Jacob Waguespack

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #29 prospect in 2018
  The Pirates drafted Waguespack out of high school in the 37th round in 2012, but instead of signing he went to college to pitch for Mississippi as a reliever. After his junior year, he signed with the Phillies for $25,000 as a nondrafted free agent. Waguespack didn't do anything to distinguish himself as a prospect until 2017, when his fastball jumped multiple grades and he moved from the bullpen to the rotation at the end of May. He rose two levels during the season, then pitched for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the playoffs. Coming into the year, Waguespack threw in the low 90s, but in 2017 he was sitting at 91-96 mph and had peaked at 98 mph. He has a huge 6-foot-6 frame but began throwing harder once he started using his legs more in his delivery. He has a variety of offspeed offerings that are below-average to fringe-average pitches, with a slider, cutter, curveball and changeup in his mix. He's a solid strike-thrower but will need to tighten his fastball command. Waguespack could continue developing as a starter with a chance to pitch in the back of a rotation, and while he had success in that role in 2017, he still might end up back in the bullpen, with a chance to reach Philadelphia by the end of 2018.