effort delivery with a bit of a head whack at the end. The Cubs believe they can smooth it out, though, and that McAvene has enough athleticism to repeat his mechanics for multiple trips though a lineup. He starts his arsenal with an upper-90s fastball that draws a high percentage of in-zone swings and misses. He pairs it with a sharp, angry slider that he uses to wipe hitters out. He has a changeup as well but hasn't needed to use it much because of the success of his two best pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: Much as they did with fellow Louisville alum Riley Thompson in 2019, the Cubs will move McAvene to low Class A South Bend in 2020 and continue developing him as a starter. Like 2019 fourthrounder Chris Clarke, the Cubs believe they can turn a college reliever into a big league rotation piece.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #179 prospect in 2019 draft
  McAvene had Tommy John surgery as a freshman at Louisville, which cut his season short after just 17 innings. He pitched just 10 innings as a sophomore in 2018, and while he struck out more than 13 batters per nine, he struggled with control (6.1 walks per nine) and posted a 5.23 ERA. He has rebounded nicely, however, posting a 1.98 ERA with 39 strikeouts over his first 27 innings this spring. McAvene shows good arm speed and has been up to 97 mph with his fastball, sitting mostly in the 92-95 mph range out of the bullpen. He has shown an above-average slider and a curveball that grades as a fringe-average offering. After struggling to control the ball pre- and post-injury as a freshman and sophomore, McAvene walked just seven batters through his first 27 innings this spring. His profile stands out as a potential reliever with a solid fastball-breaking ball combo, and while it's unlikely, some scouts think he has an outside shot to start at the next level.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: McAvene had Tommy John surgery his freshman year at Louisville but rebounded to become the Cardinals' lockdown closer by the time he was a junior. The Cubs drafted him in the third round and signed him for $500,000, then sent him out as a starter at short-season Eugene in his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: McAvene has a high-powered arsenal fronted by a 93-96 mph fastball that touches 98-99 in short stints. He has a high-effort delivery with a pronounced head whack, but he's strong enough to repeat his mechanics and pound the strike zone. His fastball gets lots of swings and misses in the strike zone, and he complements it with a hard, sharp slider with unique depth that has a chance to be a wipeout offering. He has rarely used a changeup in his career and needs to develop one.
  
  THE FUTURE: McAvene's history, pitch mix and effortful delivery point to a relief future, but the Cubs see the athleticism and control to give him a chance to start. He's set to make his full-season debut in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: McAvene had Tommy John surgery his freshman year at Louisville but rebounded to become the Cardinals' lockdown closer by the time he was a junior. The Cubs drafted him in the third round and signed him for $500,000, then sent him out as a starter at short-season Eugene in his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: McAvene has a high-powered arsenal fronted by a 93-96 mph fastball that touches 98-99 in short stints. He has a high-effort delivery with a pronounced head whack, but he's strong enough to repeat his mechanics and pound the strike zone. His fastball gets lots of swings and misses in the strike zone, and he complements it with a hard, sharp slider with unique depth that has a chance to be a wipeout offering. He has rarely used a changeup in his career and needs to develop one.
  
  THE FUTURE: McAvene's history, pitch mix and effortful delivery point to a relief future, but the Cubs see the athleticism and control to give him a chance to start. He's set to make his full-season debut in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: McAvene made five starts as a freshman at Louisville before having Tommy John surgery. After a shortened sophomore season spent kicking off the rust, McAvene reemerged as a force out of the Cardinals’ pen in 2019 and showed enough to convince the Cubs to spend $500,000 on him in the third round. He moved back into the rotation with short-season Eugene and struck out 20 in 12.2 innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Unsurprisingly for someone with a reliever’s history, McAvene has a high-effort delivery with a bit of a head whack at the end. The Cubs believe they can smooth it out, though, and that McAvene has enough athleticism to repeat his mechanics for multiple trips though a lineup. He starts his arsenal with an upper-90s fastball that draws a high percentage of in-zone swings and misses. He pairs it with a sharp, angry slider that he uses to wipe hitters out. He has a changeup as well but hasn’t needed to use it much because of the success of his two best pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: Much as they did with fellow Louisville alum Riley Thompson in 2019, the Cubs will move McAvene to low Class A South Bend in 2020 and continue developing him as a starter. Like 2019 fourthrounder Chris Clarke, the Cubs believe they can turn a college reliever into a big league rotation piece.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: McAvene made five starts as a freshman at Louisville before having Tommy John surgery. After a shortened sophomore season spent kicking off the rust, McAvene reemerged as a force out of the Cardinals' pen in 2019 and showed enough to convince the Cubs to spend $500,000 on him in the third round. He moved back into the rotation with short-season Eugene and struck out 20 in 12.2 innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Unsurprisingly for someone with a reliever's history, McAvene has a high-effort delivery with a bit of a head whack at the end. The Cubs believe they can smooth it out, though, and that McAvene has enough athleticism to repeat his mechanics for multiple trips though a lineup. He starts his arsenal with an upper-90s fastball that draws a high percentage of in-zone swings and misses. He pairs it with a sharp, angry slider that he uses to wipe hitters out. He has a changeup as well but hasn't needed to use it much because of the success of his two best pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: Much as they did with fellow Louisville alum Riley Thompson in 2019, the Cubs will move McAvene to low Class A South Bend in 2020 and continue developing him as a starter. Like 2019 fourthrounder Chris Clarke, the Cubs believe they can turn a college reliever into a big league rotation piece.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  McAvene had Tommy John surgery as a freshman at Louisville, which cut his season short after just 17 innings. He pitched just 10 innings as a sophomore in 2018, and while he struck out more than 13 batters per nine, he struggled with control (6.1 walks per nine) and posted a 5.23 ERA. He has rebounded nicely, however, posting a 1.98 ERA with 39 strikeouts over his first 27 innings this spring. McAvene shows good arm speed and has been up to 97 mph with his fastball, sitting mostly in the 92-95 mph range out of the bullpen. He has shown an above-average slider and a curveball that grades as a fringe-average offering. After struggling to control the ball pre- and post-injury as a freshman and sophomore, McAvene walked just seven batters through his first 27 innings this spring. His profile stands out as a potential reliever with a solid fastball-breaking ball combo, and while it's unlikely, some scouts think he has an outside shot to start at the next level.