David Goforth Stats & Scouting Report

IP	36
ERA	6
WHIP	1.75
BB/9	3.25
SO/9	8.25

Full name David Paul Goforth
Born 10/11/1988 in Meridian CC, MS
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Mississippi
Debut 05/26/2015
Drafted in the 7th round (221st overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011 (signed for $100,000).

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Goforth showed mid-90s velocity and thrived in a set-up role as a freshman in 2009, striking out 36 in 35 innings. He was a draft-eligible sophomore last season and imploded when he moved into a part-time starting role, with an 8.41 ERA. He couldn't throw his secondary pitches for strikes, but remedied that in 2011 when he added a cut fastball. Goforth's four-seamer still has plenty of giddy-up, at times reaching 97 mph even when he starts. He can throw strikes with the cutter, which sits 88-92 mph and gives him a power pitch with life. His four-seam fastball tends to flatten out. He still throws a curveball and changeup on occasion, but his approach is mostly to overpower hitters. He's thrown a lot more strikes this year thanks in large part to the cutter, and should be able to pitch mostly off his fastball and cutter as a pro reliever. A 31st-round pick a year ago, Goforth should go out in the fifth-round range this season.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Brewers have groomed Goforth as a reliever, shifting him to a closer role in 2013. He converted 27 of 33 save chances in 2014 despite a low strikeout rate. Goforth pitches off a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and has touched 100. He also started throwing more hard cutters/sliders in 2014 at 89-91 mph, pitching more to contact than trying to strike out hitters. Sometimes he overthrows the slider, but he also throws a solid curveball with good shape. He's a tremendous competitor who at least profiles as a setup reliever in the majors. Added to the 40-man roster, Goforth likely will open 2015 season at Triple-A Colorado Springs.
The proverbial little guy with a quick arm, Goforth was in the midst of his best pro season, earning a promotion to Double-A Huntsville and tossing back-to-back, seven-inning, no-run outings in July. After the all-star break, however, the Brewers moved him to the bullpen. The organization insists he can remain a starter, but Goforth was closing in the Arizona Fall League. No one questions Goforth's ability to throw fastballs past hitters with velocity in the 93-97 mph range, and he touches higher in a bullpen role. He has improved his fastball command, locating to both sides of the plate when he's at his best, but he's more effectively wild than precise. Goforth throws a solid curveball with good shape that grades as average, but he throws more strikes with his hard, cutter-type slider, which will reach 90-91 mph. His fringe-average curve and cutter make him as effective against lefthanders (.200 average) as righthanders (.227). His pitchability and pitch selection still need polish. Many scouts have pegged Goforth as a future reliever, and the future appears to have arrived. If the Brewers do decide to pitch him strictly in relief, then he could rise quickly to the big leagues as a high-leverage reliever, perhaps as soon as 2014.
The Brewers used Goforth in relief after signing him for $100,000 in 2011, then moved him into the rotation at Wisconsin last season. The idea was to get the hard-throwing righty to work on his secondary pitches because there is no question about his ability to throw fastballs past hitters. Goforth regularly pitches in the mid-90s and can reach 98 mph. His fastball straightens out when it's up in the strike zone, leaving him vulnerable to home runs, however. He made some progess with his curveball, cutter and changeup in 2012, but they remain average at best. He loses his mechanics at times, resulting in walks and wild pitches, and is learning to pace himself as a starter. He did pitch better in the second half of last season and won two playoff starts (including a shutout against Burlington) as the Timber Rattlers won the Midwest League crown. Goforth still profiles better as a reliever in the majors, which would allow him to unleash his fastball with more fury and pitch in shorter bursts. The Brewers may keep him in the rotation in 2013 to get more innings while refining his pitches and command.
Goforth had mixed results as a starter in college at Mississippi, though his arm strength got him drafted in the 31st round by the Indians as a redshirt sophomore in 2010 and in the seventh round by the Brewers last June. He signed for $100,000 before starring in his pro debut, when he worked exclusively as a reliever. Goforth's four-seam fastball is erratic at times, but when he comes out of the bullpen he throws it comfortably at 94-97 mph and peaks at 99. He has had trouble throwing his secondary pitches for strikes, though he helped himself in that regarded by adding an 88-92 mph cutter last spring. He throws a slider in the mid-80s, but it's often slurvy and Milwaukee would like him to develop a true curveball. He also has a changeup that's a below-average pitch just used for show. A bit undersized, Goforth gets into trouble when he works too high in the strike zone. If he can come up with a solid secondary pitch, he'll profile as a set-up man and possibly a closer. He may spend 2012 as a starter in Class A to get more innings.

Minor League Top Prospects

A starter at Mississippi in the spring, Goforth worked exclusively out of the bullpen in his pro debut. He threw in the mid-90s for the Rebels and sat comfortably at 96-98 mph with his four-seamer at Helena, touching 100 on multiple occasions. "Hitters couldn't even square him up when he threw it right down the middle," Diaz said. "Even when he fell behind batters in those 2-0, 3-0 counts, they'd look fastball and still couldn't hit it." Goforth pairs a low-90s cutter and a slurvy mid-80s slider with his plus-plus fastball, but both are fringy pitches. The same goes for his changeup. If he can develop an average secondary pitch, he'll profile as a set-up man or possibly a closer.