Shane Panzini Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Shane Jude Panzini
Born 10/30/2001 in Spring Lake, NJ
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Red Bank Catholic
Drafted in the 4th round (108th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2021 (signed for $997,500).

View Draft Report

Panzini is one of the oldest players in the high school class. He turns 20 in October, making him a year older than some of the players who are on the older end of the class, and nearly two years older than some of the younger 2021 players. That's a factor that will work against Panzini as teams line up their draft boards, but he does a lot of things that will help him. He has a simple, repeatable delivery that's smooth and under control. He has a strong lower half and generates fastballs that are consistently in the low-to-mid 90s, reaching 96 mph. There's no knockout secondary pitch in his arsenal, but his slider is an average or slightly better pitch at times. Panzini also throws an occasional curveball and a firm, below-average changeup. Panzini has thrown well this spring, though he did get hit hard at times on the showcase circuit last summer. Some teams are less concerned about a high school player's age and place more value on a pitcher with a smooth delivery and a mid-90s fastball, so Panzini could end up going higher than his draft ranking suggests.

Top Rankings

Track Record: Panzini was the third of a trio of high school pitchers selected by the Royals early in the 2021 draft, signing an above-slot $997,500 bonus as a fourth-rounder. The New Jersey native was held out of games before seeing action during instructional league.

Scouting Report: Panzini aggressively attacks hitters with a heavy fastball that sits 89-92 mph with life and a high spin rate. His velocity, generated by his strong lower half, has touched higher and has room to increase. Panzini presently lacks a true swing-and-miss secondary. His slider is a future average pitch with sweep and horizontal movement. He infrequently throws a changeup, and he’ll need to show it more as he gets his feet wet in pro ball. Panzini shows a repeatable delivery that should portend average control.

The Future: Panzini projects as a reliever, but the Royals will start him for now. He is set to open the 2022 season at Low-A Columbia.

Panzini is one of the oldest players in the high school class. He turns 20 in October, making him a year older than some of the players who are on the older end of the class, and nearly two years older than some of the younger 2021 players. That's a factor that will work against Panzini as teams line up their draft boards, but he does a lot of things that will help him. He has a simple, repeatable delivery that's smooth and under control. He has a strong lower half and generates fastballs that are consistently in the low-to-mid 90s, reaching 96 mph. There's no knockout secondary pitch in his arsenal, but his slider is an average or slightly better pitch at times. Panzini also throws an occasional curveball and a firm, below-average changeup. Panzini has thrown well this spring, though he did get hit hard at times on the showcase circuit last summer. Some teams are less concerned about a high school player's age and place more value on a pitcher with a smooth delivery and a mid-90s fastball, so Panzini could end up going higher than his draft ranking suggests.

Track Record: Panzini was the third of a trio of high school pitchers selected by the Royals early in the 2021 draft, signing an above-slot $997,500 bonus as a fourth-rounder. The New Jersey native was held out of games before seeing action during instructional league.

Scouting Report: Panzini aggressively attacks hitters with a heavy fastball that sits 89-92 mph with life and a high spin rate. His velocity, generated by his strong lower half, has touched higher and has room to increase. Panzini presently lacks a true swing-and-miss secondary. His slider is a future average pitch with sweep and horizontal movement. He infrequently throws a changeup, and he’ll need to show it more as he gets his feet wet in pro ball. Panzini shows a repeatable delivery that should portend average control.

The Future: Panzini projects as a reliever, but the Royals will start him for now. He is set to open the 2022 season at Low-A Columbia.

RHP Shane Panzini assigned to Surprise Saguaros.
Quad Cities River Bandits activated RHP Shane Panzini from the 60-day injured list.
Quad Cities River Bandits transferred RHP Shane Panzini from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.