Vance Worley Stats & Scouting Report

IP	667
ERA	4.088
WHIP	1.433
BB/9	2.969
SO/9	6.706

Full name Vance Richard Worley
Born 09/25/1987 in Sacramento, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Long Beach State
Debut 07/24/2010
Drafted in the 3rd round (102nd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 (signed for $355,000).

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At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Worley has a big body and big arm that attracted attention last summer in the Cape Cod League. He wasn't able to carry that success over this spring for the Dirtbags, but teams that saw him good last summer have seen flashes of that this spring. Worley's four-seam fastball sits in the 91-92 mph range, peaking at 93-94. He has struggled at times with his 87-88 mph two-seamer, which gets hammered when left up in the zone. Both fastballs show armside movement, and he will cut the four-seamer at times. Worley mixes in a changeup and curveball. Both need development, and he will drop his arm slot and slow down his arm when delivering the change. Command is the primary concern with Worley, not in terms of walks but in quality of pitches and efficiency, as he frequently finds himself in deep counts. With refinement of his secondary offerings, he could develop into a mid-rotation starter in pro ball, but his power arm makes a conversion to the bullpen a solid option.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Phillies drafted Worley in the 20th round out of high school in Sacramento in 2005 but didn't sign him until they took him in the third round after he spent three years at Long Beach State. He made huge strides in 2010 after losing weight and adding core strength, allowing him to maintain velocity deeper into games. The payoff came with a pair of big league callups. Worley's fastball sits at 88-92 mph and touches 94. His 81-84 mph slider is a solid-average offering, though some scouts think his curveball is a better breaking ball. His changeup is also an average pitch, though he sometimes slows his arm speed when he throws it. He's competitive and is a strike-thrower who likes to work ahead in the count. He has a jerky delivery that gives him deception, though he throws across his body. Worley profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter and will get a chance to contend for the fifth starter's role in Philadelphia in 2011. With no plus pitch and his reliance on command, he may be best suited for a middle-relief role in the long term.
The Phillies drafted Worley in the 20th round out of high school in 2005, and he spent three seasons in the Long Beach State rotation before they drafted him again in the third round in 2008. His profile has changed since his days at McClatchy High in Sacramento, and if he joins Larry Bowa and Nick Johnson among the school's big league alumni, he'll do it as a back-of-the-rotation starter rather than a premium power pitcher. Worley's 88-92 mph fastball has solid life and he controls it well. He maintains his velocity deep into games and deep into the season. He generally throws strikes with his secondary pitches, which include an average slider and changeup. He also uses a slow curveball as an early-count, get-me-over pitch. Worley had elbow issues as a high school senior and college sophomore, but he threw 172 innings between college and pro ball in 2008, then logged 153 in Double-A last season. While he has shown he can shoulder a heavy load, Worley tailed off in the second half of 2009, losing seven of his last eight decisions as his command deteriorated. He got tired and didn't finish his pitches, getting pounded when he left the ball up in the zone. Worley lacks a pitch to put hitters away with, and he could wind up in middle relief. He'll move up to Triple-A this season.
Worley was a 20th-round pick in 2005 out of Sacramento's McClatchy High--alma mater of big leaguers such as Larry Bowa, Dion James and Nick Johnson--but turned down the Phillies to attend Long Beach State. He struggled as a freshman but was the Dirtbags' workhorse as a junior and projects as such in pro ball. Philadelphia redrafted him in 2008 and signed him for $355,000 as a third-round pick. He has a clean arm action and easy delivery. While he has hit 94 mph in the past with his four-seamer, Worley generally works at 91-92 mph, mixing in an upper-80s two-seamer. His fastball is his best pitch, and his best attribute is his ability to pitch off it and work to both halves of the plate. His short slider gained a bit of depth after signing and grades out as average, as does his changeup. Neither is a put-away pitch, however, so Worley doesn't figure to rack up big strikeout numbers and needs to learn to get early-count outs. He runs into trouble when he racks up a succession of deep counts. Worley is at his best when he's getting some ground balls and profiles as a third or fourth starter. He'll front the Clearwater rotation in 2009.

Minor League Top Prospects

Even the Phillies couldn't have projected the success Worley enjoyed in the majors this season, though he simply continued what he did in his second tour of the IL. He went 11-3, 3.01 in Philadelphia, posting the highest winning percentage in a rotation with four aces. Worley throws strikes with all of his pitches, mixing a 91-93 mph fastball with good movement to both sides of the plate, an average slider with good bite and an average changeup. He has good command, typically keeping the ball down at the knees, and gets some deception out of a mildly jerky delivery. He sets a good tone for his defense by working quickly and being aggressive. "His makeup is off the charts," Sandberg said. "Great work ethic. He's a bulldog. He wants to get the ball back and throw another pitch."