Ben Lively Stats & Scouting Report

IP	151
ERA	3.81
WHIP	1.25
BB/9	2.92
SO/9	7.03

Full name Edward Bennett Lively
Born 03/05/1992 in Pensacola, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Central Florida
Debut 06/03/2017
Drafted in the 4th round (135th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2013 (signed for $350,000).

View Draft Report

Some scouts describe Lively as "vanilla," but he has had anything but a vanilla season for Central Florida. After going 9-2, 3.00 as a sophomore, he allowed just two earned runs in his first 50 innings this year. Lively has a pitcher's body at 6-foot-4, 211 pounds and throws four pitches for strikes. None grades as a true plus pitch, but his fastball is plenty firm, sitting in the 90-93 mph range. He'll reach back for 94 at times, and his delivery gives his pitches some deception, helping him get swings and misses with fastballs even in fastball counts. He throws both a slider and a curve, sometimes keeping them separate but at other times blending into a slurvy breaker that lacks proper power and shape. His changeup has its moments. Teams looking for college pitchers with solid stuff and a track record of performing will target Lively, and he could go out as early as the third round.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Traded from the Reds to the Phillies after the 2014 season for Marlon Byrd, Lively showed up early to 2016 spring training. While there, he made a mechanical adjustment with his lower half to help him create better downhill plane on his fastball. Lively's fastball trajectory had previously gotten flat and he paid for mistakes up in the zone, but now he started to generate better angle and was able to pound the bottom of the strike zone with more frequency. He moved from Double-A Reading to Triple-A Lehigh Valley at the end of May, won the organization's minor league pitcher of the year award and was added to the 40-man roster after the season. Those adjustments were key for Lively, who relies more on finesse and command than pure stuff. He's a four-pitch guy with a low-90s fastball, using a two-seamer more this year to try to get early-count grounders. Lively has a slider he throws more than his curveball and a changeup he improved in 2016, with all of his pitches earning 45-50 grades on the 20-80 scale. A polished strike-thrower, Lively is a durable starter who could stick around as a No. 5 starter, likely making his major league debut at some point in 2017.
Acquired in December 2014 in a one-for-one swap with the Reds for outfielder Marlon Byrd, Lively gained attention in 2014 for a monster first half at high Class A Bakersfield that saw him go 10-1, 2.28 in 13 starts with 95 strikeouts against just 16 walks. Lively worked in a prospect-laden rotation at Double-A Reading in 2015, and pitched primarily to his scouting report. The owner of a four-pitch arsenal, he spent all season working to improve his secondary offerings. His fastball, which he controls impeccably, sits in the low 90s with sink. He backs it up with an average slider and changeup and a below-average curveball. Managers in the Eastern League noted that Lively's delivery made it easy to pick up pitches out of his hand, and he absolutely needed to command the ball to be successful. He allowed EL opponents to hit .290, which ranked fourth-worst in the league among those with at least 100 innings. Lively made a few mechanical tweaks to improve the quality of his breaking pitches, and he'll continue working toward that goal in 2016 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
When the Reds sent Lively to high Class A Bakersfield to begin 2014, they considered it an aggressive assignment. Lively went 5-0, 0.31 in April with a 40-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and forced a promotion to Double-A Pensacola by June. Lively's success is based on a delivery that emphasizes deception over velocity. He gets excellent extension, but even more importantly, he keeps the ball behind his body during his takeaway and continues to keep it hidden behind his head from the batter's perspective until very late. His 88-92 mph fastball generates swings and misses up in the zone thanks in part to riding life. He shows a fringe-average curve that he uses as a get-me-over strike early in counts, then follows it up with a chase slider that is an average pitch. His changeup became more important in Double-A. He showed some feel for it, and it projects as an average pitch as well. Lively's deception and ability to pitch to all four corners of the zone give him more possible outcomes than most pitchers with no above-average pitch. He profiles at best as a No. 4 starter. He'll head to Triple-A Louisville in 2015.
Lively turned down a six-figure bonus as an Indians 26th-round pick in 2010. That was Central Florida's gain, for Lively was a key member of the Knights' rotation all three years. It worked out for Lively as well, when he signed in 2013 for $350,000 as a fourth-round pick. Lively's ability to mix and locate four average or better pitches simply overmatched hitters in the short stints he threw in his first pro season at Rookie-level Billings. The Reds generally limited him to three innings, allowing Lively's 90-95 mph fastball to sit 92-93 with good movement. He keeps the ball down in the zone and keeps hitters off-balance, using an average changeup and curveball and a potentially above-average slider. Part of Lively's success comes from his delivery, which also concerns some scouts. He hides the ball until late in his delivery, but he does so with a long arm stroke and some effort. While Lively had control issues early in his college career, he's thrown strikes consistently as a pro. The Reds found a steal in Tony Cingrani, a lefthander whose less-than-ideal delivery caused him to fall in the 2011 draft but hasn't affected him as a pro. If Lively charts a similar path, the Reds will be thrilled. He's advanced enough to potentially jump to high Class A Bakersfield.

