Zack Britton
| IP | 486 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 2.667 |
| WHIP | 1.206 |
| BB/9 | 3.741 |
| SO/9 | 8.056 |
- Full name Zackary Grant Britton
- Born 12/22/1987 in Panorama City, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Weatherford
- Debut 04/03/2011
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Drafted in the 3rd round (85th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in 2006 (signed for $435,000).
View Draft Report
Clayton Kershaw isn't the only Texas high school lefthander who has shot up the charts this spring. After sitting at 86-87 mph in 2005, Britton's fastball shot up to 92-93 for much of this spring. He further helped his cause by outpitching the more ballyhooed Jordan Walden when scouts swarmed to their matchup in early April. Britton's velocity has tailed off slightly this spring, but his arm works well and he'll have a consistent plus fastball once he fills out. There's plenty of room to add strength to his athletic 6-foot-3, 180 pound frame. As he matures physically, he should add power to his curveball, which should become a solid-average pitch once he learns to stay on top of it better. Walden's delivery isn't deceptive, so refining a changeup to keep righthanders off balance will be important. Texas A&M did a nice job of identifying Britton's potential, but he started to achieve it so quickly that it's now unlikely he'll turn down pro ball for college.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
Track Record: A native of Indiana, Britton broke through to the Louisville starting nine during his sophomore campaign with the Cardinals, and hit .288/.368/.470. He started all 17 games for Louisville prior to the 2020 pandemic shutdown and hit .322/.446/.542. The Blue Jays selected Britton with the 136th overall pick in 2020 and signed him for a below slot bonus of $97,500. Britton was assigned to High-A Vancouver out of spring training in 2022 and hit .239/.390/.441 over 57 games before he was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire for the final few months. He finished his season with Salt River of the Arizona Fall League and hit .404/.482/.575 over 14 games.
Scouting Report: Briton's game is centered around his ability to get on base and backspin the ball to the gaps on his best contact. Britton's bat-to-ball skills are fringy and his heavily fly ball focused swing leads to lots of lazy fly outs. While his bat path and setup are geared toward power, Britton possesses just fringe-average raw power, as his best hit balls tend to play more for doubles power than over-the-fence home run power. He has an advanced approach at the plate and rarely expands the zone, allowing his overall hitting profile to play above his pure contact and power skills. He's a fringe-average runner who is limited to an outfielder corner with an average throwing arm.
The Future: Britton has a bat-first corner outfield profile and could be capable of filling in as an up-and-down type of player.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 50. Run: 45. Field: 45. Arm: 45. -
Britton has boosted his stock every year since getting drafted in 2006 and now ranks as one of the best pitching prospects in the minors. In 2010, he aced his Double-A debut, pitched in the Futures Game and finished strong in Triple-A, getting added to the 40-man roster after the season. He led Orioles farmhands in ERA (2.70) while ranking second in wins (10) and strikeouts (124). Britton has the best sinker in the minor leagues and generated a 2.8 groundout/airout ratio last season. Showing more than just good action, his fastball sits in the low 90s and peaks at 94 mph. His slider is also a plus pitch, though at he times throws it too hard while trying to get more break out of it. His changeup has developed to the point where he's willing to throw it behind in the count and use it to get quick outs rather than strikeouts. Britton showed his best stuff more consistently in 2010. He does a good job of spotting all of his pitches within the strike zone. The Orioles liked how Britton refined his arsenal and came after hitters with a plan rather than just overpowering them with his sinker. He'll probably return to Triple-A Norfolk at the start out of 2011, but it's not out of question that he could pitch his way into the big league rotation. -
When talking about elite pitching prospects in the Orioles organization, it's time to add Britton's name to the discussion. He was the pitcher of the year in the Carolina League last season, and his 2.70 ERA ranked second in the league. The Orioles shut him down a bit early with shoulder fatigue when he hit 140 innings, but he'll be at full speed for spring training. Britton seems like the typical sinker/slider pitcher, except that his fastball touches 94 mph. His velocity improved last season, and he usually works in the 88-92 range with his sinker, adding a four-seam fastball to go with it. His slider has become an effective weapon against lefthanded hitters, and his already-solid changeup improved as well, in part thanks to tips he got from Brian Matusz. Britton's command has improved and he does a good job of keeping the ball down in the zone, but he still needs to throw more strikes with his fastball and get himself ahead of hitters. His 55 walks led the Frederick staff, and his 21 wild pitches led the Carolina League. Britton is another Orioles pitcher who earns high marks for his makeup, and he could get a lot more attention in 2010 if he moves up to the Bowie rotation and pitches well. -
