Austin Voth

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #26 prospect in 2018
  After leading the Nationals organization in strikeouts in 2015 and 2016 and reaching the cusp of the major leagues, Voth took a big step backward in 2017. He started the year at Triple-A Syracuse but was demoted to Double-A Harrisburg after 13 starts. At Triple-A, he recorded a 6.38 ERA and walked 4.6 batters per nine innings. Voth dealt with mechanical issues that the Nationals tried to sort out by putting him back with Harrisburg pitching coach Chris Michalak, who has worked with him most often. His walk rate improved dramatically, but he still posted a 5.13 ERA as his arm strength has gone in the wrong direction. Voth was regularly in the upper 80s with his fastball rather than the low 90s he had reached before. His breaking ball is solid-average at times, and he's previously shown an above-average changeup, but Voth lacks a plus pitch and has a small margin for error that was exposed with both his drop in velocity and control issues. Voth still has a chance to be a No. 5 starter, but 2017 was concerning.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #10 prospect in 2017
  Voth's stuff doesn't match up with other top pitchers in the Nationals system, but he has become the organization's strikeout king. He led the system in strikeouts for three straight seasons, 2014-16, amassing 414 whiffs in that time. He spent all of 2016 with Triple-A Syracuse and joined the 40-man roster in November after finishing the season in the Arizona Fall League, where he closed the year on a 16-inning scoreless streak. Voth pounds the zone with all three of his pitches. His fastball sits around 90 mph and can reach the mid-90s. He has a good feel for his changeup, which has late sinking action. The consistency of his breaking ball has improved, giving him a solid third pitch. Though his stuff isn't electric, Voth has a good understanding of his craft and mixes his pitches well. That in addition to his above-average control helps him accumulate strikeouts. Built like an innings-eater, he often gets better the deeper he works into games and has thrown more than 150 innings in back-to-back years. The Nationals have a deep pitching staff, but now that Voth is on the 40-man roster, he is in line to make his major league debut in 2017. He lacks a plus pitch and has a small margin for error, but his control and above-average changeup give him a ceiling as a possible No. 4 starter.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #9 prospect in 2016
  Voth, when he pitched at Washington, ranked second in the Pacific-12 Conference in strikeouts in 2013, behind only eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Mark Appel. Voth carried that momentum into pro ball when he pitched his way to Double-A Harrisburg in 2014, his first full pro season. He led the Eastern League with 148 strikeouts in 2015 and has led the Nationals' system in whiffs in each of the past two seasons. Voth pounds the zone with all three of his pitches. He relies on his fastball, which typically sits around 90-91 mph but can climb to 95. He has a good feel for his changeup, which has late sinking action. The consistency of his slider has improved, giving him a solid third pitch. He piles up strikeouts as a result of his plus control and ability to locate his pitches in all areas of the strike zone. He has a good understanding of his craft and mixes his pitches well. Built like an innings-eating starter, Voth often gets better the deeper he works into games. As long as Voth keeps throwing strikes, he could push his way into the mix for a spot in the big leagues by the end of the 2016 season. He lacks a plus pitch and has a small margin for error, but his control and above-average changeup give him a ceiling as a possible No. 4 starter.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #11 prospect in 2015
  Voth dominated low Class A South Atlantic League hitters in the first half of 2014 to earn a promotion to high Class A Potomac, then carved up Carolina League hitters to earn a late July promotion to Double-A Harrisburg, where he struggled due in large part to fatigue. Voth stands out for his advanced command of his solid-average fastball, which sits at 88-92 mph in the early innings. He has a tendency to get stronger in the middle innings, flashing 94-95 mph heat, and his fastball has good deception and angle to both sides of the plate. His best secondary pitch is his changeup, which rates as solid-average. He has good feel for the pitch and sometimes cuts it a bit, causing it to look like a slider. His curveball remains inconsistent. He can throw it for strikes, but it is fringy and flashes solid-average. Voth lacks wipeout stuff, but his savvy and feel for pitching give him a chance to be a back-end starter. He should return to Double-A to start 2015 and could push for his first taste of the majors by the end of the season.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #15 prospect in 2014
  Voth had a solid but unspectacular three-year career at Washington, highlighted by his 7-6, 2.99 junior season in 2013. He spent two summers in the Cape Cod League, where he ditched his "bendy" curveball, as he called it, for a slider in 2012. His slider has developed into a promising pitch, a short, 83-85 mph offering that currently rates as fringe-average but projects as solid-average. Voth's bread and butter is his fastball, which tends to sit in the 89-92 mph range for the first five innings of his outings, then starts bumping 95 in the middle innings. He commands the pitch well to both sides of the plate, and his ability to hide the ball and work downhill helps induce swing-throughs. He also has an average changeup that flashes plus, with late sinking action. Voth is a gritty competitor who impressed the Nationals with his ability to control opposing running games by mixing up his times to the plate. He's a good athlete who fields his position well. The Nationals believe they got a fifth-round steal in Voth, who has back-of-the-rotation potential, and perhaps a bit more. Though he made just two appearances in low Class A in 2013, he ought to force his way to high Class A to start 2014.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #260 prospect in 2013 draft
  Voth led Kentwood High of Covington to a Washington 4-A title in 2010 but wasn't drafted. The cousin of Oregon State righthander Sam Gaviglio, a fifth-round pick by the Cardinals in 2011, Voth has a solid, 6-foot-1, 209-pound build and scouts like his competitiveness. He has been a starter all three years with the Huskies and has improved each season, ranking second in the Pacific-12 Conference in strikeouts this season behind Mark Appel. Scouts see Voth as a future reliever because he relies so heavily on his fastball. It sits in the 89-94 mph range and he has the ability to manipulate it and spot it to all quadrants of the strike zone. His command helps the pitch play up, and it could gain velocity out of the bullpen. Voth mixes in an average cutter and a rarely used changeup. A team that values performance could pick him as early as the fifth or sixth round.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Voth's stuff doesn't match up with other top pitchers in the Nationals system, but he has become the organization's strikeout king. He led the system in strikeouts for three straight seasons, 2014-16, amassing 414 whiffs in that time. He spent all of 2016 in Triple-A Syracuse's rotation and joined the 40-man roster in November after finishing the season in the Arizona Fall League. Scouting Report: Voth pounds the zone with all three of his pitches. His fastball sits around 90 mph and can reach the mid-90s. He has a good feel for his changeup, which has late sinking action. The consistency of his breaking ball has improved, giving him a solid third pitch. Though his stuff isn't electric, Voth has a good understanding of his craft and mixes his pitches well. That in addition to his above-average control helps him accumulate strikeouts. Built like an innings-eater, he often gets better the deeper he works into games and has thrown more than 150 innings in back-to-back years. The Future: The Nationals have a deep pitching staff, but now that Voth is on the 40-man roster, he is in line to make his major league debut in 2017. He lacks a plus pitch and has a small margin for error, but his control and above-average changeup give him a ceiling as a possible No. 4 starter.