IP | 71 |
---|---|
ERA | 5.7 |
WHIP | 1.54 |
BB/9 | 2.66 |
SO/9 | 10.52 |
- Full name Howard Joseph Dombroski
- Born 03/13/2001 in Manasquan, NJ
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: R / Throws: L
- School Monmouth
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Drafted in the 4th round (133rd overall) by the Houston Astros in 2022 (signed for $443,900).
View Draft Report
Dombroski has posted outstanding numbers at Monmouth, including this season with a sparkling 120-14 strikeout-to-walk mark in 95 innings to go with a 3.13 ERA. Performing last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he had an ERA of 0.85 with 45 strikeouts and two walks in 31.2 innings, gave scouts more confidence in his ability to handle himself against better competition. Dombroski is a prolific strike-thrower with advanced pitchability, mixing his stuff and hitting his spots to keep hitters off-balance. He has a delivery that’s simple, smooth and under control with efficient arm action. Dombroski repeats his mechanics well and throws strikes with four pitches. He’s not overpowering, pitching at 87-91 mph and touching 93 mph, but his control has a chance to be a 70 on the 20-80 scale. Dombroski threw his fastball 40% of the time this year, using his slider nearly as often. The slider is his best pitch, grading out plus with sharp bite, late tilt and two-plane depth, an effective weapon against both lefties and righties that should continue to miss bats against more advanced hitters. Dombroski also throws an average curveball and a fringe-average changeup that comes in firmly off his fastball. Some scouts were hoping to see more of a velocity uptick this year from Dombroski, but others remain high on him for his starter traits and outstanding control.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade: 45/High
Track Record: Dombroski popped onto the draft radar after a breakout summer with the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League. Dombroski returned to Monmouth where he enjoyed a successful 2022 season, won MAAC pitcher of the year and was a unanimous first team all-conference selection. Dombroski was taken by the Astros in the fourth round of the 2022 draft but did not debut until the following spring with Low-A Fayetteville. He spent the entire 2023 season at Low-A, making 26 appearances spanning 119 innings working to a 7-9, 3.71 mark with 148 strikeouts and 36 walks.
Scouting Report: Dombroski is a big-bodied lefthander who mixes four pitches in a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. Dombroski’s fastball lacks power, sitting 89-90 mph on average and peaking at 91-92. His most-used secondary is his upper-70s curveball with two-plane break and late sweep, and he shows excellent feel and command of the pitch. Dombroski’s best pitch might be his changeup, which he commands well and uses to generate swings and misses in and out of the zone. His sweeper slider at 79-81 mph can at times blend into his curveball but is his most used secondary in left-on-left matchups. Dombroski has a history of advanced strike-throwing and did not walk more than two batters in any outing from April 28 forward.
The Future: Dombroski is a potential back-end starter whose ceiling is capped by his fastball’s lack of power.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55 -
BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
Track Record: Dombroski broke out in the Cape Cod League over the summer of 2021, when he posted a 0.85 ERA with 45 strikeouts to two walks over 31.2 innings while winning the Most Outstanding Pitcher award. He returned to Monmouth and struck out 120 batters against just 14 walks across 95 innings. The Astros selected Dombroski in the fourh round and signed him for slot value. He did not pitch after the draft.
Scouting Report: Dombroski attacks hitters with a four-pitch mix that lacks power but plays up due to his elite execution. His four-seam fastball sits 88-91 mph with ride and late run and is effective for setting up his trio of secondaries. His slider is his primary offspeed pitch and is used equally as often as his fastball. Dombroski commands his slider--which shows two-plane break--well to both lefties and righties. He'll also show a slower, deep-breaking curveball that's an effective early-count strike-stealer as well as a below-average changeup. Dombroski's ability to sequence and locate all of his pitches allows his entire arsenal to play up and gives him a chance to make it as a viable starter.
The Future: Adding power over the next year could help Dombroski's profile take a step forward and give him a viable ceiling as a back-end starter. For now, he has the look of an up-and-down depth starter.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 70.