For a third-round pick who has experienced a lot of success so far as a pro, Britton gets surprisingly little attention. He came out of high school with a good fastball for a lefthander, touching the low 90s but more comfortably pitching at 88-90 mph. His heater has good sinking life and generates a lot of groundballs. He learned a slider during instructional league after the 2007 season, and his sinker/slider combination allowed him to dominate low Class A hitters at times in 2008. His changeup improved as well, but it's still inconsistent and he has trouble locating it. Overall command is Britton's biggest question mark, as he doesn't throw enough strikes. Those who don't like him see him as a good stuff/bad pitchability prospect and wonder how much he can improve in that area. Britton needs to get stronger, and if he does he could add a tick to his velocity. He'll step up to high Class A in 2009 and profiles as a middle-of-the-rotation starter if his command comes along. -
Britton has the Orioles looking for big things as he heads into his first experience in a full-season league. They've kept a pretty tight leash on him through his first year and a half in the organization. He signed for $435,000 out of the 2006 draft and spent last year in the short-season Aberdeen rotation, showing the live low-90s fastball that made him a third-round pick. He featured a good curveball during the summer, then turned the corner with his slider in instructional league. Baltimore thinks the slider could elevate his entire repertoire. It's a sharp, late breaker, and Britton got excited about it when he saw what it did to hitters in instructional league. He never been able to get good action on the slider before. His changeup also looks promising but still needs work. He has good mound presence and will have to improve his command as he moves up. -
Britton looked like a solid recruit for Texas A&M heading into his senior year of high school, but his velocity jumped as did his performance. The Orioles grabbed him in the third round and he signed for $435,000. The Orioles kept him on tight pitch counts during his pro debut. Britton pitched in the high 80s as a high school junior, and he jumped up to 92-93 mph as a senior before tailing off late in the spring. He pitched at 86-90 mph in Bluefield, but he should get back to 88-93 as his athletic frame matures. He showed that kind of velocity in instructional league. Britton didn't need to use his breaking ball or changeup much in high school, so they still need work. He has thrown both a slider and curveball, and the Orioles will have him focus on the curve. It's a good pitch, though he needs to find a consistent release point with it. Baltimore has been most impressed by his mound presence and understanding of the game. He'll open 2007 in the low Class A rotation.
Minor League Top Prospects
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The consensus among scouts is that Britton has the best sinker in the minor leagues, and his 2.8 groundout-to-flyout ratio between Double-A Bowie and Norfolk helps back that up. Not only does he have heavy life on his two-seam fastball, but he also throws his harder than most at 90-94 mph. Britton's No. 2 pitch is a slider that's a weapon against lefthanders. He also has a four-seam fastball and a changeup with some sink. He's athletic with a quick arm, but he tends to lose the release point in his delivery, which costs him control and command. -
Britton defies comparison, because scouts and managers can't think of another lefthander with similar velocity and sink on his fastball. He has one of the minors' best fastballs, notable as much for its sink as for its 90-94 mph velocity. Britton got 2.81 groundouts for every airout between Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. His sinker has so much life down in the zone that he racked up 18 wild pitches despite having solid control. One National League scout said he liked Britton's slider better, citing its occasional depth, while others prefer the change, which is a bit too firm but features some of his trademark sink. Control and handling the running game are the other issues that will determine his ceiling as a No. 2 starter or a bit less. -
Britton continues to fly under the radar, but he won't for much longer if he keeps pitching like he did this season. The CL pitcher of the year, he finished second in the league in ERA (2.70) and strikeouts (131 in 140 innings). Britton pitches at 88-92 mph with his heavy sinker and tops out at 94 with his four-seam fastball. Britton's sinker is his go-to pitch and he does a good job of pitching down in the zone. Batters struggle to lift his sinker in the air, as evidenced by his 3.38 groundout/airout ratio. He has learned to pitch inside on righthanders with his four-seamer to prevent them from sitting on his sinker on the outer half. "I liked Britton," a NL scout. "He doesn't necessarily wow you with his fastball, but he's a groundball machine with the ability to miss some bats." Britton has worked hard to bring his secondary pitches up to par. He has a decent slider, but his below-average changeup still needs more improvement. -
Though Britton struggled for much of his pro debut, his live left arm and athletic frame made him one of the most promising young pitchers in the league. His fastball soared to 92-93 mph before his velocity tailed off late in his high school season, but he showed enough to get drafted in the third round. Britton pitched at 88-91 mph in his pro debut, and scouts expect him to have a consistent plus fastball once he matures physically. Because his heater was more than enough to dispense with high school hitters, Britton's offspeed stuff is underdeveloped. His slider can flatten out and he throws his changeup too hard at times. He lacks deception in his delivery, so a refined changeup will be a must to deal with righthanders at higher levels.
