Brock Stewart

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #8 prospect in 2017
  Stewart was a third baseman at Illinois State, where his father Jeff--who now scouts for the Rays--was a longtime coach. He pitched a little out of the bullpen, signed with the Dodgers as a reliever, then converted to starting in 2015. He took off in 2016, flying through four levels to make his major league debut on June 29. He spent most of August and September with the big league club. Stewart's best pitch is his high-spin fastball, which sits 91-95 mph and can scrape 96. He has tremendous confidence in his fastball and pounds the zone with plus control. Moving to the first-base side of the rubber helped him locate the pitch down and away against righthanded hitters. Stewart's low-80s changeup improved to become an average offering, though when he got to the majors it flattened out and he had trouble landing it in the zone. He throws a hard 85-88 mph slider that's fringy but flashes average with short, late break. His slider gets swings and misses as a chase pitch despite its lack of depth, though it's sometimes easy to detect out of his hand. Stewart projects as a back-end starter. He might open 2017 in Triple-A but should be a factor in the Dodgers' rotation.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #28 prospect in 2015
  Stewart was a two-way player at Illinois State who spent most of his time at third base, with occasional work out of the bullpen in 2014 as a redshirt junior. The Dodgers were intrigued by his arm strength and popped him in the sixth round and signed him for $190,000. Stewart already has a plus fastball from 92-96 mph, and there's reason to believe he could push the upper 90s once he's able to incorporate his lower half into his delivery. His 78-82 mph slider is still erratic, though it's ahead of his below-average changeup. Stewart has little mileage on his arm and his feel for pitching is understandably raw, but his baseball upbringing gives him a high general baseball IQ. The Dodgers are even tempted to develop him as a starter in 2015, with an assignment to low Class A Great Lakes most likely.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #16 prospect in 2016
  The son of longtime Illinois State coach and current Rays scout Jeff Stewart, Brock was little used as a pitcher until his senior year of college, when he threw 27 innings. He played mostly third base at ISU, but the Dodgers shrewdly signed Stewart as a pitcher in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. He dominated pro competition almost immediately. Stewart cruised through three minor league levels this season, going 9-4, 1.79 with 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a minor league-leading 0.88 WHIP. He made his big league debut on June 29. Stewart works off a fastball that touches 96 mph and throws a pair of sliders, including a chase pitch and one that he can drop in for strikes. The harder slider has the makings of an above-average offering. He can also throw in a changeup that has developed into what some observers rate as fringe-average. Scouts and coaches laud Stewart's mound presence and competitive fire, and though he will be 25 next season, he has a relatively fresh arm as a converted player. With a sturdy frame, advanced command and a potential four-pitch arsenal, Stewart could be a mid-rotation starter.
• 
  Ranked Texas League #15 prospect in 2016
  The son of scout Jeff Stewart, Brock has transformed from a college third baseman to a starting pitcher who now dots the corners of the strike zone. After sliding over to the first-base side of the rubber, Stewart began locating his 93-94 mph fastball down and away to righthanded hitters. He also improved his changeup to the point where it's at least average. He can throw a less-aggressive changeup early in the count for rollover ground balls, but he also tries to get swings and misses with a changeup with more late movement in two-strike counts. His slider has improved to average as well, though it sometimes is too easy to identify out of his hand. Stewart does an excellent job of generating ground balls and didn't allow a home run in his 10 TL starts.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Stewart was a third baseman at Illinois State, where his father Jeff--who now scouts for the Rays--was a longtime coach. He pitched a little out of the bullpen, signed with the Dodgers as a reliever, then converted to starting in 2015. He took off in 2016, flying through four levels to make his major league debut on June 29. Scouting Report: Stewart's best pitch is his high-spin fastball, which sits 91-95 mph and can scrape 96. He has tremendous confidence in his fastball and pounds the zone with plus control. Moving to the first-base side of the rubber helped him locate the pitch down and away against righthanded hitters. Stewart's low-80s changeup improved to become an average offering, though when he got to the majors it flattened out and he had trouble landing it in the zone. He throws a hard 85-88 mph slider that's fringy but flashes average with short, late break. His slider gets swings and misses as a chase pitch despite its lack of depth.
  
  The Future: Stewart projects as a back-end starter. He might open 2017 in Triple-A but should be a factor in the Dodgers' rotation.