Jake Buchanan

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #27 prospect in 2015
  The Astros have a deep inventory of pitchers at the upper levels, with Buchanan counting himself among those fortunate to work with big league pitching coach Brent Strom. Buchanan has thrived as a pro by relying on his two-seam fastball with sink in the 87-91 mph range and cutter-type slider in the low 80s. He mixes in a 77-79 mph curveball and changeup, even throwing a rare four-seamer. Buchanan works more in and out than up and down in the zone and has to sequence well to overcome his fringy stuff. His knack for pitching makes him a potential back-end starter, but his lack of swing-and-miss stuff limits his upside.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #21 prospect in 2014
  Buchanan is the type of pitcher who performs more effectively in pro ball than in college. A solid starter for North Carolina State, he impressed scouts even more with his dominant work (3-1, 0.84) in the Cape Cod League in 2009, the summer before his junior year. Because he relies on a sinker-heavy approach, Buchanan's stuff works better against wood bats than metal, especially with the NCAA's older, springier bats where a jam-job could land as a bloop single. He pounds the bottom half of the strike zone pitch after pitch with an 88-90 mph sinker. Buchanan has to work the inside and outside corners, because if he ventures into the top half of the zone, he's out of his comfort zone. He'll throw a cutter to keep lefties from getting comfortable and every now and then he mixes in a short, fringe-average curveball. Buchanan relies on above-average control and command to get weak contact and stay out of big innings. He doesn't profile as anything more than a No. 5 starter or useful middle reliever, but he's ready to compete for those jobs in 2014.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #13 prospect in 2012
  At North Carolina State, Buchanan was a stock 6-foot righthander with an average three-pitch mix. After signing for $120,000 as an eighth-round pick in 2010, his career changed in March, when he decided to start throwing a slider, which soon morphed into a cutter. He also focused on throwing more two-seam fastballs in preparation for an assignment to high Class A. Buchanan didn't thrive at home, posting a 6.86 ERA at the wind tunnel that is Lancaster's Clear Channel Stadium, but he was outstanding on the road with a 2.17 ERA. He did it by pounding the strike zone aggressively with an 87-91 mph fastball that touches 92, featuring the sink to produce a sterling 3.2 groundout/airout ratio with the JetHawks. Buchanan leans heavily on his cutter, using it and his fastball to pitch inside effectively. He also throws a changeup with some fade, and he uses his curveball as an early-count change of pace as well. He's efficient with all his pitches and sequences smartly, helping him shackle lefthanded hitters (.541 OPS in the Cal League). Buchanan doesn't make mistakes in the middle of the plate, allowing him to post the lowest ERA (3.91) ever for a full-time starter in the 16-season history of the Lancaster franchise. Buchanan finished the year with a strong Double-A start and will return to Corpus Christi to see if he can continue to avoid the middle of the plate. He profiles as a workhorse No. 4 or 5 starter.

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  At North Carolina State, Buchanan was a stock 6-foot righthander with an average three-pitch mix. After signing for $120,000 as an eighth-round pick in 2010, his career changed in March, when he decided to start throwing a slider, which soon morphed into a cutter. He also focused on throwing more two-seam fastballs in preparation for an assignment to high Class A. Buchanan didn't thrive at home, posting a 6.86 ERA at the wind tunnel that is Lancaster's Clear Channel Stadium, but he was outstanding on the road with a 2.17 ERA. He did it by pounding the strike zone aggressively with an 87-91 mph fastball that touches 92, featuring the sink to produce a sterling 3.2 groundout/airout ratio with the JetHawks. Buchanan leans heavily on his cutter, using it and his fastball to pitch inside effectively. He also throws a changeup with some fade, and he uses his curveball as an early-count change of pace as well. He's efficient with all his pitches and sequences smartly, helping him shackle lefthanded hitters (.541 OPS in the Cal League). Buchanan doesn't make mistakes in the middle of the plate, allowing him to post the lowest ERA (3.91) ever for a full-time starter in the 16-season history of the Lancaster franchise. Buchanan finished the year with a strong Double-A start and will return to Corpus Christi to see if he can continue to avoid the middle of the plate. He profiles as a workhorse No. 4 or 5 starter.