Trey Ball
| AB | 23 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .13 |
| OBP | .241 |
| SLG | .217 |
| HR | 0 |
- Full name Ronald Eugene Ball
- Born 06/27/1994 in New Castle, IN
- Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School New Castle
-
Drafted in the 1st round (7th overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2013 (signed for $2,750,000).
View Draft Report
Coming into the year, the industry was split on whether Ball had a brighter future as an outfielder or a pitcher. That's no longer a question, as he has excelled on the mound to the extent that he could go in the first five picks overall. He has surpassed Indiana State's Sean Manaea as the top lefthander available by showing better stuff and more athleticism. Ball's fastball dipped to the upper 80s when he wore down toward the end of the showcase circuit last summer, but he has maintained a 91-94 mph heater all spring despite cold and wet weather. He still carries just 180 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame, so he has plenty of room to add strength and velocity. His athleticism is equally impressive, as he does a fine job of maintaining and repeating his delivery for such a young and tall pitcher. His father restricted his use of a curveball before his junior season, but Ball already shows aptitude for spinning the ball and has an above-average breaker. He learned to rely on his changeup, which he throws with deceptive arm speed and nice fade. He has a fast arm and a clean arm action, and in a rarity for a high school arm, he has no obvious red flags. While Ball is a likely top 10 choice as a pitcher, the Padres would consider drafting him at No. 13 as an outfielder if he's available and he would go in the second or third round if he were strictly a position player. He's a plus runner with lefthanded power potential, though he has seemed a little anxious at the plate this spring and his bat speed is a tick down from its previous level. He profiles best as a right fielder but would have a chance to play center, and scouts rave about his makeup as well. A Texas recruit, he won't come close to stepping foot on campus.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
Armed with their highest draft pick in 20 years, the Red Sox in 2013 selected Ball with the No. 7 overall pick and signed him for $2.75 million. The team saw a lefthander with tremendous athleticism and arm speed along with a repeatable delivery who already had shown the ability to work into the mid-90s with the potential for a plus curveball and changeup. While that profile suggested an enormous ceiling, Ball's stuff has backed up in pro ball and the former Indiana prep has yet to reach Double-A in four seasons. Despite a strong work ethic and some strength gains, his velocity has slipped to the low 90s, and while he showed the potential to get swings and misses with his slider early in 2016, he didn't sustain that trend. Moreover, hitters appear to track his pitches well, resulting in little separation from his strikeout and walk rates. While he has poor present control, Ball retains an athletic, repeatable delivery, and he can spin the ball enough to keep alive the hope of developing into a back-end starter or reliever. The Red Sox had Ball work as a reliever in the Arizona Fall League, where he allowed 23 baserunners and nine runs in 13 innings. -
When the Red Sox selected Ball with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 draft, they saw a rail-thin athlete who would pitch at 92-94 mph with the ability to spin a curveball and a surprisingly developed changeup. His frame and athleticism made it easy to daydream about gains in stuff that might one day take him towards a mid- or even front-of-the-rotation future. Instead, if anything, Ball's stuff has become less tantalizing in the pro ranks than it was in high school. He often pitches in the 89-92 mph range with a decent changeup and a below-average curveball. Yet he works hard, has made some strength gains, still has room to add perhaps another 20 pounds of muscle and has a loose arm and the athleticism to repeat his delivery. At age 21, he still could find another gear to his stuff that would create a path to being either a back-end starter or, if his fastball plays up as some expect, a valuable lefthanded reliever. In deference to his struggles with his curveball, Ball started incorporating a slider in late 2015. It's possible that there will be more adjustments along with the way--particularly given the belief that Ball has the athleticism and physical aptitude to take to them--in hopes of capturing some of the considerable promise that brought him to the Red Sox organization. -
The Red Sox used their highest pick (No. 7 overall) in 20 years on Ball, who signed for $2.75 million, the second-largest draft bonus in club history. As a two-way high school player from a cold-weather climate, he had limited amateur pitching experience. Still, no one anticipated that, 11 starts into his pro career, Ball would be 1-7, 7.27. To his credit, Ball rebounded in his final 11 starts, working to a 2.70 ERA. He showed good downward angle on his fastball, which sat by the end of the year at 91-92 mph while topping out at 95. His changeup progressed into a solid offering with the potential to be above-average, and he showed improvement in his curveball after switching from a knuckle-curve to a conventional grip. His athleticism permits a clean, repeatable delivery and he showed an excellent work ethic even through his struggles. Ball still offers plenty of projection, but plenty of uncertainty, and evaluators differ on his ceiling, suggesting the potential for anything from a No. 2 to a No. 4 starter. Now that he's acclimated to pro ball, Ball's future should come into sharper view in 2015, when he could open at high Class A Salem. -
Ball entered the 2013 draft as perhaps the top two-way prospect, but when he opened the year sitting comfortably at 92-94 mph, the question about whether his upside was greater as a pitcher or center fielder evaporated. The possibility of an athletic lefthander with three above-average pitches convinced the Red Sox to take Ball with the seventh overall pick, the club's highest draft position in nearly half a century. Boston signed him for $2.75 million, the second-highest in Red Sox draft history. Ball is one of the top athletes in the system, underscoring the idea that he can have the body control and strength to repeat his delivery as well as command three solid to plus offerings. His fastball sat 88-94 mph in high school, with more velocity possible as he fills out. His plus changeup pairs nicely with a curve that Ball began throwing as a high school junior. His curve already has the makings of a solid to plus pitch. Scouts admire his clean arm action. Ball likely will begin 2014 at low Class A Greenville. With the potential for three plus pitches, he may represent the greatest potential for a true No. 1 in the Sox system, possessing what one evaluator called "serious wow factor," albeit with a mountain of variables that come with any high school pitching prospect.
Draft Prospects
-
Coming into the year, the industry was split on whether Ball had a brighter future as an outfielder or a pitcher. That's no longer a question, as he has excelled on the mound to the extent that he could go in the first five picks overall. He has surpassed Indiana State's Sean Manaea as the top lefthander available by showing better stuff and more athleticism. Ball's fastball dipped to the upper 80s when he wore down toward the end of the showcase circuit last summer, but he has maintained a 91-94 mph heater all spring despite cold and wet weather. He still carries just 180 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame, so he has plenty of room to add strength and velocity. His athleticism is equally impressive, as he does a fine job of maintaining and repeating his delivery for such a young and tall pitcher. His father restricted his use of a curveball before his junior season, but Ball already shows aptitude for spinning the ball and has an above-average breaker. He learned to rely on his changeup, which he throws with deceptive arm speed and nice fade. He has a fast arm and a clean arm action, and in a rarity for a high school arm, he has no obvious red flags. While Ball is a likely top 10 choice as a pitcher, the Padres would consider drafting him at No. 13 as an outfielder if he's available and he would go in the second or third round if he were strictly a position player. He's a plus runner with lefthanded power potential, though he has seemed a little anxious at the plate this spring and his bat speed is a tick down from its previous level. He profiles best as a right fielder but would have a chance to play center, and scouts rave about his makeup as well. A Texas recruit, he won't come close to stepping foot on campus.
