Adam Conley

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #18 prospect in 2015
  Elbow tendinitis robbed Conley of a chance to build on a stellar 2013, when he shined at Double-A Jacksonville. Limited to 12 regular season starts in 2014, mostly at Triple-A New Orleans, he was hammered in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. That cost Conley an opportunity to make his major league debut in 2014, but he remains an intriguing lefty who ultimately could make a permanent move to the bullpen. He pitches off an average 88-92 mph fastball with some tailing action, with a fringe-average slider and solid-average changeup that flashes better. In spite of the elbow issue, Conley was able to repeat his delivery more consistently in 2014 than the year before. Prior to that, Conley would tend to fly open and would be late on his delivery. The Marlins are hoping that, if healthy, he will develop more of a bulldog mentality. Conley seems destined to remain in the New Orleans rotation in 2015. He's already on the 40-man roster, so he could be called upon any time he's pitching well.
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  Ranked Miami Marlins #8 prospect in 2014
  Conley moved in tandem with phenom Jose Fernandez in 2012, climbing from low Class A Greensboro to high Class A Jupiter at midseason. When Fernandez skipped over Double-A to Miami in 2013, Conley assumed the anchor role in Jacksonville's rotation and led the staff in innings, wins and strikeouts. Conley has a big arm and has reached the upper 90s on occasion, though his average fastball sat 88-92 mph last year, somewhat down from the past. That may have resulted from a conscious effort to throw strikes. He has a funky delivery that makes it hard for him to consistently command his late-tailing fastball. Conley's slider, a point of emphasis last year, breaks late with good depth. Though still inconsistent, his breaking ball has improved and has the potential to become an above-average pitch. He shows fastball arm speed on his plus changeup, which has good tail and downward break. Conley has matured every year, but he still lacks consistency inning to inning and game to game. Conley's ceiling is as a No. 3 or 4 starter, but with a young rotation in place in Miami, his opening may come in the pen, where he could be a tough matchup for lefthanded hitters. Either way, he needs more development time to establish the consistency that was missing last year.
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  Ranked Miami Marlins #10 prospect in 2013
  A closer early in his college career, Conley moved into the Washington State rotation as a junior in 2011 and earned a second-round selection and $625,000 bonus. He formed a stellar 1-2 punch with Jose Fernandez at Greensboro last spring, but Conley couldn't maintain his success after they moved to high Class A. Conley's fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97, and it features so much life that he occasionally has trouble keeping it over the plate. He throws his average changeup with fastball arm speed, and it can dive out of the strike zone. His slider is below average, however, as it's often too big and wide. Conley has a little funk to his delivery that adds deception, though the Marlins are working to simplify it. He appeared tired when he got to Jupiter and his command and control suffered. A perfectionist, he wore himself down further by throwing too much between starts. By September, he was overstriding toward third base and throwing across his body. He bounced back well from rough starts and showed advanced pitchability for someone in his first full pro season. How he holds up in 2013 could help determine whether Conley remains a starter, though he'd still need a better slider to fill a high-leverage relief role. He should see Double-A at some point during the season.
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  Ranked Miami Marlins #10 prospect in 2012
  Washington State's primary closer as a sophomore, Conley moved into the rotation last spring and impressed the Marlins enough that they popped him in the second round and inked him to a $625,000 bonus. His heavy, two-seam fastball operates at 89-91 mph with good life, and he also throws a 92-94 mph four-seamer that hit 97 mph when he worked out of the bullpen. His sinker has the makings of a plus pitch, as does his straight changeup, which he turns over and fades away from righthanders. He didn't use his slider much in his days as a reliever, so it lags behind his other pitches, often just rolling up to the plate and lacking any snap. Conley has a very quick arm and some deception to his delivery, using a lower arm slot and throwing across his body. Despite the funkiness, he has good command. His frame is wiry and he'll need to get in the weight room to add strength. If Conley can refine his slider, he has a chance to become a solid No. 3 or 4 starter. He may not open 2012 in high Class A, but he should get there by the end of the season.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked South Atlantic League #14 prospect in 2012
  A closer in college before moving to the rotation in his final season at Washington State, Conley took the ball every fifth day in his first full pro campaign. He showed an advanced feel for pitching in the SAL, combining with Fernandez to give Greensboro the league's best 1-2 punch before they moved up to high Class A. Conley mixes two- and four-seam fastballs, ranging from 91-95 mph and inducing groundouts. His solid changeup is his best secondary pitch, while his breaking ball gets caught in between a curve and a slider. He needs to add strength to his lanky frame after tiring late in the year. "We only saw him once but he was lights out against us," Richardson said. "He has excellent command of all his pitches. He throws harder than you think, and he can run the four-seamer up there from the left side. There were a few at-bats against us where our guys were walking back to the dugout saying, 'Wow.' "

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: A closer early in his college career, Conley moved into the Washington State rotation as a junior in 2011 and earned a second-round selection and $625,000 bonus. He formed a stellar 1-2 punch with Jose Fernandez at Greensboro last spring, but Conley couldn't maintain his success after they moved to high Class A. Scouting Report: Conley's fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97, and it features so much life that he occasionally has trouble keeping it over the plate. He throws his average changeup with fastball arm speed, and it can dive out of the strike zone. His slider is below average, however, as it's often too big and wide. Conley has a little funk to his delivery that adds deception, though the Marlins are working to simplify it. He appeared tired when he got to Jupiter, and his command and control suffered. A perfectionist, he wore himself down further by throwing too much in between starts. By September, he was overstriding toward third base and throwing across his body. He bounced back well from rough starts and showed advanced pitchability for someone in his first full pro season. The Future: How he holds up in 2013 could help determine whether Conley remains a starter, though he'd still need a better slider to fill a high-leverage relief role. He should see Double-A at some point during the season.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  A closer in college before moving to the rotation in his final season at Washington State, Conley took the ball every fifth day in his first full pro campaign. He showed an advanced feel for pitching in the SAL, combining with Fernandez to give Greensboro the league's best 1-2 punch before they moved up to high Class A. Conley mixes two- and four-seam fastballs, ranging from 91-95 mph and inducing groundouts. His solid changeup is his best secondary pitch, while his breaking ball gets caught in between a curve and a slider. He needs to add strength to his lanky frame after tiring late in the year. "We only saw him once but he was lights out against us," Richardson said. "He has excellent command of all his pitches. He throws harder than you think, and he can run the four-seamer up there from the left side. There were a few at-bats against us where our guys were walking back to the dugout saying, 'Wow.' "
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: After serving as Washington State's primary closer as a sophomore and setting a school record with 12 saves, Conley worked as the Cougars' Friday night starter last spring and posted a 3.50 ERA. He impressed the Marlins enough that they popped him in the second round and inked him to a $625,000 bonus. Scouting Report: Conley's heavy, two-seam fastball operates at 89-91 mph with good life, and he also throws a 92-94 mph four-seamer that hit 97 mph when he worked out of the bullpen. His sinker has the makings of a plus pitch, as does his straight changeup, which he turns over and fades away from righthanders. He didn't use his slider much in his days as a reliever, so it lags behind his other pitches, often just rolling up to the plate and lacking snap. Conley has a quick arm and some deception to his delivery, using a lower arm slot and throwing across his body. Despite the funkiness, he has good command. His frame is wiry and he'll need to get in the weight room to add strength. The Future: If Conley can refine his slider, he has a chance to become a solid No. 3 or 4 starter. If he doesn't, he still should develop into a reliable major league bullpen option. He may not open 2012 in high Class A after just getting his feet wet in Rookie ball, but he should get there by the end of the season.