Chase Shores

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #86 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: LSU Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.2
  
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Shores ranked as a top-100 prospect out of high school but made his way to campus at LSU where he threw 18.1 innings as a freshman and missed the entire 2024 season with an injury. Back on the bump in 2025, Shores first pitched as a starter before sliding into a reliever role in mid April. He posted a 5.94 ERA over 63.2 innings with a 24.6% strikeout rate and a 10.9% walk rate. At 6-foot-8, 250 pounds, Shores is a colossal presence on the mound and throws from a low three-quarters arm slot. He’s a quintessential power pitcher who attacks hitters with a fastball that averaged 97 mph in 2025. He routinely pushes the heater into the triple digits and has been up to 102 mph. Yet it isn’t as much of a high-caliber swing-and-miss offering as his velocity suggests because Shores gets on the side of the ball with his release which, paired with his slot, creates plenty of running action on his fastball to induce loads of grounders. His hard, upper-80s slider is the pitch he uses to generate whiffs. It’s a high-spin offering that varies between a tight gyro slider and one that can loosen up and flash more sweep to his glove side at times. Shores has a hard changeup around 90 mph but it’s a distant third piece. To be a starter, he’ll need to improve his below-average control, but he has more than enough arm talent to find success as a reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40.
• Ranked #41 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: LSU Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.2
  
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Shores began the 2023 season as LSU’s midweek starter before transitioning to the bullpen. He pitched to a 1.96 ERA with 15 strikeouts across 18.1 innings and flashed premium arm talent until an arm injury ended his season, which also caused him to miss the entirety of the 2024 season. At 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, Shores cuts an imposing figure on the mound and is a tough at-bat for opposing hitters. He is high-waisted with some thickness in his lower half and attacks from a low three-quarters slot with above-average arm speed. There isn’t much effort in Shores’ delivery, but he would benefit from improving his direction to the plate and has a tendency to fall toward the first-base side. His calling card is his thunderous high-90s fastball that has topped out at 102 mph. It explodes out of his hand and flashes plenty of run to the arm side. Shores relies heavily on his heater, but he also features a high-80s power changeup that has heavy tumbling life and a low-80s slider that has some depth. Both have plus potential, though he will need to display more advanced feel for both. Similar to his secondaries, Shore’s command and control will need to take a step forward in order to establish himself as a starter. If he does so in 2025, he has first round upside.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40
• Ranked #90 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Midland (Texas) Lee HS Committed/Drafted: Louisiana State
  Age At Draft: 18.2
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: - | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: | Control: 50
  Shores put his name on the map during the 2021 summer circuit, wowing scouts with his size, fluidity and future upside. The long, lean fire-baller attacks with a quick arm, considering his size, releasing the ball from a lower three-quarter slot. A change in Shores’ lower half has produced some benefits. Last summer, Shores was a bit inconsistent with his stride, sometimes landing across his body, not fully able to clear his front side. This spring, the lanky righty had a more consistent on-line path to his target, firing his back side through with authority. The adjustment has assisted him in more ways than one. The life on Shores’ 93-96 mph fastball speaks for itself. Though he’s sporadic in the zone with it, the depth created when it’s thrown at the knees and its life up in the zone makes for a difficult at-bat. The improvement made in his slider was noticeable, as it’s now in the 84-86 mph range with sharper action down in the zone after previously being a more slurvish, slower offering. He does have a changeup in his back pocket that is only used on occasion in the low-to-mid 80s. The pitch does need further development as his journey progresses. The overall command and consistency of Shores’ arsenal have made positive strides each spring. With plenty of upside left, the LSU commit could see his name called in the top three rounds in July.