Brett Graves
| IP | 33 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.455 |
| WHIP | 1.606 |
| BB/9 | 3.273 |
| SO/9 | 5.727 |
- Full name Brett Thomas Graves
- Born 01/30/1993 in St Charles, MO
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Missouri
- Debut 06/17/2018
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Drafted in the 3rd round (101st overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2014 (signed for $510,000).
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The 6-foot-1, 173-pound Graves appeared to be losing steam as the college season wound down, and with Missouri in last place in the Southeastern Conference, he'll have no postseason to make up ground. He was a 26th-round pick of the hometown Cardinals in 2011 but struggled his freshman season with command, walking more than he struck out. He's come on the last two seasons and has shown excellent command of a plus fastball this spring for the Tigers. Graves pitches at 94-96 mph at times but usually cruises along at 92-93 with late life at the plate, especially when he keeps the pitch down. A fan of former Missouri pitcher Max Scherzer, he tries to emulate Scherzer's delivery, which has helped him incorporate his lower half more. Graves throws both a slider and curveball, and scouts prefer the curve, which has above-average potential if not better. Graves' changeup is fringy but he's athletic and repeats his delivery as well as fielding his position very well. He lacks a knockout punch among his secondary pitches, which limits his ceiling to that of a No. 4 starter, unless his curve takes off.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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Graves grew up in the St. Louis area but turned down a chance to join the Cardinals organization out of high school, when he was their 26th-round pick. Also eschewing a potential college football career--he'd drawn interest as a dual-threat quarterback--he chose instead to go to Missouri on his way to landing a $510,000 bonus from the Athletics as a 2014 third-rounder. Graves has a great pitcher's body and plenty of arm strength, as he sits 94-96 mph and can reach 97. He throws strikes with his fastball and has a feel for moving it around the zone. However, his secondary stuff needs work. Both his curve and changeup will look good in flashes but are mostly below-average for now. A long arm stroke in his delivery doesn't help in this regard, though he does do a good job of repeating and gets good angle on his pitches. Graves would fit the bill as a hard-throwing reliever, but he'll remain a starter for now to see if his secondary stuff develops as he goes to low Class A Beloit in 2015.
Draft Prospects
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The 6-foot-1, 173-pound Graves appeared to be losing steam as the college season wound down, and with Missouri in last place in the Southeastern Conference, he'll have no postseason to make up ground. He was a 26th-round pick of the hometown Cardinals in 2011 but struggled his freshman season with command, walking more than he struck out. He's come on the last two seasons and has shown excellent command of a plus fastball this spring for the Tigers. Graves pitches at 94-96 mph at times but usually cruises along at 92-93 with late life at the plate, especially when he keeps the pitch down. A fan of former Missouri pitcher Max Scherzer, he tries to emulate Scherzer's delivery, which has helped him incorporate his lower half more. Graves throws both a slider and curveball, and scouts prefer the curve, which has above-average potential if not better. Graves' changeup is fringy but he's athletic and repeats his delivery as well as fielding his position very well. He lacks a knockout punch among his secondary pitches, which limits his ceiling to that of a No. 4 starter, unless his curve takes off.