Draft Prospects
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School: Monmouth Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
BA Grade: 45/High
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: | Control: 70
Dombroski has posted outstanding numbers at Monmouth, including this season with a sparkling 120-14 strikeout-to-walk mark in 95 innings to go with a 3.13 ERA. Performing last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he had an ERA of 0.85 with 45 strikeouts and two walks in 31.2 innings, gave scouts more confidence in his ability to handle himself against better competition. Dombroski is a prolific strike-thrower with advanced pitchability, mixing his stuff and hitting his spots to keep hitters off-balance. He has a delivery that’s simple, smooth and under control with efficient arm action. Dombroski repeats his mechanics well and throws strikes with four pitches. He’s not overpowering, pitching at 87-91 mph and touching 93 mph, but his control has a chance to be a 70 on the 20-80 scale. Dombroski threw his fastball 40% of the time this year, using his slider nearly as often. The slider is his best pitch, grading out plus with sharp bite, late tilt and two-plane depth, an effective weapon against both lefties and righties that should continue to miss bats against more advanced hitters. Dombroski also throws an average curveball and a fringe-average changeup that comes in firmly off his fastball. Some scouts were hoping to see more of a velocity uptick this year from Dombroski, but others remain high on him for his starter traits and outstanding control.
Scouting Reports
-
BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
Track Record: Dombroski broke out in the Cape Cod League over the summer of 2021, when he posted a 0.85 ERA with 45 strikeouts to two walks over 31.2 innings while winning the Most Outstanding Pitcher award. He returned to Monmouth and struck out 120 batters against just 14 walks across 95 innings. The Astros selected Dombroski in the fourh round and signed him for slot value. He did not pitch after the draft.
Scouting Report: Dombroski attacks hitters with a four-pitch mix that lacks power but plays up due to his elite execution. His four-seam fastball sits 88-91 mph with ride and late run and is effective for setting up his trio of secondaries. His slider is his primary offspeed pitch and is used equally as often as his fastball. Dombroski commands his slider--which shows two-plane break--well to both lefties and righties. He'll also show a slower, deep-breaking curveball that's an effective early-count strike-stealer as well as a below-average changeup. Dombroski's ability to sequence and locate all of his pitches allows his entire arsenal to play up and gives him a chance to make it as a viable starter.
The Future: Adding power over the next year could help Dombroski's profile take a step forward and give him a viable ceiling as a back-end starter. For now, he has the look of an up-and-down depth starter.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 70. -
BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
Track Record: Dombroski broke out in the Cape Cod League over the summer of 2021, when he posted a 0.85 ERA with 45 strikeouts to two walks over 31.2 innings while winning the Most Outstanding Pitcher award. He returned to Monmouth and struck out 120 batters against just 14 walks across 95 innings. The Astros selected Dombroski in the fourh round and signed him for slot value. He did not pitch after the draft.
Scouting Report: Dombroski attacks hitters with a four-pitch mix that lacks power but plays up due to his elite execution. His four-seam fastball sits 88-91 mph with ride and late run and is effective for setting up his trio of secondaries. His slider is his primary offspeed pitch and is used equally as often as his fastball. Dombroski commands his slider--which shows two-plane break--well to both lefties and righties. He'll also show a slower, deep-breaking curveball that's an effective early-count strike-stealer as well as a below-average changeup. Dombroski's ability to sequence and locate all of his pitches allows his entire arsenal to play up and gives him a chance to make it as a viable starter.
The Future: Adding power over the next year could help Dombroski's profile take a step forward and give him a viable ceiling as a back-end starter. For now, he has the look of an up-and-down depth starter.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 40. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 70. -
BA Grade: 45/High
August Update: Dombroski has posted outstanding numbers at Monmouth, including this season with a sparkling 120-14 strikeout-to-walk mark in 95 innings to go with a 3.13 ERA. Performing last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he had an ERA of 0.85 with 45 strikeouts and two walks in 31.2 innings, gave scouts more confidence in his ability to handle himself against better competition. Dombroski is a prolific strike-thrower with advanced pitchability, mixing his stuff and hitting his spots to keep hitters off-balance. He has a delivery that's simple, smooth and under control with efficient arm action. Dombroski repeats his mechanics well and throws strikes with four pitches. He's not overpowering, pitching at 87-91 mph and touching 93 mph, but his control has a chance to be a 70 on the 20-80 scale. Dombroski threw his fastball 40% of the time this year, using his slider nearly as often. The slider is his best pitch, grading out plus with sharp bite, late tilt and two-plane depth, an effective weapon against both lefties and righties that should continue to miss bats against more advanced hitters. Dombroski also throws an average curveball and a fringe-average changeup that comes in firmly off his fastball. Some scouts were hoping to see more of a velocity uptick this year from Dombroski, but others remain high on him for his starter traits and outstanding control. He was selected by the Astros in the fourth round and signed for $441,400.