Carter Raffield Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Carter Jaeden Raffield
Born 02/28/2000 in Hawkinsville, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Clemson
Drafted in the 14th round (420th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 (signed for $125,000).

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Raffield entered this spring with just 7.2 innings under his belt after missing his 2019 freshman season thanks to Tommy John surgery. Even without much collegiate track record, scouts thought he could work himself into the top-three-round range because of a big-time fastball and hard breaking ball. That’s unlikely to happen after a season where Raffield threw just 19 innings and struggled mightily with his control. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound righthander walked a batter per inning this spring (19) and posted a 5.68 ERA. Raffield has a three-pitch mix with a fastball that’s been up to 96 mph this spring but sits more frequently in the 91-93 mph range, a breaking ball with above-average potential in the 78-82 mph range that shows late power out of the zone at best, and a mid-80s changeup with solid fading life. At this point Raffield is extremely scattered with all his pitches, which leads to plenty of reliever questions. Still, a team could take a shot on his physicality and natural arm talent later in the draft.

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Draft Prospects

Raffield entered this spring with just 7.2 innings under his belt after missing his 2019 freshman season thanks to Tommy John surgery. Even without much collegiate track record, scouts thought he could work himself into the top-three-round range because of a big-time fastball and hard breaking ball. That’s unlikely to happen after a season where Raffield threw just 19 innings and struggled mightily with his control. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound righthander walked a batter per inning this spring (19) and posted a 5.68 ERA. Raffield has a three-pitch mix with a fastball that’s been up to 96 mph this spring but sits more frequently in the 91-93 mph range, a breaking ball with above-average potential in the 78-82 mph range that shows late power out of the zone at best, and a mid-80s changeup with solid fading life. At this point Raffield is extremely scattered with all his pitches, which leads to plenty of reliever questions. Still, a team could take a shot on his physicality and natural arm talent later in the draft.
A 6-foot-4, 215-pound righthander who's shown electric stuff in the past, Raffield dealt with an injury this spring, which might clear a path to Clemson, where he is committed. When healthy, Raffield has been up to 94 mph with excellent feel to spin a downer, 12-to-6 curveball. Scouts like his feel for a changeup as well and think it could be a plus pitch for him in the future. There are some things to clean up in Raffield's delivery, including significant head whack and recoil in his finish, but he has a terrific frame, strength and the athleticism to dream on.