Daniel Tillo

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #21 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Tillo popped back on the prospect radar in 2019 with a strong season at high Class A Wilmington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He then had a busy fall, with an assignment to the Arizona Fall League before joining the USA Baseball's Premier12 team on trips to Mexico and Japan.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: An all-state basketball player in high school, Tillo is athletic with a tall, strong body. Using a low slot, he delivers a four-seam fastball that sits 91-96 mph and touches 97 with good life through the zone. Tillo's mid-80s slider and solid-average changeup lag behind the heater due to fringe command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Still relatively inexperienced compared to other pitchers at the same level, Tillo has growth potential if he improves his command. Scouts see him as a potential piece out of the bullpen, where his stuff could get sharper and tick up. He'll head back to Double-A in 2020.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #19 prospect in 2018
  Tillo was first drafted by the Twins in 2015 in the 39th round from his Sioux City, Iowa high school where he was better known for his basketball exploits, having been named Iowa's Mr. Basketball in his senior year. He pitched briefly at Kentucky before heading to Iowa Western Community College. Tillo is a fresh-armed pitcher with little history on the mound but with a clean delivery and more pitchability than expected from his experience level. Tillo got into 10 games in his first pro season split between the Rookie-level Arizona League and the Royals' Appalachian League affiliate in Burlington, N.C. Tillo has a sturdy body, using a compact delivery with a loose, easy arm. He delivers a 91-94 mph fastball to both sides of the plate with late tail and sink, and it bores in on lefthanded batters. His 82-85 mph slider is a below-average pitch now, but it's short, hard and has good three-quarters tilt. His changeup, working at 87-88 mph with moderate tumble, is a fringy pitch. Scouts got a limited look at Tillo during instructional league but gave favorable reports, projecting both his fastball and slider as plus pitches. Tillo will likely join draftmate Evan Steele with an assignment to low Class A Lexington.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #93 prospect in 2017 draft
  As Iowa's Mr. Basketball, Tillo was known much more for hoops than a pitcher in high school, but after he threw in the high 80s at a Prep Baseball Report showcase the spring of his senior year, he quickly popped onto baseball recruiters' radar. He threw only seven innings at Kentucky as a freshman, transferred to Iowa Western CC for his sophomore season and quickly became their ace. Tillo isn't as athletic as his Mr. Basketball past may indicate--he was more of a shooter than a quick-twitch slasher--but he is a fresh-armed pitcher with very little history on the mound. He is understandably raw, but his arm is pretty special and his delivery is relatively clean. At his best this spring he sat 90-93 mph, touching 96 with fastball with excellent sink and some run. His fastball set up a short, hard 83-85 mph slider with good tilt. Both the fastball and the slider can project as plus. Tillo wore down as the season stretched into April and May. His stuff backed up and he was eventually shut down. Tillo's upside is enticing but his lack of track record, especially his struggle to take the ball once a week, makes him a risky pick.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Tillo popped back on the prospect radar in 2019 with a strong season at high Class A Wilmington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He then had a busy fall, with an assignment to the Arizona Fall League before joining the USA Baseball's Premier12 team on trips to Mexico and Japan.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: An all-state basketball player in high school, Tillo is athletic with a tall, strong body. Using a low slot, he delivers a four-seam fastball that sits 91-96 mph and touches 97 with good life through the zone. Tillo's mid-80s slider and solid-average changeup lag behind the heater due to fringe command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Still relatively inexperienced compared to other pitchers at the same level, Tillo has growth potential if he improves his command. Scouts see him as a potential piece out of the bullpen, where his stuff could get sharper and tick up. He'll head back to Double-A in 2020.