Richard Fitts

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #11 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Fitts was taken out of Auburn in the sixth round of the 2021 draft by the Yankees when his stock dropped after a late-season injury affected his stuff. He was hit hard in his pro debut at Low-A before dominating at High-A for five starts. The righthander spent his entire 2023 season at Double-A Somerset, where his 163 strikeouts were third in the system and 10th in the minor leagues. The Red Sox acquired him from the Yankees as the centerpiece of the Alex Verdugo trade in December 2023.
  
  Scouting Report: Fitts works primarily with two pitches: a four-seam fastball with ride that sits around 94 mph with which he attacks the zone and a sweeper around 84 mph. He threw the two pitches a combined 85% of the time in 2023. The Yankees tweaked the slider early in the season, and moved it away from a bullet shape. He also mixed in a changeup and cutter, each in the high 80s, but the Yankees wanted Fitts to focus most of his energy on finding a consistent slider shape. His changeup was unimpressive and will require development if he’s to emerge as a starter.
  
  The Future: If Fitts can find a reliable third pitch, he might fit toward the back of a rotation. If not, his fastball/slider combination could make him a useful reliever. He’ll likely open 2024 in the Triple-A Worcester rotation.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: 45 | Control: 55
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #19 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: In the early portion of his draft year, Fitts looked spectacular. His fastball had jumped from the low 90s to the mid 90 and was peaking at 97. His slider was razor sharp, too, giving him the look of a future first-rounder. He dealt with a foot injury later in the year and his stuff took a bit of a tumble. The Yankees were encouraged by Fitts' highs to draft him in the sixth round. After resting post draft, he split his first pro year between both Class A levels.
  
  Scouting Report: Fitts' first foray into pro ball was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde act. He struggled at Low-A, where a pitcher with a Southeastern Conference pedigree should thrive. He let up a 5.01 ERA and 13 home runs in 79 innings. The script flipped after a promotion to Hudson Valley, where he went 4-0, 0.55 with 38 strikeouts against just three walks. The improvement was due in large part to a delivery alteration that allowed him to keep his front side firm so he could better drive the ball down in the zone. The change also helped his velocity increase and made his slider sharper. His four-seamer sat around 93 mph, touched 96 and posted an excellent average spin rate of 2,439 rpms. Fitts backed the four-seamer with his typical nasty slider, which sat in the low 80s and peaked at 88 while flashing plus potential. He rounds out his arsenal with a high-80s changeup that could get to average with increased usage.
  
  The Future: Fitts could advance to Double-A in 2023, when he'll have to prove that the gains he made in Hudson Valley were sticky. If so, he could fit in the back of a rotation. If not, his fastball and slider would help in relief.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 45

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #219 prospect in 2021 draft
  Coming out of fall ball, Fitts looked like a first-round pick. After sitting 88-90 mph as a freshman and 91-93 mph in 2020, Fitts was sitting in the mid 90s in fall ball, touching 97 and showing a buzz-saw of a slider. He began the season as Auburn’s ace, but very quickly everything went sideways. Fitts struggled in two of his first three starts of the year, and moved back and forth between the bullpen and rotation the rest of the year. His stuff rarely reached the heights that it had flashed in the fall. A right foot injury that slowed him may have played a part in that, and Fitts did finish strong by one-hitting LSU for six innings and one-hitting Missouri for eight scoreless innings. But even those two starts were sandwiched around a one-inning outing against Texas A&M where eight of the 11 batters he faced reached base. Fitts sat 91-95 mph in 2021, but his fastball too often flattened out. He was extremely prone to home runs (10 in just 41.1 innings). His slider didn’t have the plus bite and shape it showed in the fall and he rarely threw the split-change that had flashed above-average. Figuring out whether the fall was a glimpse of what’s to come if Fitts is fully healthy or just a blip for a pitcher who has a 5.23 career ERA with more hits than innings pitched is a challenge for scouting departments.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: In the early portion of his draft year, Fitts looked spectacular. His fastball had jumped from the low 90s to the mid 90 and was peaking at 97. His slider was razor sharp, too, giving him the look of a future first-rounder. He dealt with a foot injury later in the year and his stuff took a bit of a tumble. The Yankees were encouraged by Fitts' highs to draft him in the sixth round. After resting post draft, he split his first pro year between both Class A levels.
  
  Scouting Report: Fitts' first foray into pro ball was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde act. He struggled at Low-A, where a pitcher with a Southeastern Conference pedigree should thrive. He let up a 5.01 ERA and 13 home runs in 79 innings. The script flipped after a promotion to Hudson Valley, where he went 4-0, 0.55 with 38 strikeouts against just three walks. The improvement was due in large part to a delivery alteration that allowed him to keep his front side firm so he could better drive the ball down in the zone. The change also helped his velocity increase and made his slider sharper. His four-seamer sat around 93 mph, touched 96 and posted an excellent average spin rate of 2,439 rpms. Fitts backed the four-seamer with his typical nasty slider, which sat in the low 80s and peaked at 88 while flashing plus potential. He rounds out his arsenal with a high-80s changeup that could get to average with increased usage.
  
  The Future: Fitts could advance to Double-A in 2023, when he'll have to prove that the gains he made in Hudson Valley were sticky. If so, he could fit in the back of a rotation. If not, his fastball and slider would help in relief.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 45
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: In the early portion of his draft year, Fitts looked spectacular. His fastball had jumped from the low 90s to the mid 90 and was peaking at 97. His slider was razor sharp, too, giving him the look of a future first-rounder. He dealt with a foot injury later in the year and his stuff took a bit of a tumble. The Yankees were encouraged by Fitts' highs to draft him in the sixth round. After resting post draft, he split his first pro year between both Class A levels.
  
  Scouting Report: Fitts' first foray into pro ball was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde act. He struggled at Low-A, where a pitcher with a Southeastern Conference pedigree should thrive. He let up a 5.01 ERA and 13 home runs in 79 innings. The script flipped after a promotion to Hudson Valley, where he went 4-0, 0.55 with 38 strikeouts against just three walks. The improvement was due in large part to a delivery alteration that allowed him to keep his front side firm so he could better drive the ball down in the zone. The change also helped his velocity increase and made his slider sharper. His four-seamer sat around 93 mph, touched 96 and posted an excellent average spin rate of 2,439 rpms. Fitts backed the four-seamer with his typical nasty slider, which sat in the low 80s and peaked at 88 while flashing plus potential. He rounds out his arsenal with a high-80s changeup that could get to average with increased usage.
  
  The Future: Fitts could advance to Double-A in 2023, when he'll have to prove that the gains he made in Hudson Valley were sticky. If so, he could fit in the back of a rotation. If not, his fastball and slider would help in relief.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 45