Daniel Avitia Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Full name Daniel Avitia
Born 05/16/2003 in Phoenix, AZ
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Grand Canyon
Drafted in the 19th round (574th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2021.

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Avitia turned heads with his gutsy and outstanding performance in leading underdog Alhambra High to the Arizona Class 6A state championship over perennial powerhouse Hamilton High, when he outdueled Brock Selvidge. The lanky righthander had previously pitched a no-hitter earlier in the state tournament. Avitia has good feel for the game, consistently throwing strikes with deception. His fastball sits 88-89 mph, touching 92, with his best secondary pitch being an improving changeup that sinks and sails. Rounding out the arsenal is a sweepy, slow curveball that lacks depth, and is currently a well below-average pitch. Avitia has a frame that can get stronger, with the likelihood that he will add velocity with maturity. He’s committed to Grand Canyon, where his brother, David, is the starting catcher and will be a fifth-year senior in 2022.

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School: Grand Canyon Committed: Cubs ’21 (19)
Age At Draft: 21.2
Avitia was selected in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but rather than starting his professional career he opted to attend Grand Canyon. He is now a 6-foot-4, 200-pound righthander who has earned a reputation as one of the best pure command pictures in the class. In two seasons with Grand Canyon, Avitia has posted a 3.99 ERA in 167 innings with a 27.7% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate. He doesn’t possess much velocity and sits 88-92 with a fastball that will scrape 95 but he throws from a lower arm slot and maximizes the stuff he does have with advanced pitchability and feel for his secondaries. He pitches off a low-80s changeup more than a mid-70s slurvy breaking ball, and neither pitch looks above-average in a vacuum, but his location and deception from his low release point allow them to both play up. He’s as safe a starter as you can find, but how teams think his stuff will miss bats in pro ball will ultimately determine his draft upside—adding more velocity in 2024 will make that projection simpler for scouting departments.