Tyler Mahle

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #4 prospect in 2018
  The younger brother of the Angels' Greg Mahle, Tyler became the second member of his family to reach the big leagues with a late-August callup in 2017. In previous years, Mahle had struggled to get settled in after a promotion, but in 2017 he performed right away at Triple-A Louisville and the big leagues. In April, he threw a perfect game for Double-A Pensacola. It was his second no-hitter in two seasons. Mahle has a skinny build and lacks the frontline stuff of some of the Reds' other pitching prospects, but his plus command and control allows him to succeed. He has an ability to mess with hitters' timing in a way few young pitchers can. While command will always be Mahle's calling card, he's hardly a soft-tosser. He sits in the low 90s but runs his fastball up to the mid 90s, and the final pitch of his April perfect game read 99 mph. Mahle likes to toy with hitters timing by intentionally varying the speed of his fastball, making it harder to time him. His slider and changeup are both potentially average offerings, with his slider flashing above-average. His below-average curveball is simply a get-over pitch. Mahle finished the season in Cincinnati by making four starts, and he will enter spring training with a chance to join the Opening Day rotaton. Ultimately, he profiles as a No. 4 starter.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #12 prospect in 2017
  When the Reds drafted Mahle, the younger brother of Angels lefthander Greg Mahle, they bet on his projection. They hoped the athletic but skinny righthander would fill out and turn his fringe-average fastball into an above-average one while improved arm speed would also sharpen his breaking ball. That's exactly what has happened, as Mahle has developed from a starter touching 93 mph to one touching 97. He demonstrated his ability to dominate with his fastball at high Class A Daytona in 2016, when on June 13 he completed a nine-inning no-hitter. He authored the no-no while barely resorting to his near-average changeup, curveball and slider. Mahle manipulates his fastball from 88-96 mph and locates it with precision as he reads hitters' swings. On some nights his slider gives him a second above-average pitch, but most of the time he lives and dies with an above-average fastball. He works quickly and repeats his delivery. Mahle hit his first speed bump at Double-A Pensacola in 2016, and he'll return there in 2017.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #10 prospect in 2016
  When a team signs a skinny, seventh-round high school pitcher to an above-slot $250,000 bonus, this is what they hope will happen. Mahle, whose brother Greg pitches in the Angels system, has gotten stronger, added 2-4 mph of velocity, and his continual refinement has been even more impressive than the jump in velocity. Scouts see Mahle as a Mike Leake-type who lacks a devastating pitch but has an ability to succeed thanks to control/command and three solid offerings. Mahle throws harder than Leake and sits 91-94 mph and touches 96. He does a good job of altering his velocity to toy with hitters' timing. He loves to pitch inside and his fastball has solid life. Mahle has exceptional control for his age and is one of the Reds' most efficient pitchers, as he could make it through six innings on 65-75 pitches. His curveball and changeup are both solid-average offerings, though his curveball flashes above-average at its best when it shows tight, 12-to- 6 break. Mahle has taken significant strides in his two years as a pro. Even if he doesn't add any more velocity or sharpen his curveball or changeup, his combination of stuff and command should give him a chance to succeed as a mid-rotation starter, and he's young enough to make further strides. He heads to high Class A Daytona in 2016.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #26 prospect in 2015
  Mahle is the kind of pitcher who often makes it to college as scouts wait to see if he matures as they project. The Reds decided to take a chance on his potential and paid him $250,000 as a seventh-rounder in 2013 to bypass UC Santa Barbara, where his brother Greg (drafted by the Angels in 2014) played. Mahle has skinny legs and a lanky frame, and his future depends a lot on whether he can add a tick to his fastball as he matures and gain strength. He had immediate success at Rookie-level Billings in 2014 because of his excellent control, finishing second in the Pioneer League with a 3.87 ERA. Mahle currently pitches at 88-92 mph, so he does have an average fastball on his better nights, but there's not any plus pitch in his assortment. His 11-to-5, slow curveball and slider both vary between below-average and average, and he has an average changeup. If he gains velocity, then his clean delivery and above-average control give him a chance to be a back-end starter as he embarks on an assignment to low Class A Dayton in 2015.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #281 prospect in 2013 draft
  The younger brother of UC Santa Barbara sophomore lefty Greg Mahle, Tyler is committed to play for the Gauchos next year, but he might get bought out of that commitment. Mahle is a classic projection guy, with a loose, athletic 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame, a smooth arm action and a sound delivery. He pounds the strike zone with an 87-90 mph fastball that tops out at 92 on occasion, and he figures to add velocity as he matures. He also has good feel for a curveball with sharp three-quarters break and a promising changeup, giving him a chance for a pair of average secondary pitches in time.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Southern League #13 prospect in 2017
  Mahle threw a no-hitter in the Florida State League in 2016 and a perfect game in the SL on April 22 this year, both times relying on fastball command to navigate lineups. As he matured from skinny high schooler to major league starter--the Reds called him up on Aug. 27--Mahle added mass and velocity. Mahle now sits 92 mph with a fastball that tops out near 97. He cruises through most of the game in the low 90s, relying on pitching to zones and reserving peak velocity to escape jams. An above-average, low-80s slider is his go-to secondary pitch, but his changeup grades as fringe-average and his curveball is more of an early-count, show-me pitch. Mahle works quickly, changes speeds, competes with first-pitch strikes and controls the running game, which is what he needs to do because he lacks a single outstanding pitch.
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  Ranked Pioneer League #15 prospect in 2014
  Mahle's older brother Greg was a 15th-rounder of the Angels this year who made five appearances in the PL with Orem this season. Tyler, who signed for $250,000 in 2013, spent the season in the Billings rotation and ranked second in the league in ERA (3.87), third in strikeouts (71) and fourth in WHIP (1.24) as a teenager in a decidedly hitter-friendly league. Mahle stands out for his superior command, pitchability and effective four-pitch mix. "He's one of the best command pitchers we have in the organization," Billings pitching coach Derrin Ebert said.Mahle can lock up hitters with a 90 mph fastball that he moves to both sides of the plate. His secondary pitches--a mid-70s curveball, a 78-80 mph slider and a changeup thrown with the same speed as the slider--are all average offerings now but play up because of above-average control. Mahle will need to prove himself at every level because he doesn't have that lightning arm and projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #90 prospect in 2018

• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The younger brother of the Angels' Greg Mahle, Tyler became the second member of his family to reach the big leagues with a late-August callup. In previous years, Mahle had struggled after a promotion, but in 2018 he performed right away at Triple-A Louisville and the big leagues. In April, he threw a perfect game for Double-A Pensacola. It was his second no-hitter in two seasons. Scouting Report: Mahle has a skinny build and lacks the frontline stuff of some of the Reds' other pitching prospects, but his plus command and control allows him to succeed. While command will always be Mahle's calling card, he's hardly a soft-tosser. He sits in the low 90s but runs his fastball up to the mid-90s, and the final pitch of his April perfecto read 99 mph. His slider and changeup are both potentially average offerings, with his slider flashing above-average. His curveball is a get-over pitch. The Future: Mahle finished the season in Cincinnati by making four starts, and he will enter spring training with a chance to join the Opening Day rotation. Ultimately, he profiles as a No. 4 starter.