Austin Peterson Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Austin Lee Peterson
Born 09/19/1999 in Valparaiso, IN
Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 234 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Connecticut
Drafted in the 9th round (271st overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2022 (signed for $125,000).

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Peterson’s strikeouts and walks jump out immediately. The 22-year-old righthander struck out 147 and walked 25 in 110.1 innings at Connecticut, posting a 3.83 ERA to help lead the Huskies to a Super Regional appearance and a 50-16 record, the most wins in program history. Peterson is 6-foot-6, 235 pounds and his numbers stand out more than his raw stuff. He can scrape 93 mph, sitting at 88-92 mph. He throws strikes with all of his pitches, and while there’s nothing plus in his repertoire, scouts highest on him point to his improved slider this year. He throws a changeup as well that he mixes to both lefties and righties.

Top Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium.

Track Record: Peterson was a ho-hum starter in college whose strikes and performance stood out more than his pure stuff. The Guardians signed him for $125,000 as a college senior in the ninth round, and after a solid but unspectacular 2023 season with Low-A Lynchburg, Peterson took a step forward in 2024. He posted a 2.64 ERA over 27 starts and 160 innings between High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron and his 3.5% walk rate was good for second among all minor league pitchers with at least 100 innings.

Scouting Report: Peterson is an imposing 6-foot-6, 234-pound righthander with a long arm action and extended three-quarters slot. He sits in the 90-93 mph range with his fastball and will touch 95, but gets above-average extension on the pitch. While his heater is unremarkable from a results perspective, Peterson missed barrels with a trio of secondaries including a low-80s sweeping slider, an upper-80s changeup and a big downer curveball in the upper 70s. The slider is his best pitch currently, but his feel to land each of his secondaries for strikes is well above-average and he’s arguably the best pure command pitcher in Cleveland’s system.

The Future: Peterson is a high-probability starter with great control and feel for a deep pitch mix who could take a step forward if he finds another gear with his fastball.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 70.