Payton Graham Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Payton Marcus Graham
Born 11/04/2003 in Vancouver, WA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Kamiakin
Drafted in the 7th round (210th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2025 (signed for $280,800).

View Draft Report

School: Gonzaga Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.7

Graham is a power-armed righthander with a physical, 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame but a spotty collegiate track record and medical concerns. He pitched as a reliever in his first two seasons with Gonzaga where he struggled with strikes, then made just one start in 2025 before dealing with arm soreness and Tommy John surgery that ended his season. Graham works with a high-effort, reliever-ish delivery but sits in the mid 90s with a fastball that has been up to 98. His go-to secondaries are a low-80s slider and a hard cutter around 90 mph, but he’s also mixed in a curveball and changeup in the past. He has plenty of weapons and might benefit by shortening his arsenal in the future in an attempt to become more consistent. Graham has always been a below-average strike-thrower and owns a career 13.6% walk rate. He’s a wildcard because of his health, but will still be more appealing to teams than his surface-level college stats indicate.

Top Rankings

Draft Prospects

School: Gonzaga Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.7

Graham is a power-armed righthander with a physical, 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame but a spotty collegiate track record and medical concerns. He pitched as a reliever in his first two seasons with Gonzaga where he struggled with strikes, then made just one start in 2025 before dealing with arm soreness and Tommy John surgery that ended his season. Graham works with a high-effort, reliever-ish delivery but sits in the mid 90s with a fastball that has been up to 98. His go-to secondaries are a low-80s slider and a hard cutter around 90 mph, but he’s also mixed in a curveball and changeup in the past. He has plenty of weapons and might benefit by shortening his arsenal in the future in an attempt to become more consistent. Graham has always been a below-average strike-thrower and owns a career 13.6% walk rate. He’s a wildcard because of his health, but will still be more appealing to teams than his surface-level college stats indicate.
School: Gonzaga Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.7

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Graham is a power-armed and physical righthander with a 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame and a fastball that has been up to 98 mph. He’s pitched mostly in a reliever role in his first two seasons with Gonzaga and has the high-effort delivery and below-average control that suits a pen role, but has a deep pitch mix of loud pitch types. He primarily works off his four-seam fastball, mid-80s slider and 90-mph cutter, but will also mix in a two-seam fastball, changeup and curveball.