Seth Shuman

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #30 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: A three year starter for Georgia Southern, Shuman was a strong Cape Cod League performer in his summer prior to selection. He signed with Oakland for $235,000 in the sixth round—a slightly below-slot deal. Shuman pitched to a 2.35 ERA across 37.2 innings for short-season Vermont in his pro debut. Following the loss of the 2020 minor league season Shuman returned in 2021 with increased velocity and a reworked curveball. Over the first three months of the season Shuman impressed with High-A Lansing, producing 11 a 2.35 ERA which placed him among the league leaders in the High-A Central at the time. Washington acquired Shuman prior to the July trade deadline alongside two other minor leaguers in the trade that sent Josh Harrison and Yan Gomes to Oakland. Shuman made nine starts post-trade deadline with High-A Wilmington but struggled to find his footing.
  
  Scouting Report: Shuman is a command-over-power arm with a quartet of pitches he can land in the zone with regularity. He shows above-average to plus command of his four-seam and slider combination, and those two pitches account for 80% of his pitch usage. His four-seam fastball sat 91-93 mph and reached 95 in 2021, up two mph on average from 2019. He generates heavy ride from a high three-quarters arm slot, with a short, quick arm action, and an unusual tall-and-fall operation that spins him to the first base side post-release. Despite these peculiar elements to his operation, Shuman commands his fastball well to both sides of the plate and in the upper quadrants of the zone. He mixes three secondaries but primarily works off of his slider, a sweepy low-to-mid 80s offering he’ll throw to righties and lefties. He throws a curveball in the upper 70s with more vertical bite than his slider, and a mid-80s changeup with tumble and fade that are his primary weapons versus lefthanded batters. All told, Shuman has a deep arsenal of fringe-average or better pitches with average to above-average control.
  
  The Future: Shuman showed the ability to handle innings over the course of 2021, making 19 starts and holding his improved velocity. If it all clicks for Shuman he has the potential to fill a back of the rotation role for a second-division club.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: A three year starter for Georgia Southern, Shuman was a strong Cape Cod League performer in his summer prior to selection. He signed with Oakland for $235,000 in the sixth round—a slightly below-slot deal. Shuman pitched to a 2.35 ERA across 37.2 innings for short-season Vermont in his pro debut. Following the loss of the 2020 minor league season Shuman returned in 2021 with increased velocity and a reworked curveball. Over the first three months of the season Shuman impressed with High-A Lansing, producing 11 a 2.35 ERA which placed him among the league leaders in the High-A Central at the time. Washington acquired Shuman prior to the July trade deadline alongside two other minor leaguers in the trade that sent Josh Harrison and Yan Gomes to Oakland. Shuman made nine starts post-trade deadline with High-A Wilmington but struggled to find his footing.
  
  Scouting Report: Shuman is a command-over-power arm with a quartet of pitches he can land in the zone with regularity. He shows above-average to plus command of his four-seam and slider combination, and those two pitches account for 80% of his pitch usage. His four-seam fastball sat 91-93 mph and reached 95 in 2021, up two mph on average from 2019. He generates heavy ride from a high three-quarters arm slot, with a short, quick arm action, and an unusual tall-and-fall operation that spins him to the first base side post-release. Despite these peculiar elements to his operation, Shuman commands his fastball well to both sides of the plate and in the upper quadrants of the zone. He mixes three secondaries but primarily works off of his slider, a sweepy low-to-mid 80s offering he’ll throw to righties and lefties. He throws a curveball in the upper 70s with more vertical bite than his slider, and a mid-80s changeup with tumble and fade that are his primary weapons versus lefthanded batters. All told, Shuman has a deep arsenal of fringe-average or better pitches with average to above-average control.
  
  The Future: Shuman showed the ability to handle innings over the course of 2021, making 19 starts and holding his improved velocity. If it all clicks for Shuman he has the potential to fill a back of the rotation role for a second-division club.