Mike Shawaryn

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #8 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Shawaryn has moved steadily through the system, offering the sort of consistent performance that has permitted him to deliver solid performances as a starter across four levels in two years.
  
  Scouting Report: Shawaryn is a physical strike-thrower who attacks the zone with a low-90s fastball that has natural cut and a swing-and-miss slider whose speed and break he varies, with some evaluators coming away describing it as a cutter. At Triple-A Pawtucket, he showed an increased willingness to employ a changeup that grades as below-average now but has the potential to improve. If it doesn’t, Shawaryn has the potential to be a solid medium-leverage reliever who can be trusted to throw strikes out of the bullpen. He has shown flyball tendencies that suggest home run vulnerability, a trait that would be a concern at Fenway Park. Still, Shawaryn receives high marks for his work ethic, makeup and aptitude, giving evaluators confidence that he has a good chance of emerging as a solid big league contributor.
  
  The Future: Shawaryn will open 2019 back in Pawtucket as a depth option, either for the rotation or bullpen. In preparation for the possibility of a relief role, he worked out of the pen in the Arizona Fall League.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #8 prospect in 2018
  After a dominant sophomore year at Maryland (1.71 ERA, 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings), Shawaryn's draft stock slipped thanks to a less-impressive draft season. The Terrapins ace pitched more to contact as a junior. He went 6-4, 3.18 as a junior, while his strikeout rate dipped and his walk rate got worse. The 2016 fifth-round pick elevated his strikeout rate in 2017, ranking 11th among full-season minor league starters with 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings at two Class A levels. Shawaryn has the frame and thick core of a starter. His low three-quarters release point, somewhat evocative of Max Scherzer, challenged hitters to recognize whether he was throwing his low-90s fastball or a slider that frequently became a chase pitch. In 2017, Shawaryn showed increasing comfort elevating a four-seamer, creating a greater vertical spread of his arsenal. He's working to add a changeup with depth that will give him greater freedom to attack both sides of the plate. Shawaryn's swing-and-miss slider and fastball offer a floor of a reliever. If he can improve his changeup, he could be an innings-eating No. 4 starter. He'll likely open 2018 at Double-A Portland, but his ability to attack the strike zone with his pitch mix could allow him to move up during the season.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #12 prospect in 2017
  Shawaryn entered 2016 as one of the most consistent college performers in the country. He truly shined as a Maryland sophomore by going 13-2, 1.71 with 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, but the righthander stumbled early in an underwhelming junior year in 2016 and went just 6-4, 3.18 with 8.8 strikeouts per nine. Thus, his draft stock took a hit. The Red Sox saw an unexpected opportunity and selected Shawaryn in the fifth round, signing him for $637,500. They see a potential big league starter with a fastball that sits 92-93 mph and can bump 95 with a curveball--which ticked down from a sharp, true curve in 2015 to a slurve in 2016--and changeup that are roughly average. Shawaryn has untapped potential if his pitch-to-contact emphasis as a junior gives way to a more aggressive arsenal capable of generating swings and misses. With deception creating the possibility that his average arsenal can play up beyond that, Shawaryn looks like a pitcher capable of becoming a possible No. 4 starter. His early college pedigree suggests an advanced pitcher with a chance to move relatively quickly through the Red Sox system.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #77 prospect in 2016 draft
  Nicknamed "The Unicorn," Shawaryn was once an elusive recruit but has since become the cornerstone of the best era in Maryland baseball. Shawaryn is the Terrapins' all-time wins leader and strikeouts leader and has been a rotation stalwart since he stepped onto campus. However, Shawaryn finally showed a human side early this spring, starting with a rough outing on a cold day on March 4 against Tennessee, when Shawaryn's fastball velocity dipped into the mid- to -high 80s and he coughed up six runs. Confidence shaken, Shawaryn's struggles snowballed to the point that he was moved from Friday starter to Sunday. But eventually he rebounded, working 90-94 mph late in the spring and holding that velocity. The slider, his main strikeout pitch, has remained somewhat inconsistent; he's still trying to regain confidence in it and his release point. His changeup also has been an asset for him and is at least solid-average. But Shawaryn has been an elite performer for most of his college career, and his work ethic and makeup give him the chance to start at the next level.

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Shawaryn has been one of the steadiest performers in the Red Sox system since the start of 2017. He combines an average fastball (92-94 mph) with an above-average to plus slider that plays well off of it. Some evaluators see a changeup that could give him a chance to start, while others see a future reliever with a two-pitch mix. Still, among upper levels Red Sox prospects, Shawaryn looks like a solid bet to be a big league contributor.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: After a dominant sophomore year at Maryland (1.71 ERA, 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings), Shawaryn's draft stock slipped as he pitched more to contact as a junior. The 2016 fifth-round pick elevated his strikeout rate in 2017, ranking 11th among full-season minor league starters with 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings at two Class A levels. Scouting Report: Shawaryn has the frame and thick core of a starter. His low three-quarters release point, somewhat evocative of Max Scherzer, challenged hitters to recognize whether he was throwing his low-90s fastball or a slider that frequently became a chase pitch. In 2017, Shawaryn showed increasing comfort elevating a four-seamer, creating a greater vertical spread of his arsenal. He's working to add a changeup with depth that will give him greater freedom to attack both sides of the plate. The Future: Shawaryn's swing-and-miss slider and fastball offer a floor of a reliever. If he can improve his changeup, he could be an innings-eating No. 4 starter. He'll likely open 2018 at Double-A Portland, but his ability to attack the strike zone with his pitch mix could allow him to move up during the season.