Steven Shell Stats & Scouting Report

IP	55
ERA	2.455
WHIP	1.109
BB/9	3.6
SO/9	7.527

Full name Steven Daniel Shell
Born 03/10/1983 in Longview, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School El Reno
Debut 06/22/2008
Drafted in the 3rd round (81st overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2001 (signed for $460,000).

View Draft Report

Shell has one of the easiest arm actions in the draft, which may tempt a team to take him in the supplemental first round. Long and loose at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, he looks like he's on cruise control but delivers a consistent 88-92 mph fastball that tops out at 94. He projects to develop a hard slider, though his changeup will need work. Shell and fellow high school prospects Kole Strayhorn, Billy Bajema and Travis Wendte helped an Oklahoma team go 110-6 during the summer of 1997, including winning the National Amateur Baseball Federation's Sophomore World Series.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

After making strides with his command and pitches while repeating high Class A in 2004, Shell failed to follow suit early last season. He seemed to turn a corner in July, when he threw a shutout and later had a strong seven-inning outing in front of Angels GM Bill Stoneman, but then had more difficulty in August. Shell has a prototypical pitcher's body, delivery and arm speed. But his stuff leveled off in 2005. His fastball sat near 90 mph, though it had good late life and armside run. His curveball was just average, rather than slightly above-average as it had been in the past. He still hasn't grasped the feel of his changeup, a below-average offering, and his splitter is equally inconsistent. Shell tends to lose confidence easily and stops attacking hitters. His command suffers and his breaking ball flattens out when he drops his arm slot from his high three-quarters angle. He still has a ceiling of a No. 3 starter, but he'll have to return to Double-A in 2006.
Shell started the California-Carolina League all-star game in 2003, but faded in the second half after coming down with a tender elbow. The Angels decided to play it safe and sent him back to high Class A in 2004. He led the Cal League in strikeouts and walked more than two batters in just two of his 28 starts. Shell has the best command in the organization. He can work his 89-92 mph fastball in on righthanded hitters with cutting action, and it has natural sink as well. His 12-to-6 curveball grades out as slightly above average. He refined his splitter last year, and when it's on, he can be hard to beat. His changeup is a solid fourth pitch. Shell doesn't have a dominant pitch he can rely on to get outs. He has to mix his pitches and locations in order to succeed. He had a reputation for getting flustered easily, but he made strides with his poise in 2004. Shell projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Ticketed for Double-A in 2005, he could compete for a big league job as early as 2006.
Shell has been on the cusp of the top 10 since signing as a projection pick in 2001. He earned the starting assignment for the California League in its 2003 all-star game against the Carolina League, based on the strength of his 6-5, 3.20 record in the first half. A tender elbow robbed him of his effectiveness for much of the second half and cost him most of August. Thanks to his clean delivery, Shell has the best command and control in the organization. He paints both sides of the plate with an 88-92 mph fastball and will max out at 94 when he's healthy. His spike curveball is a reliable weapon and a potential strikeout pitch. His changeup is solid. Shell has to trust his fastball as he did during the first half. He needs to become more consistent with his secondary pitches. He tried to pitch through pain last season and it cost him. The Angels plan on taking a conservative approach with his return, but are optimistic this wasn't a significant setback. If he comes to spring training at 100 percent, Shell could jump to Double-A. Otherwise, he'll repeat high Class A and still be young for that level at 21.
Shell had the look of a raw high school product when he made his pro debut in 2001, but scouts coveted him for his effortless delivery and clean arm action. He was the best pitcher in Anaheim's minor league camp last spring, which prompted his jump to low Class A for his first full season. Shell won his first three starts and remained consistent for most of the summer before suffering from elbow soreness in August. The Angels kept him out of game action, though he was throwing bullpens at full strength during the Midwest League playoffs. His 89-93 mph fastball appears even quicker because the ball comes out of his hand so easily. Scouts project his velocity to increase to 92-95 as he fills out his flat-chested, lean frame. He added a two-seam fastball to complement his riding four-seamer and started getting a lot of groundouts. His spike curveball has plus potential with good, late depth. He still needs to gain consistency with it, however, as he occasionally guides the pitch, which causes it to roll instead of bite. He shows a feel for an average changeup. Still inexperienced, Shell must develop a game plan on the mound and learn how to put hitters away. When he figures that out, one veteran scout says, Shell has an opportunity to be better than Johan Santana. He'll head to high Class A in 2003 and should progress one level at a time.
As a sophomore, Shell was the MVP of an Oklahoma summer squad that went 110-6 en route to winning three state titles and the National Amateur Baseball Federation's Sophomore World Series. He fits the prototype of the righthanders the Angels have coveted under scouting director Donny Rowland. Like Phil Wilson, Shell is a lean, flat-chested pitcher who needs to bulk up to avoid running out of gas. Scouts said he had one of the easiest arm actions in the 2001 draft, and it creates deceptive 89-94 mph velocity and running life on his fastball. The ball exits his hand effortlessly and saws off a lot of bats. He also throws a good spike curveball and has the makings of a legitimate changeup. Though Shell looked overmatched in Provo, the Angels think his advanced mound presence will help him make adjustments this season. His instructional league performance may have helped earn him a spot in low Class A for 2002.

Minor League Top Prospects

After two seasons in the Cal League, Shell put together a solid season in Double-A and gained confidence as the year progressed. His best start may have come in the first round of the playoffs when he dominated Tulsa for seven innings, striking out nine and walking one in a 9-2 win. Shell has the build of a big league workhorse, with a long, loose arm and good arm action. He pitches reliably at 90-92 mph and he has an electric curveball when it's on. But too often only one curve in five will be great, one will hang and the other three will bounce in the dirt. He's also still working on both a changeup and splitter as an offspeed pitch. Neither is an average pitch at this point, so Shell probably needs to pick one and try to develop it. He did improve his fastball command after nibbling too often early in the season.
Casey Kotchman, Jeff Mathis and Dallas McPherson deservedly get much of the attention focused on the Angels' banner 2001 draft class, but Anaheim also found a promising starting pitcher to go with all of that offensive firepower. A third-rounder, Shell returned for his second season with the Quakes but at 21 was still younger than most players in the league. His progress was obvious, as he led the Cal League with 190 strikeouts in 165 innings. Shell uses a low-90s fastball that can occasionally touch 94 mph, plus a more refined spike curve that seems to always end up in the strike zone. He shows remarkable command of both pitches. "Everything is a strike," San Jose manager Lenn Sakata said, "and nothing is in the middle of the plate." Shell needs to gain more confidence in his offspeed pitches, as he relies too heavily on his fastball in pressure situations. He doesn't have enough velocity to just blow the ball by hitters at higher levels.
Santana set the tone for the Quakes' pitching staff, and Nos. 2 and 3 starters Shell and Jake Woods continued to establish themselves as big league pitching prospects. Shell matched Santana's dominance in the first half and earned the nod as the starting pitcher in the Carolina-California League all-star game. He took a downturn in the second half after experiencing tenderness in his right elbow. When Shell was right, his fastball touched 94 mph and sat between 89-92, and he commanded it for strikes. He has a good feel for his secondary pitches, though they're underdeveloped and he needs more confidence in his changeup and spike curveball.