Pat Overholt

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #26 prospect in 2009
  Overholt was primarily a reliever in college at Santa Clara, where he missed the 2004 season due to Tommy John surgery. The Phillies used him as a starter for most of his pro career as he grew into his body, adding three inches in height since early in his college career. While he lost the closer role during an ugly second half in the Reading bullpen, he made enough progress in 2008 to position himself as a future big league bullpen option. Overholt has a big arm and flashes two plus pitches. His fastball usually sits at 92-93 mph, and his slider is the best in the organization, at times coming in at 85-86 mph with late bite. In the second half, he lost his arm slot, lowering his angle. As a result, he elevated his fastball and got around on his slider, causing it to flatten out. He has never had enough command but has the stuff to get away with merely control to be a middle reliever. He's working on refining a changeup to combat lefthanders, who slugged .504 off him in Double-A. Overholt has spent the last two years in the Arizona Fall League, and the Phils clearly value him as a prospect. However, he wasn't added to the 40-man roster and passed through the Rule 5 draft unpicked. The raw talent is there, and Overholt has to start consistently locating his fastball down in the zone to set up his slider if he wants to avoid another second-half swoon. He's expected to return to Reading but could earn a Triple-A assignment with a strong spring training.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #23 prospect in 2007
  Overholt always had arm strength, serving as the starting shortstop for three seasons in high school. One of the best athletes in the system, Overholt was also a standout basketball player and golfer at Brighton High in Salt Lake City. However, after a standout freshman season at Santa Clara, where he saved 10 games, he struggled and went just 2-7, 5.09 while trying to become a starter. Primarily used as a reliever after signing as a 22nd-round pick, Overholt blossomed in 2006. He commands his 90-96 mph fastball to both sides of the plate, and his 84-85 mph slider emerged as his out pitch. His slider is a plus pitch, featuring good tilt and deadly late break. Overholt also started implementing a changeup into his repertoire last season, but it's still a work in progress. The Phillies tried to extend Overholt's outings in 2006, pitching him in two- or three-inning stints, and if his changeup shows development, they haven't ruled out a rotation spot in the future. He's a flyball pitcher and homer-prone, giving up one longball every eight innings, but has power reliever stuff. Overholt will return to high Class A to start 2007, but could move quickly once his role is defined.