Zach McAllister

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #6 prospect in 2012
  McAllister pitched well in the Yankees system up until 2010, when his velocity dropped. At the trade deadline that July, the Indians sent Austin Kearns to New York for a player to be named, which three weeks later became McAllister. Buying low on him could pay off, as he rebounded in 2011 and made four starts in the majors. His father Steve is the Midwest crosschecker for the Diamondbacks. Cleveland gave McAllister a higher leg kick and a little more rotation in his upper half, helping him get more shoulder tilt. The mechanical adjustment helped him get more power to his fastball, which returned to the low 90s and touched 94 mph with sink. He did a better job of staying over the rubber last year and his control improved. Beyond his fastball, the rest of McAllister's repertoire is fringy. He has a changeup and a slurvy slider, also mixing in an occasional curveball as a show-me pitch. McAllister doesn't have huge upside, but he could be a durable back-of-the- rotation starter if everything clicks. The Indians' offseason acquisition of Derek Lowe means they don't have any rotation openings, so McAllister could be ticketed for a third season in Triple-A.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #5 prospect in 2010
  McAllister has been a test case for an organization that favors power fastballs and curveballs. The Yankees tried to raise his arm slot and have him pitch more with a four-seamer and curve instead of his normal sinker/slider repertoire. Though he posted a 2.08 ERA at two Class A levels in 2008, the changes didn't suit him. He returned to his previous style last season and led the Double-A Eastern League with a 2.23 ERA. His father Steve is the Midwest crosschecker for the Diamondbacks. McAllister has the best command of any pitcher in the system. He throws his two-seamer with solid armside life, sitting at 89-91 mph and touching 93. He commands his sinker well enough to get inside on hitters effectively. His slider gives him another pitch that helps him get groundouts, and at times he can get swings and misses with it. He throws his curve and changeup for strikes. Only McAllister's slider grades as a plus pitch, and his fastball sometimes sits in the upper 80s. He must be precise with his fringy curveball and changeup. He missed time with a tired arm in 2009, but New York doesn't consider it a long-term concern. McAllister has a ceiling of an innings-eating No. 4 starter. If the Yankees move Phil Hughes back to the rotation, there's little chance of McAllister squeezing his way in anytime soon. He might just be trade bait as he anchors the Scranton rotation in 2010.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #6 prospect in 2009
  The Yankees spent two years remaking McAllister, raising his arm slot and having him work with a curveball instead of his natural slider. After struggling with the changes at short-season Staten Island in 2007, McAllister regained his slider in a fall 2007 trip to New York's Dominican Republic instructional league camp. He broke out in 2008, ranking seventh in the minors with a 2.08 ERA, and didn't allow a run in five of his last six outings. Now employing a traditional three-quarters delivery, McAllister works with a 93- 94 mph four-seam fastball with modest tail and an 89-91 mph two-seamer with nasty sink and armside run. Command of both pitches stems from his sound mechanics. His slider and changeup are solid offerings that he throws for strikes. A groundball pitcher, McAllister lacks a true strikeout pitch. His command of his secondary stuff is far less consistent than his command of his fastball. He sometimes leaves flat four-seamers up in the strike zone. McAllister has the body, mechanics and repertoire to be a mid-rotation workhorse. After making terrific progress in 2008, he figures to spend most of 2009 in Double-A.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #30 prospect in 2008
  McAllister was one of the American farmhands the Yankees took to instructional league in the Dominican Republic in November, a group ranging from high-profile prospects such as Mark Melancon and Austin Romine to rehabbing righthander Lance Pendleton. McAllister, whose father Steve is a crosschecker for the Diamondbacks, needed the extra work because the Yankees have changed him since drafting him in the third round in 2006. They've raised his arm slot to make him more of a power pitcher, and added a curveball while taking away his slider. The curve didn't take, however, and in the fall New York switched him back to a slider. His four-seam fastball reaches the low 90s and his two-seamer has become more consistent with its sink and 89-91 mph velocity. He also has taken to a changeup. The Yankees project that McAllister will throw harder in the future and become a three-pitch workhorse. After ranking third in the short-season New York-Penn League with 75 strikeouts in 71 innings, he'll help anchor the low Class A rotation this year.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #24 prospect in 2007
  The Yankees loaded up on college pitchers in the 2006 draft, but also grabbed a pair of physical high school arms who will need time to develop in Dellin Betances and McAllister. A third-round pick, McAllister was the top-rated prospect in Illinois last year (ahead of George Kontos) and signed for $368,000. His father Steve scouts for the Diamondbacks organization as a crosschecker. McAllister still is getting used to his body, as he has added six inches and more than 50 pounds to his frame in the last two years. Now he'll have to get used to essentially a new repertoire. In high school, he had a lower arm slot and used more of a sinker-slider approach, mixing in the rare changeup. With his body and arm strength, the Yankees believe he can be more of a power pitcher and have made some changes. They have raised McAllister's arm slot slightly, worked with him on a four-seam fastball and added a curveball, hoping he'll take to it and shelve his slider eventually. Used in a piggyback role in the Gulf Coast League with Betances, McAllister showed good arm strength, throwing in the low 90s. He also displayed an aggressiveness in the strike zone that New York likes to see. Because of the overhaul of his repertoire, McAllister may need longer to develop and could start this season in extended spring training.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #16 prospect in 2012
  McAllister finally graduated from prospect to big leaguer after his third season in the IL. He remains a command-oriented pitcher without a true plus pitch, but he added more velocity to his four-pitch repertoire this season. His fastball used to sit at 88-91 mph, but even late in September, he was hitting 95 mph as a Cleveland starter. The difference is that McAllister has incorporated his lower body into his delivery more, gaining leverage and power. He misses more bats with his heater, which usually operates at 91-93 mph, and he still commands it well while getting some sink and downhill plane. McAllister still uses a sinker-slider approach but doesn't live and die by the groundball anymore. He uses a cutter early in the count to get weak contact and uses a split-grip changeup to get swings and misses when ahead in the count.