Draft Prospects

Some scouts describe Lively as "vanilla," but he has had anything but a vanilla season for Central Florida. After going 9-2, 3.00 as a sophomore, he allowed just two earned runs in his first 50 innings this year. Lively has a pitcher's body at 6-foot-4, 211 pounds and throws four pitches for strikes. None grades as a true plus pitch, but his fastball is plenty firm, sitting in the 90-93 mph range. He'll reach back for 94 at times, and his delivery gives his pitches some deception, helping him get swings and misses with fastballs even in fastball counts. He throws both a slider and a curve, sometimes keeping them separate but at other times blending into a slurvy breaker that lacks proper power and shape. His changeup has its moments. Teams looking for college pitchers with solid stuff and a track record of performing will target Lively, and he could go out as early as the third round.

Minor League Top Prospects

Though 6-foot-4 and physical, Lively is anything but a power pitcher. Instead he has relied on a deceptive, crossfire delivery and command of four major league-quality pitches to strike out 10.6 batters per nine innings through his first 192 pro frames. He chewed up California League competition in the first half, going 10-1, 2.28 with nearly six times as many strikeouts as walks at high Class A Bakersfield, and he continued to miss bats after moving to Pensacola in late June. Lively ranges from 88-92 mph and sits at about 90, often working up and over the plate, but batters struggle to square him up because they don't see the ball until the last instant. He throws what one manager deemed an "invisible" fastball. Lively's low-80s curveball can be an out pitch for him, for he executed it with more depth in 2014, and his slider and changeup grade as major league average. When scouts factor in plus control, they come away convinced Lively can be at least a durable No. 4 starter.
Lively quickly proved too advanced for the Cal League. He topped the charts in ERA (2.28), strikeouts (95) and WHIP (0.92), when the Reds bumped him up to Double-A just before midseason. Lively's delivery features deception--his arm angle drops slightly and he throws across his body--helping his fastball get inon hitters. He'll pound all quadrants of the strike zone with command of a 91-92 mph fastball that bumps 94. "He has an interesting mix," Stockton manager Ryan Christenson said. "He pounds the zone. He was kind of like a righthanded Barry Zito because he would throw a riding, flat fastball up in the zone that was tough to lay off." Lively's slider is his putaway pitch, looking plus at times with its velocity up to 85 mph and nice depth. He didn't need his changeup much in the Cal League but he does show some feel for it. His curveball is more of an early-count pitch, but with its low-70s velocity, it gives him another means of changing speeds.
In a year in which the overall caliber of pitching was down, Lively was clearly the PL?s best arm who qualified for this list. His 0.73 ERA would have led the league with ease if he had thrown enough innings to qualify, but the Reds limited him to three innings in most of his 12 starts after he tossed 106 innings in the spring for Central Florida. Lively has an ideal pitcher?s body with good feel for four quality pitches and for locating down in the zone. His lively fastball ranged from 92-94 mph, and he can elevate it in the right spots. His curveball, slider and changeup all rate as at least average pitches, and he didn?t hesitate to use the change when behind in the count. Lively repeats his high three-quarters arm slot, and while his mechanics aren?t perfect, he creates deception that makes it tough for the hitters to pick up the ball. While some observers think that Lively will be best suited for a bullpen role, Kelly believes he?ll be able to maintain his velocity as his workload increases next season.

Career Transactions

Cleveland Guardians activated RHP Ben Lively from the 15-day injured list.
Cleveland Guardians sent RHP Ben Lively on a rehab assignment to Columbus Clippers.
Cincinnati Reds placed RHP Ben Lively on the 15-day injured list. Right pectoral strain.
Cincinnati Reds activated RHP Ben Lively from the 15-day injured list.
Cincinnati Reds placed RHP Ben Lively on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 21, 2023. Right pectoral muscle strain.
Cincinnati Reds selected the contract of RHP Ben Lively from Louisville Bats.
Cincinnati Reds selected the contract of RHP Ben Lively from Louisville Bats.