| Player: Derek Schaefer | |||||||||||
| School: Arizona State | Position(s): RHP | ||||||||||
| Height: 6’3” | Weight: 210 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right | ||||||||
| Summary: A national champion his freshman year at Tennessee, Derek Schaefer transferred to Arizona State, and after a summer in the Cape, will head back to campus for his draft year this spring. Schaefer strikes out a ton of batters and has shown flashes of dominance, but walks and a hittable fastball have limited his ceiling thus far. However, if he can solve those problems, Schaefer is a great under-the-radar arm that has the potential to shine. In his repertoire, Schaefer features 3 pitches. His main offering is a fastball that sits in the high 80’s to low 90’s, and has gotten crushed when facing better competition, as it doesn’t have enough movement or velocity to beat hitters when it isn’t located perfectly. He also utilizes a curveball that is probably his best pitch, getting sharp downwards movement as it approaches the plate, and tunnelling well with his fastball as well. His third pitch, a changeup, is solid, but needs some more development to truly stack up and be a reliable option. His existing repertoire could certainly use some improvement, but more experience should help him figure out how best to use it, though a fourth pitch and improvements to his fastball and changeup are important points of focus long-term. Delivery-wise, Schaefer is very mechanically solid. He gets on top of the ball very well, generating a great arm angle for his curveball to thrive from. He utilizes a long arm circle, generating tons of whip from his 6’3” frame and extending down the mound quite a bit. He repeats the motion very consistently, and will only get more mechanically sound as he continues to gain experience. For Schaefer, the key to making the jump to the next level is improvements to his fastball. Whether it is gaining more velocity, movement, or both, it will set everything else up for success. He will be able to throw it in the zone more with confidence, lowering those walk rates and eliminating the hard contact that has plagued him. | |||||||||||
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