- Full name Connor Gatwood
- Born 10/14/2005 in
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
-
Drafted in the 19th round (562nd overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2024.
View Draft Report
School: Baker HS, Mobile, Ala.
Commit/Drafted: Auburn
Age At Draft: 18.8
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Tools: Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 40. Control: 50.
Gatwood is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound righthander with an excellent pitcher’s frame who has trended up significantly with his velocity since 2022. After pitching in the upper 80s, he now has one of the more impressive fastballs in the class and is regularly in the mid 90s. He even touched 98 mph this spring. Gatwood would have a chance to rocket up draft boards, but he dealt with injuries during the spring, including a broken finger in his throwing hand that ended his season. Gatwood has a prototype starter’s frame and throws with a fairly easy operation that starts on the first base side of the rubber and features a high three-quarters slot and crossfire action in his landing. While Gatwood’s fastball has become his calling card, he also showed a hard upper-80s slider that is unusually powerful for a prep breaking pitch and has legitimate plus potential. Like the rest of his arsenal, Gatwood’s changeup has ticked up in velocity over the years and now is thrown in the upper 80s, though he’ll need to make further progress with the pitch for it to become average. He’s a solid strike-thrower who should have average control in the future. Gatwood is committed to Auburn and could be a top-three rounds selection if teams are unfazed by his health status.
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
-
School: Auburn
Age At Draft: 21.8
A 19th-round pick by the Angels out of high school with big stuff, Gatwood did not pitch last spring but logged meaningful innings over the summer in the NECBL. While his back-of-the-baseball-card numbers do not jump off the page, he still collected 25 strikeouts across 22 innings. Gatwood has an impressive 6-foot-5, 201-pound frame and attacks from a three-quarters slot. His fastball sat in the mid 90s and was up to 98 mph over the summer, pairing with a power upper-80s-to-low-90s slider and an upper-80s changeup that flashed effective tumble. Both the slider and changeup emerged as potential swing-and-miss pitches over the summer. While there is some reliever risk and his command will need to take a significant step forward, Gatwood has big-time arm strength and could step into a bullpen role with the Tigers this season. -
School: Baker HS, Mobile, Ala. Commit/Drafted: Auburn
Age At Draft: 18.8
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Tools: Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 40. Control: 50.
Gatwood is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound righthander with an excellent pitcher’s frame who has trended up significantly with his velocity since 2022. After pitching in the upper 80s, he now has one of the more impressive fastballs in the class and is regularly in the mid 90s. He even touched 98 mph this spring. Gatwood would have a chance to rocket up draft boards, but he dealt with injuries during the spring, including a broken finger in his throwing hand that ended his season. Gatwood has a prototype starter’s frame and throws with a fairly easy operation that starts on the first base side of the rubber and features a high three-quarters slot and crossfire action in his landing. While Gatwood’s fastball has become his calling card, he also showed a hard upper-80s slider that is unusually powerful for a prep breaking pitch and has legitimate plus potential. Like the rest of his arsenal, Gatwood’s changeup has ticked up in velocity over the years and now is thrown in the upper 80s, though he’ll need to make further progress with the pitch for it to become average. He’s a solid strike-thrower who should have average control in the future. Gatwood is committed to Auburn and could be a top-three rounds selection if teams are unfazed by his health status.
Top 100 Rankings
Scouting Reports
-
School: Baker HS, Mobile, Ala. Committed: Auburn
Age At Draft: 18.8
Gatwood is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound righthander with an excellent pitcher’s frame who has trended up significantly with his velocity since 2022. After pitching in the upper 80s he now has one of the more impressive fastballs in the class and was regularly in the mid 90s and has touched 98 mph at peak. Gatwood gets to that velocity with a fairly easy operation that starts on the first base side and features a bit of crossfiring action in his landing. While his fastball is the calling card, Gatwood has also flashed a firm, upper-80s changeup and a hard slider in the mid 80s. He’s committed to Auburn.
