Dustin May

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #2 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: May's fastball sat 88-92 mph in high school, but the Dodgers liked his projectable 6-foot-6 frame and bet he would add weight and velocity. He did just that after signing as a third-round pick, progressively adding a few ticks every year up to a breakthrough 2019. May broke camp sitting 95 mph and touching 99, and he vaulted from Double-A to the majors by early August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: May's sinker is a plus-plus pitch that draws comparisons with Kevin Brown's. It comes in at 95-99 mph from his towering release point and stays off of barrels with late, hard bite. His sinker touched 100 mph during a postseason relief appearance, and batters often can't do anything except pound it into the dirt. May's 90-92 mph cutter is his primary swing-and-miss pitch. He can alter its shape and locate it both sides of the plate, back-dooring it to lefties and leaving righties waving through it on the outside corner. May primarily uses his sinker and cutter, but also flashes an average power curveball and fringe-average changeup that will play up with better command. His control is impeccable.
  
  THE FUTURE: May is slated to open 2020 in the Dodgers' rotation. He is their potential future No. 2 starter behind Walker Buehler.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #4 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: A string-bean skinny high schooler with bushy red hair, May sat in the low 90s when the Dodgers drafted him in the third round in 2016 and signed him for $997,500. After two years of growth and patience, May's fastball velocity jumped from 89-92 mph to 93-96 mph in 2018 and sent him skyrocketing. He cruised through high Class A up to Double-A as a 20-year-old, capping his season with a win in the clinching game of the Texas League championship series.
  
  Scouting Report: May's ability to command his fastball and pitch downhill made his heater a weapon even at lower velocities. Now with his velocity bump, it's a true plus pitch with power sink. May used his fastball about 55 percent of the time early in the season, but after bumping that usage to around 70 percent in mid-June, he took off. May's power curveball and cutter each flash above-average but aren't consistent because they're relatively new to his arsenal. His low 80s power curve replaced his slider, and his cutter became his go-to pitch for lefties after his firm, below-average changeup stalled. May is the rare long-limbed pitcher with plus control, pounding the zone and limiting his walks at every level.
  
  The Future: May has size, velocity, control and performance all on his side. If he improves his secondaries, he can be a mid-rotation starter or better.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #11 prospect in 2018
  May is best known for his big, bushy red hair and gangly 6-foot-6 frame. He is increasingly getting noticed for more than his looks, however. After the Dodgers drafted him in the third round in 2016 and signed him for $997,500, May finished in the top 10 in the Midwest League in wins (nine), ERA (3.88) and WHIP (1.20) in his first full season and ended the year strong after a promotion to high Class A. May is a classic projectable righthander with excellent feel to pitch and velocity still to come. He presently sits 89-92 mph and will touch 94 with his high-spin rate fastball. While it's an average pitch, he attacks the zone and mixes it well with his above-average mid-80s slider, helping the pitches play up off each other. Both offerings could get to plus with added weight and strength. His changeup flashes average but is often too firm. Most importantly, May keeps his body and delivery in sync, no easy task with his long limbs. The result is true plus control that is best in the Dodgers system. May proved durable after pitching 138 innings including the playoffs in 2017, but he'll need to continue to get stronger to add velocity. He will start 2018 back at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #13 prospect in 2017
  It's hard to miss May, between his gangly 6-foot-6 frame and bushy red hair. After the Dodgers signed him for $997,500 as a third-round pick in 2016, his numbers stood out as well, with a 34-4 strikeout-to-walk mark in 30.1 innings in the Rookie-level Arizona League. May has strong hands with a skinny, underdeveloped frame that's oozing with physical projection. Once he gains weight and strength, that should allow him to add to a high-spin fastball that ranges from 88-94 mph with late movement. May's slider is his out pitch, flashing plus to get swings-and-misses, while his changeup is firm and still raw. For such a thin pitcher with long arms and legs, May does a solid job of keeping his delivery in sync. He's a good athlete who pounded the strike zone in the AZL and should only continue to make improvements to being able to repeat his mechanics once he gets stronger. May's future still involves a high dose of physical projection coming to fruition, but if that comes, he has a chance to develop into a mid-rotation starter at the next level.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #117 prospect in 2016 draft
  In yet another talented year for Texas high school arms, a team taking May will be taking a gamble on a potentially very promising future. He's hard to miss as a 6-foot-6, 190-pound redhead with some of the best flow in the class. May is less consistent than some of the pitchers in Texas, but he's ranked high due to the combination of a potentially plus breaking ball with slider shape, an 88-92 mph fastball that touches 93-94 and a projectable body that gives him a chance to grow into more velocity. May does not repeat his delivery consistently yet and his velocity tails off deeper into games, but the Texas Tech signee has a chance to grow into a mid-rotation starter if it all comes together.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Texas League #3 prospect in 2019
  May consistently attacked hitters in the TL with a mid-90s sinker and low-90s cutter, both of which played as above-average to plus swing-and-miss offerings. He ranked third in the league in WHIP (1.15) and eighth in opponent average (.237) when he was promoted to Triple-A on June 27, and he made his major league debut Aug. 2. May’s sinker was especially effective down and in to righthanders, and he also mixed in a low- to mid-80s curveball and a changeup. His curveball produced elite spin rates, and he learned to dial back his firm changeup more effectively this year. With four pitches and plus control, May came after TL hitters confidently and aggressively and averaged more than one strikeout per inning. "He’s as talented as any pitcher we saw this year,” a rival Texas League manager said. "He came right at you and just attacked you. Never afraid to step on your throat.”
• 
  Ranked California League #5 prospect in 2018
  May was a rail-thin teen who sat 90-92 mph when he finished in the Cal League last season. He matured into a completely different pitcher this year, sitting 93-97 mph with power sink, and that enhanced fastball carried him to new heights. After upping his fastball usage to around 70 percent, May went 5-0, 2.37 in his final 10 starts before being promoted to Double-A. “I was impressed just with the way he pitched aggressive,” Lancaster manager Fred Ocasio said. “He came after hitters, was not afraid to pitch to contact….Obviously he’s got good stuff, but the thing that I really liked is that the fact that he just went after hitters and the poise that he had on the mound.” May is fastball-heavy but has excellent control and two usable secondaries. His slider transformed into an above-average power curveball this season, and he developed a cutter to help neutralize lefties after his changeup stalled. Continued development of those secondaries will be a focus moving forward.
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #16 prospect in 2017
  Big Bird, Carrot Top, Ginger Ninja, Conan O'Brien. Whatever nickname you pin on May, scouts project you will also call him a big leaguer. The gangly redhead is the ultimate projectable pitcher, with a wiry build that could easily carry another 30 pounds. Skeptics worry that May doesn't have a frame that can add muscle. But the Dodgers' strength and conditioning program, spearheaded by player development director Gabe Kapler, is among the best in the game. And what May lacks in heft he makes up for in stuff and moxie. May has a solid three-pitch mix, led by his low-90s fastball that can touch 93 mph; an 80-83 mph slider that projects above average, and a changeup that flashes average but is occasionally too firm. May throws from an over-the-top arm slot that he repeats well, and his above-average command comes from solid mechanics. He gathers himself well on the mound and has a consistent foot strike despite a long leg kick. If his physicality catches up with his stuff, he projects as a mid-rotation starter.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #12 prospect in 2016
  May certainly stood out on the field during his first pro season, and not just for his pitching. The gangly Texas prep product flashed the most noticeable flow, with bushy red hair sticking out beneath his blue Dodgers cap. May signed for $997,500 and is more than just looks. With an athletic, projectable body that should get stronger, he delivers a low-90s fastball, touching 93 mph, with good sink and movement. Scouts project his 80-83 mph slider to be a future above-average offering. His too-firm upper-80s changeup was used infrequently and is very much a work in progress. May throws from an over-the-top arm slot that he repeats well, and he's aggressive and fearless on the mound. While May is plenty raw, his ability to fill up the strike zone (34 strikeouts, four walks) is just one of many promising signs for the future.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #20 prospect in 2020
• Ranked Baseball America's #82 prospect in 2019

