Jake Stevens Stats & Scouting Report

IP	716
ERA	4.236
WHIP	1.429
BB/9	3.494
SO/9	6.939

Full name Jacob Albert Stevens
Born 03/15/1985 in Fort Myers, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Cape Coral
Drafted in the 3rd round (79th overall) by the Atlanta Braves in 2003 (signed for $475,000).

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Stevens opened a lot of eyes in mid-March, when he overmatched Milledge. He has done that to a lot of Florida hitters with an arsenal that includes a low-90s fastball, hard curveball and solid changeup. He has a thicker frame and more power to his game than Maine does, his curve has more of a downward break and his change is slightly superior. But Stevens also exerts a lot more effort in his delivery and isn't as projectable. Scouts compare him to a bigger and stronger version of Sterling Hitchcock because they have the same arm action.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The system's top lefty entering 2005, Stevens endured a difficult season that the Braves believe will benefit him in the long term. The projectable southpaw battled inconsistency and adversity for the first time, forcing him to try to get by on nights when he didn't have his best stuff. Before last year, Stevens had plus command of three pitches, including a solid-average fastball that peaked at 94. He lost his ability to locate his stuff with precision in 2005, and he also dropped 2-3 mph off his fastball. He also throws an overhand curveball that could become a power pitch, along with a developing changeup. Extremely competitive, Stevens continues to learn how to control his emotions on the mound. Experience and added maturity should take care of that. With a projectable body and good athleticism, Stevens has the potential to rebound this year. A return to low Class A is likely, with a midseason promotion to Double-A a possibility.
Stevens had the best first full season of the five pitchers Atlanta selected in the first three rounds of the 2003 draft. He had a streak of 25 consecutive innings without an earned run in June and finished eighth in the minors in ERA. Scouts drool over Stevens' projectable body. He's a good athlete and shows excellent stamina. He has terrific command of three pitches, beginning with an 89-91 mph fastball that has registered as high as 94. He displays excellent feel for an overhand curveball that could become a plus power pitch. Stevens' changeup could give him a third above-average pitch. His competitiveness enhances his total package. Stevens showed his age at times in 2004, getting flustered on the rare occasions when he got hit hard. He needs to learn how to minimize the damage instead of throwing gas on the fire, as he did during two seven-run outings in July. His changeup needs more depth. Stevens is well ahead of the curve for a young lefthanded pitcher. A promotion to high Class A is in his immediate future. He has a ceiling as a No. 2 starter.
It didn't take long for Stevens to learn a valuable lesson in pro ball. In his first inning after signing as the 79th overall pick in the 2003 draft, he walked the bases loaded and then surrendered a grand slam. He finished much better than he started, winning the first game of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League championship series. The Braves believe Stevens discovered in that first inning that he has to be aggressive in the strike zone every time he takes the mound. He does just that with a plus curveball that he throws from a high three-quarters slot, creating a 1-to-7 break. Stevens' fastball also has good movement and sits in the low 90s while topping out at 93. His changeup is also a promising pitch, though it could use a little more fade in order to become a plus offering. Stevens' maximum-effort delivery worried some scouts prior to the draft, but the Braves have made refinements with his mechanics and say he has the makeup to be one of the premier pitchers from the 2003 draft class. He's expected to spend 2004 in the low Class A rotation.

Minor League Top Prospects

Stevens and fellow lefty Chuck James formed a potent 1-2 punch in Rome's rotation, putting up nearly identical numbers. Managers and scouts agreed Stevens was the better prospect because he throws harder and has a better breaking ball than James, whose fastball sits in the mid-80s at times. Epperson credited the Braves with helping Stevens make tremendous progress with his curveball. Managers liked its power and tilt, and it needs only more consistency to be a plus major league curve. Stevens also has a solid-average fastball in the 89-90 mph range with good life, and one area scout rated his command and changeup as above average. The total package helped him rank fifth in the league in strikeouts. "He's a totally different pitcher from high school," said Epperson, who lives near Stevens in the Fort Myers, Fla., area and saw him as a prepster. "He's learned the curveball, and his body has gone in the right direction. I thought he had a soft body, but now he's in good shape and has good stamina. He's got the fastball and changeup, but that curveball is so good, that's the pitch you've got to watch for if you're the hitter."
One of five high schoolers from the first three rounds of the 2003 draft who pitched for the Braves, Stevens started slowly but was lights-out down the stretch. He saved his best outing for last, pitching the Braves to a 9-1 win over the Pirates in the first game of the championship series. "He was pitching backward at the start of the year and nibbling too much," Braves manager Ralph Henriquez said. "He was using his breaking ball and changeup to set up his fastball. But he became a different pitcher when he learned to attack hitters early in the count with his fastball." Not only did Stevens' fastball routinely touch 91-93 mph with late action as he used it more, but his command of the pitch improved as well. It gave him a second above-average pitch to supplement a curveball that ranked as one of the league's best. "He showed me exceptional command of his breaking stuff," Marlins coach Johnny Rodriguez said. "His curveball has good downward angle with great bite, and he really buckled hitters with it."