Cole Irvin

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #27 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Irvin was a dominating 12-3, 2.48 as a freshman for Oregon. And then he blew out his elbow. When he returned from Tommy John surgery his stuff wasn't as sharp. Since the Phillies drafted him, he moved quickly to the majors thanks to guile and plus control.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Irvin's below-average 87-91 mph fastball has arm-side run, but it doesn't have enough velocity or movement to frighten hitters. His above-average 82-84 mph slurvy slider dives away from lefties enough to be effective. His average 82-84 mph changeup relies on solid deception. It's aiming for weak contact and is effective against righties when he's dotting it to the edge of the plate.
  
  THE FUTURE: Irvin should return to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin 2020. He's a useful depth piece for the Phillies who can fill in either in the bullpen or the rotation, but it would not be a good sign if he received a lot of innings in Philadelphia this year.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #19 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Irvin was a first-team All-Freshman pitcher at Oregon in 2013, then missed the entire 2014 season with Tommy John surgery. He has moved quickly since the Phillies drafted him in 2016, winning the Triple-A International League Pitcher of the Year award in 2018.
  
  Scouting Report: Irvin squeezes the most out of his ability as a thoroughly prepared student of the game. That's important for Irvin because his stuff doesn't allow him much margin for error. He's an athletic pitcher who commands his fastball well, pitching in the upper-80s to low-90s with good movement. His best secondary pitch is an average changeup that he has the confidence to throw whether he's ahead or behind in the count. He throws a curveball and slider that are both fringe-average pitches. Irvin has posted modest strikeout rates in his career, relying more on his ability to change speeds and locate to have success. Despite having TJ in college, Irvin has thrown 150-plus innings in both 2017 and 2018.
  
  The Future: Irvin might have enough stuff to stick around as a starter in the back of a rotation, though there's risk he could be more of an up-and-down guy.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #195 prospect in 2016 draft
  Irvin had a first-team All-Freshman season (12-3, 2.48 in 116 innings) for Oregon and pitched briefly with the star-studded 2013 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team that already has produced big leaguers such as Michael Conforto, Kyle Schwarber and Carlos Rodon. However, Irvin didn't hold up under his freshman workload and wound up needing Tommy John surgery, and while he's come back to pitch effectively, he's not the same pitcher. He used to sit in the 88-92 mph range and bump 93, but now he regularly sits in the upper 80s with his fastball, and while he locates the pitch, it doesn't have the same snap. Neither does his once-sharp curveball, but his changeup remains above-average. He's lost the margin for error that comes with better velocity, and he'd given up nine homers in 2016 during a disappointing season for the Ducks. He has significantly improved his strikeout rate this season (8.3 in '16, 4.8 K/9 previously) as he's learned to pitch with lesser stuff.
• Ranked #337 prospect in 2015 draft
  A 29th-round pick out of Servite High in Anaheim, Irvin spurned the Blue Jays and became an immediate ace for the Ducks, going 12-3 with a 2.48 ERA as a freshman. He finished that year pitching for USA Baseball's 2013 Collegiate National Team, which also featured lefties such as Carlos Rodon and Brandon Finnegan. Irvin pitched in a relief role for Team USA but wound up with an injured elbow the next spring that required Tommy John surgery. He was eased back into his weekend starter role this season, with Oregon building up his pitch counts slowly early in the year, but he never quite showed his old form, both in terms of velocity, life on his stuff or location. His strikeout rate (5.1 K/9) has suffered as well. Irvin has competed well with what he has--an 87-91 mph fastball that hits 92 more often as the season evolves, an average curveball and a straight changeup. His fastball and changeup lack their previous life in general, but Irvin still has a feel for pitching and has control, just not his previous command.
• Ranked #273 prospect in 2012 draft
  The 6-foot-4, 175-pound Irvin is all about projection and feel for pitching. His present stuff is below-average to fringy across the board, but he has a smooth delivery with some deception, and he shows a knack for mixing speeds and locations. At his best, Irvin works at 86-89 mph, but his comfort range is usually in the 84-88 range. He adds and subtracts from his breaking ball, sometimes showing a slow Barry Zito-like curveball in the 70-72 mph range and other times throws it a bit harder with more lateral break. He has feel for a 77-79 mph changeup as well. Scouts regard him as a difficult sign due to his commitment to Oregon, where he could blossom into a high draft pick under coach George Horton.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Irvin was a dominating 12-3, 2.48 as a freshman for Oregon. And then he blew out his elbow. When he returned from Tommy John surgery his stuff wasn't as sharp. Since the Phillies drafted him, he moved quickly to the majors thanks to guile and plus control.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Irvin's below-average 87-91 mph fastball has arm-side run, but it doesn't have enough velocity or movement to frighten hitters. His above-average 82-84 mph slurvy slider dives away from lefties enough to be effective. His average 82-84 mph changeup relies on solid deception. It's aiming for weak contact and is effective against righties when he's dotting it to the edge of the plate.
  
  THE FUTURE: Irvin should return to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin 2020. He's a useful depth piece for the Phillies who can fill in either in the bullpen or the rotation, but it would not be a good sign if he received a lot of innings in Philadelphia this year.