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: May’s fastball sat 88-92 mph in high school, but the Dodgers liked his projectable 6-foot-6 frame and bet he would add weight and velocity. He did just that after signing as a third-round pick, progressively adding a few ticks every year up to a breakthrough 2019. May broke camp sitting 95 mph and touching 99, and he vaulted from Double-A to the majors by early August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: May’s sinker is a plus-plus pitch that draws comparisons with Kevin Brown’s. It comes in at 95-99 mph from his towering release point and stays off of barrels with late, hard bite. His sinker touched 100 mph during a postseason relief appearance, and batters often can’t do anything except pound it into the dirt. May’s 90-92 mph cutter is his primary swing-and-miss pitch. He can alter its shape and locate it both sides of the plate, back-dooring it to lefties and leaving righties waving through it on the outside corner. May primarily uses his sinker and cutter, but also flashes an average power curveball and fringe-average changeup that will play up with better command. His control is impeccable.
  
  THE FUTURE: May is slated to open 2020 in the Dodgers’ rotation. He is their potential future No. 2 starter behind Walker Buehler.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: May's fastball sat 88-92 mph in high school, but the Dodgers liked his projectable 6-foot-6 frame and bet he would add weight and velocity. He did just that after signing as a third-round pick, progressively adding a few ticks every year up to a breakthrough 2019. May broke camp sitting 95 mph and touching 99, and he vaulted from Double-A to the majors by early August.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: May's sinker is a plus-plus pitch that draws comparisons with Kevin Brown's. It comes in at 95-99 mph from his towering release point and stays off of barrels with late, hard bite. His sinker touched 100 mph during a postseason relief appearance, and batters often can't do anything except pound it into the dirt. May's 90-92 mph cutter is his primary swing-and-miss pitch. He can alter its shape and locate it both sides of the plate, back-dooring it to lefties and leaving righties waving through it on the outside corner. May primarily uses his sinker and cutter, but also flashes an average power curveball and fringe-average changeup that will play up with better command. His control is impeccable.
  
  THE FUTURE: May is slated to open 2020 in the Dodgers' rotation. He is their potential future No. 2 starter behind Walker Buehler.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  May consistently attacked hitters in the TL with a mid-90s sinker and low-90s cutter, both of which played as above-average to plus swing-and-miss offerings. He ranked third in the league in WHIP (1.15) and eighth in opponent average (.237) when he was promoted to Triple-A on June 27, and he made his major league debut Aug. 2. May’s sinker was especially effective down and in to righthanders, and he also mixed in a low- to mid-80s curveball and a changeup. His curveball produced elite spin rates, and he learned to dial back his firm changeup more effectively this year. With four pitches and plus control, May came after TL hitters confidently and aggressively and averaged more than one strikeout per inning. "He’s as talented as any pitcher we saw this year,” a rival Texas League manager said. "He came right at you and just attacked you. Never afraid to step on your throat.”
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  May has begun to fill out and add velocity, jumping from 89-92 mph on his fastball last year to 93-96 mph with heavy sink this year. His slider has morphed into a power curveball in the low 80s that projects to be above-average, and six weeks ago he began throwing a cutter to help neutralize lefthanders. May increased his fastball usage from about 55 percent per game early in the season to 70 percent recently, the impetus behind a sharp uptick in his performance since mid-June.