Top 100 Rankings
Best Tools List
- Rated Best Slider in the Baltimore Orioles in 2011
- Rated Best Fastball in the Baltimore Orioles in 2011
- Rated Best Fastball in the Eastern League in 2010
Scouting Reports
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BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
Track Record: A native of Indiana, Britton broke through to the Louisville starting nine during his sophomore campaign with the Cardinals, and hit .288/.368/.470. He started all 17 games for Louisville prior to the 2020 pandemic shutdown and hit .322/.446/.542. The Blue Jays selected Britton with the 136th overall pick in 2020 and signed him for a below slot bonus of $97,500. Britton was assigned to High-A Vancouver out of spring training in 2022 and hit .239/.390/.441 over 57 games before he was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire for the final few months. He finished his season with Salt River of the Arizona Fall League and hit .404/.482/.575 over 14 games.
Scouting Report: Briton's game is centered around his ability to get on base and backspin the ball to the gaps on his best contact. Britton's bat-to-ball skills are fringy and his heavily fly ball focused swing leads to lots of lazy fly outs. While his bat path and setup are geared toward power, Britton possesses just fringe-average raw power, as his best hit balls tend to play more for doubles power than over-the-fence home run power. He has an advanced approach at the plate and rarely expands the zone, allowing his overall hitting profile to play above his pure contact and power skills. He's a fringe-average runner who is limited to an outfielder corner with an average throwing arm.
The Future: Britton has a bat-first corner outfield profile and could be capable of filling in as an up-and-down type of player.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 50. Run: 45. Field: 45. Arm: 45. -
BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
Track Record: A native of Indiana, Britton broke through to the Louisville starting nine during his sophomore campaign with the Cardinals, and hit .288/.368/.470. He started all 17 games for Louisville prior to the 2020 pandemic shutdown and hit .322/.446/.542. The Blue Jays selected Britton with the 136th overall pick in 2020 and signed him for a below slot bonus of $97,500. Britton was assigned to High-A Vancouver out of spring training in 2022 and hit .239/.390/.441 over 57 games before he was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire for the final few months. He finished his season with Salt River of the Arizona Fall League and hit .404/.482/.575 over 14 games.
Scouting Report: Briton's game is centered around his ability to get on base and backspin the ball to the gaps on his best contact. Britton's bat-to-ball skills are fringy and his heavily fly ball focused swing leads to lots of lazy fly outs. While his bat path and setup are geared toward power, Britton possesses just fringe-average raw power, as his best hit balls tend to play more for doubles power than over-the-fence home run power. He has an advanced approach at the plate and rarely expands the zone, allowing his overall hitting profile to play above his pure contact and power skills. He's a fringe-average runner who is limited to an outfielder corner with an average throwing arm.
The Future: Britton has a bat-first corner outfield profile and could be capable of filling in as an up-and-down type of player.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 50. Run: 45. Field: 45. Arm: 45.
