A.J. Russell Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Andrew James Russell
Born 06/29/2004 in Alexandria, VA
Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Tennessee
Drafted in the 2nd round (52nd overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2025 (signed for $2,600,000).

View Draft Report

School: Tennessee Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1

BA Grade: 50/High

Russell pitched to a minuscule 0.89 ERA as a freshman reliever for Tennessee in 2023 with an excellent 44.8% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate to go with it. Expected to take on a bigger role as a starter in 2024, Russell’s season ended with an elbow injury and a June surgery to repair his UCL, which kept him out for most of the first half of 2025. When he did return to the mound, he pitched in abbreviated outings. Russell is a 6-foot-6, 225-pound righthander who attacks hitters with a short release height and low three-quarters slot. His fastball has an extreme movement profile and explodes out of his hand in the 92-94 mph range and has been up to 98. The pitch has two-seam shape and lots of armside run that makes it difficult to barrel. It generated a 42% miss rate pre-surgery. It’s a potential 70-grade offering with how it plays and a pitch that Russell goes to frequently because he throws strikes with it. His secondaries are bigger questions. Russell throws a mid-80s slider as his primary secondary offering. It flashes above-average and grades out well analytically, but scouts think it’s inconsistent and it occasionally takes on more of a slurvy look in the upper 70s. Russell also features a heavy-fading changeup in the low 80s. He is a good enough strike-thrower to profile as a starter, but he will need to refine his secondaries. He could still fit in the first round despite his injury history and limited college innings.

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

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Average

Adjusted Grade: 40

Track Record: After a stellar season in relief at Tennessee in 2023, Russell’s sophomore year was stymied by an elbow injury that eventually required surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. He returned in February 2025 for one outing, then came back on a regular basis starting on April 1. In all, he threw 70 innings and made 11 starts during his three seasons in Knoxville. The Rangers drafted Russell with their second-round pick and signed him for $2.6 million. He pitched during instructional league. His selection was the first of back-to-back picks—the second being two-way talent Josh Owens—from the Volunteer State.

Scouting Report: Russell works with a three-pitch mix led by a potentially double-plus fastball that sits between 92-94 mph and has reached up to 98 with plenty of carry and life through the zone. The pitch showed hard, boring action in on righthanded hitters and got plenty of misses as well. He backs his fastball with a slider that sometimes loses its shape and looks a little bit like a slurve. The Rangers are confident their pitching department can help Russell get to the best version of his breaking ball more often. The physical righthander rounds out his mix with a potentially above-average changeup in the mid 80s that he was confident throwing against both righties and lefties. Russell did a good job filling the zone during his college career and has a chance to have average control.

The Future: Both in college and as a pro, Russell has shown the type of stuff to be dominant. He’ll get plenty of chances to start, but his limited track record and injury might lead him to a future as a reliever who can blow hitters away for an inning or two. His college pedigree might lead to his pro career officially beginning at High-A Hub City.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50

Draft Prospects

School: Tennessee Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1

BA Grade: 50/High

Russell pitched to a minuscule 0.89 ERA as a freshman reliever for Tennessee in 2023 with an excellent 44.8% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate to go with it. Expected to take on a bigger role as a starter in 2024, Russell’s season ended with an elbow injury and a June surgery to repair his UCL, which kept him out for most of the first half of 2025. When he did return to the mound, he pitched in abbreviated outings. Russell is a 6-foot-6, 225-pound righthander who attacks hitters with a short release height and low three-quarters slot. His fastball has an extreme movement profile and explodes out of his hand in the 92-94 mph range and has been up to 98. The pitch has two-seam shape and lots of armside run that makes it difficult to barrel. It generated a 42% miss rate pre-surgery. It’s a potential 70-grade offering with how it plays and a pitch that Russell goes to frequently because he throws strikes with it. His secondaries are bigger questions. Russell throws a mid-80s slider as his primary secondary offering. It flashes above-average and grades out well analytically, but scouts think it’s inconsistent and it occasionally takes on more of a slurvy look in the upper 70s. Russell also features a heavy-fading changeup in the low 80s. He is a good enough strike-thrower to profile as a starter, but he will need to refine his secondaries. He could still fit in the first round despite his injury history and limited college innings.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50.
School: Tennessee Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Russell pitched his way to a miniscule 0.89 ERA with an impressive 47-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 30.1 innings for Tennessee in 2023. While his 2024 season started with a bag, he threw just 14.1 innings before an injury ended his year and led to a June Tommy John surgery. The 6-foot-6 righthander has a formidable fastball-slider combination when healthy, and each offering generates plenty of swing and miss. His two-seam fastball has been up to 98 and explodes out of his low release height with tons of arm-side run that makes it a pain to barrel, while his slider flashed plus at times with tight sweeping action. Adding a third pitch will be key for Russell to profile as a starter, as will returning to the mound and showing his stuff hasn’t gone anywhere.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 65 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45