Paul Richan
| IP | 188 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.59 |
| WHIP | 1.16 |
| BB/9 | 1.723 |
| SO/9 | 8.521 |
- Full name Paul Douglas Richan
- Born 03/26/1997 in Newhall, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School San Diego
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Drafted in the 2C round (78th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2018 (signed for $450,000).
View Draft Report
Richan supplanted Nick Sprengel as San Diego's top starter and most-desired draft prospect this spring, launched in part by a dominant outing against Michigan at the Tony Gwynn Classic. Richan is a polished righthander with a four-pitch mix, headlined by a plus slider. At his best, Richan's fastball sits 91-92 mph and touches 94, and he can mix in an average changeup as well. He uses his fastball and changeup to get ahead, and then finishes batters with his slider. Richan tired as the season went on and sat more 88-91 toward the end, cooling some of the early interest. His fastball command also slipped at the end of the season and resulted in a lot of contact, although he still threw strikes. A poor finish made his season numbers look pedestrian, but Richan showed evaluators enough early in the year that they still consider him a talent worthy of a pick in the top five rounds.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Track Record: The Cubs made Richan their second-round pick in 2018 out of San Diego. He was one of two pitchers dealt to the Tigers in the 2019 Nick Castellanos deal, along with righty Alex Lange. Richan opened 2021 with Double-A Erie, but threw just 29 innings before being placed on the injured list in late June, ending his season.
Scouting Report: None of Richan’s pitches grades as better than average, but his whole arsenal gets a boost thanks to impressive command and a smooth delivery. Richan’s fastball sits between 88-92 mph, touching as high as 94 mph. It doesn’t generate many whiffs, but Richan locates it well. His primary offspeed is a low-80s slider that gets swings and misses at an above-average rate. Richan also mixes in a curveball and a changeup that are dependable pieces, but lack the impact of his fastball or slider.
The Future: Richan doesn’t have much margin for error, but he has enough control and deception to profile as a potential low-leverage big league relief option. -
TRACK RECORD: Richan pitched himself into the supplemental second round in 2018 with an excellent season at San Diego. The Cubs drafted him 78th overall and traded him one year later to the Tigers with righthander Alex Lange for Nicholas Castellanos. Richan made five starts with high Class A Lakeland after the trade and notched 29 strikeouts against just two walks in 30.2 innings.
SCOUTING REPORT: Richan's delivery is low-effort and repeatable despite a long arm action, allowing him to throw plenty of strikes. His fastball projects near average, topping out at 93 mph, and he commands it to both sides of the plate. Richan snaps off a slider in the low-80s that projects above-average with good tilt. It gets more swings and misses than his changeup, which projects average but currently lags behind his other pitches.
THE FUTURE: With future plus control, Richan profiles as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter. He should get his first taste of the upper minors in 2020. -
Track Record: Richan's draft year started strong when he tossed eight innings of one-run ball against Michigan in an early-season tournament. He faded down the stretch a bit, but the Cubs were undeterred and popped him with their pick in the supplemental second round. Because he was so advanced, the Cubs moved Richan immediately to short-season Eugene, where he was part of the Emeralds' improbable run to the Northwest League title.
Scouting Report: Richan's arsenal is by no means flashy, but he pounds the zone with four pitches for strikes. He starts his arsenal with a low-90s fastball that touched up to 94 mph as an amateur and couples the pitch with a potentially plus slider that he can throw for called strikes or bury for chases. He also throws a changeup and curveball that each project to be average or a tick above. Scouts who saw him at San Diego also noted a late-breaking two-seamer. Richan gets a little bit of a boost from deception caused by hiding the ball in the back of his delivery.
The Future: Richan profiles as a classic innings-eater toward the back of a rotation. He has the pedigree to jump directly to high Class A Myrtle Beach if the Cubs decided that's the best place for his development.
Draft Prospects
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Richan supplanted Nick Sprengel as San Diego's top starter and most-desired draft prospect this spring, launched in part by a dominant outing against Michigan at the Tony Gwynn Classic. Richan is a polished righthander with a four-pitch mix, headlined by a plus slider. At his best, Richan's fastball sits 91-92 mph and touches 94, and he can mix in an average changeup as well. He uses his fastball and changeup to get ahead, and then finishes batters with his slider. Richan tired as the season went on and sat more 88-91 toward the end, cooling some of the early interest. His fastball command also slipped at the end of the season and resulted in a lot of contact, although he still threw strikes. A poor finish made his season numbers look pedestrian, but Richan showed evaluators enough early in the year that they still consider him a talent worthy of a pick in the top five rounds.
Best Tools List
- Rated Best Control in the Detroit Tigers in 2020
Scouting Reports
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Track Record: The Cubs made Richan their second-round pick in 2018 out of San Diego. He was one of two pitchers dealt to the Tigers in the 2019 Nick Castellanos deal, along with righty Alex Lange. Richan opened 2021 with Double-A Erie, but threw just 29 innings before being placed on the injured list in late June, ending his season.
Scouting Report: None of Richan’s pitches grades as better than average, but his whole arsenal gets a boost thanks to impressive command and a smooth delivery. Richan’s fastball sits between 88-92 mph, touching as high as 94 mph. It doesn’t generate many whiffs, but Richan locates it well. His primary offspeed is a low-80s slider that gets swings and misses at an above-average rate. Richan also mixes in a curveball and a changeup that are dependable pieces, but lack the impact of his fastball or slider.
The Future: Richan doesn’t have much margin for error, but he has enough control and deception to profile as a potential low-leverage big league relief option. -
TRACK RECORD: Richan pitched himself into the supplemental second round in 2018 with an excellent season at San Diego. The Cubs drafted him 78th overall and traded him one year later to the Tigers with righthander Alex Lange for Nicholas Castellanos. Richan made five starts with high Class A Lakeland after the trade and notched 29 strikeouts against just two walks in 30.2 innings.
SCOUTING REPORT: Richan’s delivery is low-effort and repeatable despite a long arm action, allowing him to throw plenty of strikes. His fastball projects near average, topping out at 93 mph, and he commands it to both sides of the plate. Richan snaps off a slider in the low-80s that projects above-average with good tilt. It gets more swings and misses than his changeup, which projects average but currently lags behind his other pitches.
THE FUTURE: With future plus control, Richan profiles as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter. He should get his first taste of the upper minors in 2020. -
TRACK RECORD: Richan pitched himself into the supplemental second round in 2018 with an excellent season at San Diego. The Cubs drafted him 78th overall and traded him one year later to the Tigers with righthander Alex Lange for Nicholas Castellanos. Richan made five starts with high Class A Lakeland after the trade and notched 29 strikeouts against just two walks in 30.2 innings.
SCOUTING REPORT: Richan's delivery is low-effort and repeatable despite a long arm action, allowing him to throw plenty of strikes. His fastball projects near average, topping out at 93 mph, and he commands it to both sides of the plate. Richan snaps off a slider in the low-80s that projects above-average with good tilt. It gets more swings and misses than his changeup, which projects average but currently lags behind his other pitches.
THE FUTURE: With future plus control, Richan profiles as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter. He should get his first taste of the upper minors in 2020.
