Brett Mooneyham
| IP | 233 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.094 |
| WHIP | 1.472 |
| BB/9 | 5.601 |
| SO/9 | 6.837 |
- Full name Brett J. Mooneyham
- Born 01/24/1990 in Merced, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Stanford
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Drafted in the 3rd round (111th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2012 (signed for $428,500).
View Draft Report
Mooneyham has size (6-foot-5 and 215 pounds) and pedigree, and he was a premium prospect coming out of high school in California, coming in at No. 78--just ahead of Virginia-bound Danny Hultzen--in Baseball America's 2008 draft rankings. Mooneyham's father, Bill, was a righthander who signed with the Angels as a first-round pick in the secondary phase of the June 1980 draft and spent nine seasons in pro ball, reaching the big leagues with Oakland in 1986. His father was drafted five times, and this will be Brett's third pass through the draft. He didn't sign as a 15th-round pick of the Padres out of high school, and the Nationals took a flier on him in the 38th round last year, even after he missed the entire season following surgery to repair a cut on his left middle finger. It's hard for scouts to get a good read on him because his stuff has been up and down throughout his college career. He touched 94 mph in high school, was down in the 86-88 mph range with Team USA in 2010, and was in the 90-91 mph range and touching 93 this spring. He has a knack for spinning a breaking ball, switching between a curveball and slider this season, and shows a decent changeup. The biggest concern with Mooneyham is his control. As a big kid, his delivery is funky and can get out of sync. He works a lot of deep counts, but also gets a lot of uncomfortable swings. Scouts say Mooneyham has a great work ethic, though sometimes he tinkers with his delivery and his pitches too much.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Erratic control kept Mooneyham from living up to lofty expectations at Stanford. He thrived in low Class A last year in his first full pro season, though his walk rate was still on the high side. Mooneyham has a tendency to tinker with his mechanics from outing to outing, and his command is poor because his arm tends to drag and disrupt his timing. He no longer flashes the high-90s heat he showed when he was younger, but he did run his fastball up to 94 mph last year, pitching at 90-91 with decent sink and run. His secondary stuff is erratic, but when he has good feel, his 79-82 mph slurvy breaking ball is solid-average to a tick above, and his 79-81 fading changeup is average. Other times, both pitches are below-average. Mooneyham's physical build and three-pitch repertoire give him a chance to be a back-end starter, but most evaluators think his lack of consistent command will consign him to the bullpen. Mooneyham figures to open 2014 in high Class A. -
Mooneyham's father Bill was a first-round pick in the secondary phase of the June 1980 draft and reached the big leagues with the Athletics in 1986. Erratic control kept Brett from living up to expectations at Stanford, and he missed all of 2011 after having surgery to repair a cut on his left middle finger. He had a solid pro debut after signing for $428,500. At his best, Mooneyham works with a 92-93 mph fastball, a solid slider and an average changeup. At other times, his fastball sits at 90-91 and his secondary stuff is below-average. Mooneyham needs to smooth out his delivery in order to improve what one area scout described as "shotgun command." He leans back too much when he starts his motion, causing alignment problems and making him miss to his arm side. When he stays on line and downhill, he's better able to pitch inside against righthanders and his stuff is crisper. He's an excellent athlete with a durable frame, giving him a chance to be a mid-rotation starter if he can harness his mechanics and command. Mooneyham could jump to high Class A Potomac in 2013.
Draft Prospects
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Mooneyham has size (6-foot-5 and 215 pounds) and pedigree, and he was a premium prospect coming out of high school in California, coming in at No. 78--just ahead of Virginia-bound Danny Hultzen--in Baseball America's 2008 draft rankings. Mooneyham's father, Bill, was a righthander who signed with the Angels as a first-round pick in the secondary phase of the June 1980 draft and spent nine seasons in pro ball, reaching the big leagues with Oakland in 1986. His father was drafted five times, and this will be Brett's third pass through the draft. He didn't sign as a 15th-round pick of the Padres out of high school, and the Nationals took a flier on him in the 38th round last year, even after he missed the entire season following surgery to repair a cut on his left middle finger. It's hard for scouts to get a good read on him because his stuff has been up and down throughout his college career. He touched 94 mph in high school, was down in the 86-88 mph range with Team USA in 2010, and was in the 90-91 mph range and touching 93 this spring. He has a knack for spinning a breaking ball, switching between a curveball and slider this season, and shows a decent changeup. The biggest concern with Mooneyham is his control. As a big kid, his delivery is funky and can get out of sync. He works a lot of deep counts, but also gets a lot of uncomfortable swings. Scouts say Mooneyham has a great work ethic, though sometimes he tinkers with his delivery and his pitches too much.
