Levi Prater

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #27 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Perseverance has never been a problem for Prater. He lost three fingers on his right hand in a lawnmower accident when he was 2. The injury never slowed him as a pitcher, and he's a switch-hitter too. He was an extremely reliable starter for Oklahoma as one-third of a weekend rotation that was all drafted in 2020's shortened five-round draft.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Prater pitches with a lot of deception. He works from a lower arm slot and pitches from the first-base side of the rubber. Combined with his closed-off delivery, that means that lefties especially have a hard time picking up the ball. The deception has helped Prater's fringe-average 90-93 mph fastball be effective. His average slider works more because of location than power or bite--lefties don't see it well and he is comfortable back-footing it to righthanders. His average changeup keeps righthanders honest because it gives them something to worry about on the outer third of the plate. He has fringy control, but that's partly because he knows he has to nibble. His command is better than his control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Prater is a back-end starter who may end up working in the bullpen to help his stuff play up. He has a knack for getting the most out of his stuff.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #153 prospect in 2020 draft
  A lawnmower accident when he was 2 years old left Prater with only two fingers on his right hand. To adjust, he just cinches up the strap on his glove significantly tighter—he has made only one error in his time at Oklahoma. He even showed he could switch-hit in high school. He’s been an extremely effective competitor on the mound. He went 10-0, 0.35 ERA as a high school senior and led the Sooners’ starters in ERA (3.26) as a sophomore after a solid freshman year pitching out of the bullpen. Prater has long impressed with his toughness and competitiveness. He’s a sum of the parts pitcher. All three pitches will flash average, but everything plays up because he creates solid angle (especially against lefties) working from the first base side of the rubber, and he creates some deception with his closed-off delivery. Prater’s fastball sits 90-91, but can touch 93-94. His slider gets a little loopy at times, but it’s tough for lefties to pick up and he’s shown he can back foot it to righties. He also uses a moderately effective changeup. Prater is small (6-foot, 184 pounds) and his slender frame won’t likely allow him to add much more weight. Prater projects as a back-end starter in pro ball who may eventually be better off as a mid-inning reliever, where his fastball may tick up a little bit.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Perseverance has never been a problem for Prater. He lost three fingers on his right hand in a lawnmower accident when he was 2. The injury never slowed him as a pitcher, and he's a switch-hitter too. He was an extremely reliable starter for Oklahoma as one-third of a weekend rotation that was all drafted in 2020's shortened five-round draft.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Prater pitches with a lot of deception. He works from a lower arm slot and pitches from the first-base side of the rubber. Combined with his closed-off delivery, that means that lefties especially have a hard time picking up the ball. The deception has helped Prater's fringe-average 90-93 mph fastball be effective. His average slider works more because of location than power or bite--lefties don't see it well and he is comfortable back-footing it to righthanders. His average changeup keeps righthanders honest because it gives them something to worry about on the outer third of the plate. He has fringy control, but that's partly because he knows he has to nibble. His command is better than his control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Prater is a back-end starter who may end up working in the bullpen to help his stuff play up. He has a knack for getting the most out of his stuff.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Perseverance has never been a problem for Prater. He lost three fingers on his right hand in a lawnmower accident when he was 2. The injury never slowed him as a pitcher, and he's a switch-hitter too. He was an extremely reliable starter for Oklahoma as one-third of a weekend rotation that was all drafted in 2020's shortened five-round draft.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Prater pitches with a lot of deception. He works from a lower arm slot and pitches from the first-base side of the rubber. Combined with his closed-off delivery, that means that lefties especially have a hard time picking up the ball. The deception has helped Prater's fringe-average 90-93 mph fastball be effective. His average slider works more because of location than power or bite--lefties don't see it well and he is comfortable back-footing it to righthanders. His average changeup keeps righthanders honest because it gives them something to worry about on the outer third of the plate. He has fringy control, but that's partly because he knows he has to nibble. His command is better than his control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Prater is a back-end starter who may end up working in the bullpen to help his stuff play up. He has a knack for getting the most out of his stuff.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Perseverance has never been a problem for Prater. He lost three fingers on his right hand in a lawnmower accident when he was 2. The injury never slowed him as a pitcher, and he's a switch-hitter too. He was an extremely reliable starter for Oklahoma as one-third of a weekend rotation that was all drafted in 2020's shortened five-round draft.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Prater pitches with a lot of deception. He works from a lower arm slot and pitches from the first-base side of the rubber. Combined with his closed-off delivery, that means that lefties especially have a hard time picking up the ball. The deception has helped Prater's fringe-average 90-93 mph fastball be effective. His average slider works more because of location than power or bite--lefties don't see it well and he is comfortable back-footing it to righthanders. His average changeup keeps righthanders honest because it gives them something to worry about on the outer third of the plate. He has fringy control, but that's partly because he knows he has to nibble. His command is better than his control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Prater is a back-end starter who may end up working in the bullpen to help his stuff play up. He has a knack for getting the most out of his stuff.