- Full name Daniel Avitia
- Born 05/16/2003 in Phoenix, AZ
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Grand Canyon
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Drafted in the 12th round (362nd overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2024 (signed for $150,000).
View Draft Report
School: Grand Canyon
Commit/Drafted: Cubs ’21 (19)
Age at Draft: 21.2
Avitia was selected in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but rather than starting his professional career he opted to attend Grand Canyon. He is now a 6-foot-4, 200-pound righthander who has earned a reputation as one of the best pure command pictures in the class. In two seasons with Grand Canyon, Avitia has posted a 3.99 ERA in 167 innings with a 27.7% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate. He doesn’t possess much velocity and sits 88-92 with a fastball that will scrape 95 but he throws from a lower arm slot and maximizes the stuff he does have with advanced pitchability and feel for his secondaries. He pitches off a low-80s changeup more than a mid-70s slurvy breaking ball, and neither pitch looks above-average in a vacuum, but his location and deception from his low release point allow them to both play up. He’s as safe a starter as you can find, but how teams think his stuff will miss bats in pro ball will ultimately determine his draft upside—adding more velocity in 2024 will make that projection simpler for scouting departments.
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Grand Canyon Commit/Drafted: Cubs ’ 21 (19)
Age At Draft: 21.2
Avitia was selected in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but rather than starting his professional career he opted to attend Grand Canyon. Now a 6-foot-4, 215-pound righthander, Avitia entered the spring with a chance for a day one selection thanks to his pristine command, but he dealt with injury that caused him to miss a month of the season and scouts are still waiting for him to take a step forward with his stuff. He posted a 4.63 ERA over six starts and 35 innings this spring and owns a career 5.6% walk rate, but throws a fastball that averages 90 mph and touches 93-95 at peak. Avitia will also mix in a low-80s changeup as his primary secondary offering and has an upper-70s slurvy breaking ball. Both have been effective swing-and-miss pitches but neither project as above-average pitches in pro ball. Avitia throws from a lower arm slot that creates running life on his fastball and allows him to generate plenty of ground balls, but despite having a safe starter profile he’ll need to unlock more velocity at the next level.
Career Transactions
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- RHP Daniel Avitia assigned to Grand Canyon Antelopes.