IP | 288.333 |
---|---|
ERA | 3.527 |
WHIP | 1.132 |
BB/9 | 2.56 |
SO/9 | 9.957 |
- Full name Joshua James Stephan
- Born 11/01/2001 in Desoto, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School South Grand Prairie
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade/Risk: 40/High.
Track Record: The Rangers have a long history with Stephan. He played on their scout team at Perfect Game’s annual WWBA Championships in Jupiter, Fla., while at South Grand Prairie High in Texas. He missed most of his first two high school seasons with elbow and knee injuries but showed enough in his last two years to earn a free agent contract from Texas. He dealt with injuries to his lower back in 2023 and elbow in 2024. He made up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League but was left unprotected for the Rule 5 draft. He went unselected.
Scouting Report: In 2023, Stephan worked to diversify his arsenal by adding a cutter to his two- and four-seam fastballs. He backs those pitches with his sweeper and changeup. The slider is his only plus offering, and he threw the pitch 38% of the time, the highest rate of any part of his arsenal. His changeup could be an average pitch as well. None of his fastballs projects as better than fringe-average, and neither averaged higher than 92 mph in 2024. He threw his four-seamer most often of the trio, a reversal of his sinker-heavy approach from 2023. As a result, his groundball rate dipped by 10% year over year. He has potentially plus control.
The Future: If he can stay healthy, Stephan will advance to Triple-A Round Rock and has a shot at making his big league debut. He could fit as a swingman, especially if he can add a few ticks to his fastballs.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Cutter: 40 | Control: 60. -
BA Grade: 40/High
Track Record: The Rangers cleaned up in the five-round 2020 draft, then put the icing on the cake in the undrafted free agent market. Stephan was one of a host of intriguing talents the Rangers added to their system post draft, and he experienced a bit of a breakthrough in 2023, when he reached Double-A for the first time. Stephan suffered a back injury at midseason and did not pitch after July 4. He was limited to just 66.1 innings all season.
Scouting Report: Stephan was able to dominate the lower levels with the help of a nasty slider that he threw nearly half the time. He used it to hitters of both hands and in any count, and could throw it for both called strikes and chases. He throws both two- and four-seam fastballs, each of which average around 92 mph. He uses the two-seamer more frequently, and it pairs nicely with his slider to give him an east-west approach that allows him to induce plenty of grounders. He also has a changeup that needs further development and a cutter that he introduced this season to help combat a weakness against lefthanded hitters. His next steps involve learning to pitch more off his fastball and to be more unpredictable in general. He throws plenty of strikes and should have at least above-average command at peak.
The Future: Stephan finished the year healthy in Arizona. He needs to vary his arsenal and get one of his offspeed pitches to take steps forward to reach his ceiling in the back of a rotation.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 40 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Cutter: 40 | Control: 55