• 
  Ranked Eastern League #19 prospect in 2009
  McAllister had as good a season statistically as any EL pitcher, leading the league with a 2.23 ERA, despite missing a month with shoulder soreness. He returned in August and continued to pitch well, including winning a playoff start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees have fiddled with McAllister's delivery since drafting him out of an Illinois high school in 2006, and EL observers said he was back to a mostly over-the-top delivery this season, using a higher arm slot and a curveball rather than a lower slot and a slider. He's not overpowering, but he commands his upper-80s fastball, curve, slider/cutter and changeup very well and keeps the ball in the ballpark, giving up just four homers all season. Despite his size, scouts don't see McAllister throwing much harder in the future. As a result, he profiles more as a back-of-the-rotation starter. "He was tough because he threw so many strikes," Roadcap said. "He competed and threw four pitches for strikes, and both the breaking balls were tough to handle."
• 
  Ranked Florida State League #20 prospect in 2008
  McAllister's 1.83 ERA easily would have led the FSL had he pitched enough innings to qualify, and his 2.09 overall mark ranked seventh in the minors. His success comes from his ability to pound the bottom of the zone with a 91-92 mph sinker, an above-average changeup and a promising if inconsistent slider. Thanks to a tweak the Yankees made after signing him in 2006, he now throws downhill from a high arm slot that takes advantage of his 6-foot-5 frame. McAllister is a groundball machine with an outstanding feel for setting up hitters. He projects as a No. 3 or 4 starter, and his ability to induce grounders also could make him an effective late-inning reliever.
• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #18 prospect in 2007
  McAllister held his own as a 19-year-old in the NY-P, showing an advanced feel for pitching and racking up more than a strikeout per inning. With a big, strong, projectable frame, he looks the part of a frontline starting pitcher, and he has a loose, easy arm action and clean delivery. McAllister pitches at 91-92 mph and touches 94 with his fastball, and he does a good job throwing the pitch for strikes. His slider and changeup remain works in progress, with his slider a better pitch at this point. He has a significant upside, but his aptitude is really what makes him stand out. "He pitches more maturely than his age," Quatraro said. "He's got some poise. When he pitched against us, he didn't out-stuff us, but he pitched well and he's got the potential to throw hard."
• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #18 prospect in 2006
  The Yankees used McAllister in a relief role piggybacking with Betances, and they were a tough duo to beat. The son of Diamondbacks crosschecker Steve McAllister, Zach pitches with the savvy of someone who grew up around the game. McAllister has added six inches and 60 pounds over the last two years, and he saw his heavy sinker climb to 90-92 this spring before gaining another tick of velocity during the summer. His secondary stuff is fringy, though he has shown feel for a slider that could be a plus pitch if learns to control it more effectively. Like Betances, McAllister pitched better as the summer went on. "He has a good, sinking fastball. It's a power sinker. It's his No. 1 pitch," Martin said. "He got lots of ground balls, and I could see him throwing harder as he matures."

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: McAllister pitched well in the Yankees system up until 2010, when his velocity dropped. At the trade deadline that July, the Indians sent Austin Kearns to New York for a player to be named, which three weeks later became McAllister. Buying low on him could pay off, as he rebounded in 2011 and made four starts in the majors. His father Steve is the Midwest crosschecker for the Diamondbacks. Scouting Report: Cleveland gave McAllister a higher leg kick and a little more rotation in his upper half, helping him get more shoulder tilt. The mechanical adjustment helped him get more power to his fastball, which returned to the low 90s and touched 94 mph with sink. He did a better job of staying over the rubber last year and his control improved. The rest of McAllister's repertoire is fringy. He has a changeup and a slurvy slider, also mixing in an occasional curveball as a show-me pitch. The Future: McAllister doesn't have huge upside, but he could be a durable back-of-the-rotation starter if everything clicks. The Indians' offseason acquisition of Derek Lowe means they don't have any rotation openings, so McAllister could be ticketed for a third season in Triple-A.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  McAllister pitched well in the Yankees system up until 2010, when his velocity dropped. At the trade deadline that July, the Indians sent Austin Kearns to New York for a player to be named, which three weeks later became McAllister. Buying low on him could pay off, as he rebounded in 2011 and made four starts in the majors. His father Steve is the Midwest crosschecker for the Diamondbacks. Cleveland gave McAllister a higher leg kick and a little more rotation in his upper half, helping him get more shoulder tilt. The mechanical adjustment helped him get more power to his fastball, which returned to the low 90s and touched 94 mph with sink. He did a better job of staying over the rubber last year and his control improved. Beyond his fastball, the rest of McAllister's repertoire is fringy. He has a changeup and a slurvy slider, also mixing in an occasional curveball as a show-me pitch. McAllister doesn't have huge upside, but he could be a durable back-of-the- rotation starter if everything clicks. The Indians' offseason acquisition of Derek Lowe means they don't have any rotation openings, so McAllister could be ticketed for a third season in Triple-A.