Alex McFarlane Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	50.1
ERA	5.72
WHIP	1.67
BB/9	6.79
SO/9	12.34

Full name Alexander Jeffrey McFarlane
Born 06/09/2001 in St. Thomas, VI
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Miami
Drafted in the 4th round (122nd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022 (signed for $575,000).

View Draft Report

McFarlane ranked as the No. 186 prospect in the 2019 class out of high school as an upside projection righthander who hailed from the US Virgin Islands. The Cardinals drafted him in the 25th round but instead of signing, he went to Miami, where he has mostly pitched out of the bullpen. Now listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, McFarlane has shown impressive natural arm talent and ‘wow’ stuff, but his performance has never quite matched what scouts have seen coming out of his hand. He was used as a starter early this spring but moved back into a reliever role after allowing five runs in 2.1 innings against Clemson in March. On the season, McFarlane posted a 4.00 ERA over 45 innings, with 68 strikeouts (34.3 K%) and 20 walks (10.1 BB%). His high-spin fastball sits 95-96 mph and has been up to 99, and he has also flashed a wipeout slider and swing-and-miss changeup—both in the mid 80s with plus grades when they are on. McFarlane’s command can waver and his career walk rate at Miami is below-average, but for a team that thinks it can help him get more consistent in that area, his stuff is explosive.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: McFarlane was mainly used as a reliever in his first two seasons at Miami, but the Hurricanes moved him to the rotation in 2022. The move proved to be short lived, as McFarlane made just four starts, with 23 appearances coming out of the bullpen. The Phillies believed in his ability to start, and drafted him in the fourth round. He made three starts with Low-A Clearwater after signing and allowed eight runs in eight innings.

Scouting Report: McFarlane has an electric, three-pitch mix, with a high-spin fastball that averaged 96 mph and topped out at 97.7 mph in his pro debut. The organization is having McFarlane work on the pitch's shape and efficiency, as it doesn't have much movement. Although his command of the pitch can waver, it still projects as an above-average offering. He has no trouble commanding his secondaries--a pair of above-average or better pitches led by his plus slider. The pitch averages over 2,700 rpm of spin, and projects as a legitimate swing-and-miss offering. It sat at 84.7 mph in his pro debut and produced a whiff rate greater than 44%. His mid-80s split-changeup gives him another bat-missing weapon with fading life, but he didn't use it in his brief debut. McFarlane has below-average control, and will need to throw more strikes to profile as a starter.

The Future: McFarlane should start the 2023 season at High-A Jersey Shore. With his explosive arsenal he has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, but he'll need to become a more consistent strike-thrower.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55 Control: 40.

Draft Prospects

Teams will have to go out of their way this spring to scout righthander Alex McFarlane, who goes to school on St. Thomas, which is one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The trip could be well worth it, however, especially after what the Miami commit showed this summer. At 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, McFarlane has long, gangly legs and plenty of room to fill out, currently throwing a fastball that touched 92 mph but was more regularly in the 87-91 mph range with sink. He also has a sweeping, 76-78 mph slider that has potential and a changeup in the 80-85 mph range that had fading life during the East Coast Pro showcase in Hoover, Ala. McFarlane is certainly a projection prospect, but given his frame, quick arm speed and feel to spin his slider, he is a definitie pop-up candidate for the spring.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: McFarlane was mainly used as a reliever in his first two seasons at Miami, but the Hurricanes moved him to the rotation in 2022. The move proved to be short lived, as McFarlane made just four starts, with 23 appearances coming out of the bullpen. The Phillies believed in his ability to start, and drafted him in the fourth round. He made three starts with Low-A Clearwater after signing and allowed eight runs in eight innings.

Scouting Report: McFarlane has an electric, three-pitch mix, with a high-spin fastball that averaged 96 mph and topped out at 97.7 mph in his pro debut. The organization is having McFarlane work on the pitch's shape and efficiency, as it doesn't have much movement. Although his command of the pitch can waver, it still projects as an above-average offering. He has no trouble commanding his secondaries--a pair of above-average or better pitches led by his plus slider. The pitch averages over 2,700 rpm of spin, and projects as a legitimate swing-and-miss offering. It sat at 84.7 mph in his pro debut and produced a whiff rate greater than 44%. His mid-80s split-changeup gives him another bat-missing weapon with fading life, but he didn't use it in his brief debut. McFarlane has below-average control, and will need to throw more strikes to profile as a starter.

The Future: McFarlane should start the 2023 season at High-A Jersey Shore. With his explosive arsenal he has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, but he'll need to become a more consistent strike-thrower.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55 Control: 40.
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: McFarlane was mainly used as a reliever in his first two seasons at Miami, but the Hurricanes moved him to the rotation in 2022. The move proved to be short lived, as McFarlane made just four starts, with 23 appearances coming out of the bullpen. The Phillies believed in his ability to start, and drafted him in the fourth round. He made three starts with Low-A Clearwater after signing and allowed eight runs in eight innings.

Scouting Report: McFarlane has an electric, three-pitch mix, with a high-spin fastball that averaged 96 mph and topped out at 97.7 mph in his pro debut. The organization is having McFarlane work on the pitch's shape and efficiency, as it doesn't have much movement. Although his command of the pitch can waver, it still projects as an above-average offering. He has no trouble commanding his secondaries--a pair of above-average or better pitches led by his plus slider. The pitch averages over 2,700 rpm of spin, and projects as a legitimate swing-and-miss offering. It sat at 84.7 mph in his pro debut and produced a whiff rate greater than 44%. His mid-80s split-changeup gives him another bat-missing weapon with fading life, but he didn't use it in his brief debut. McFarlane has below-average control, and will need to throw more strikes to profile as a starter.

The Future: McFarlane should start the 2023 season at High-A Jersey Shore. With his explosive arsenal he has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, but he'll need to become a more consistent strike-thrower.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55 Control: 40.
BA Grade: 45/High

August Update: McFarlane ranked as the No. 186 prospect in the 2019 class out of high school as an upside projection righthander who hailed from the US Virgin Islands. The Cardinals drafted him in the 25th round but instead of signing, he went to Miami, where he has mostly pitched out of the bullpen. Now listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, McFarlane has shown impressive natural arm talent and ‘wow&#39 stuff, but his performance has never quite matched what scouts have seen coming out of his hand. He was used as a starter early this spring but moved back into a reliever role after allowing five runs in 2.1 innings against Clemson in March. On the season, McFarlane posted a 4.00 ERA over 45 innings, with 68 strikeouts (34.3 K%) and 20 walks (10.1 BB%). His high-spin fastball sits 95-96 mph and has been up to 99, and he has also flashed a wipeout slider and swing-and-miss changeup—both in the mid 80s with plus grades when they are on. McFarlane&#39s command can waver and his career walk rate at Miami is below-average, but his stuff is explosive.