Dakota Chalmers Stats & Scouting Report

IP	21
ERA	3
WHIP	1.38
BB/9	4.71
SO/9	9.43

Full name Dakota Reid Chalmers
Born 10/08/1996 in Snellville, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 175 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School North Forsyth
Drafted in the 3rd round (97th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2015 (signed for $1,200,000).

View Draft Report

The Georgia high school ranks are strong this year and Chalmers is the best of the pitchers in the state. He performed well last summer and was the winning pitcher in the championship game of the WWBA World Championships last October. The Georgia commit then took another step forward this spring and has continued to climb draft boards. Chalmers has a powerful right arm and can run his fastball up into the upper 90s. He more typically throws in the low to mid 90s now, but there's a lot of room for more strength gains in his 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. He has a good feel for spinning the baseball and throws both a curveball and slider. He rounds out his four-pitch arsenal with an improving changeup. Chalmers' biggest concern is his control. He didn't pound the zone this spring and there's a head whack in his delivery. He may be able to smooth out his delivery as he gets stronger, which would likely help him throw strikes more consistently. The effort in his delivery could scare some teams off, but if a team is willing to be patient with Chalmers, they could eventually be rewarded with a top flight starter.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: Chalmers signed an over-slot $1.2 million deal with the Athletics as a third-round pick in 2015, but he struggled to throw strikes for three seasons before having Tommy John surgery in 2018. The Twins acquired him for Fernando Rodney that year while he was rehabbing. Chalmers returned to the mound with high Class A Fort Myers at the end of 2019 and spent 2020 at the alternate training site.

SCOUTING REPORT: Chalmers' stuff is undeniable. His fastball is a high-spin 93-96 mph pitch that has touched 100 mph in the past. He complements it with a high-spin curveball that reaches 2,800 revolutions per minute with impressive depth in the low 80s. Both pitches are plus and he also has a fringy changeup. Control is the ultimate question with Chalmers. He has walked 6.6 batters per nine innings in his minor league career and frequently misses the strike zone with all of his pitches.

THE FUTURE: The Twins have confidence Chalmers can improve his control enough to start. His pure stuff profiles nicely in the bullpen as a fallback.
One of the top high school arms in Georgia in 2015, Chalmers fell to the Athletics in the third round, where they signed him for $1.2 million, which was twice the slot amount. Three numbers from Chalmers' 2017 season at low Class A Beloit illustrate his problems and potential: 29, 29 and 47. That is, 29 innings with 29 walks and 47 strikeouts. He also hit five batters. Control is a big issue for Chalmers, but his stuff is undeniable. In a four-inning relief appearance at Kane County on April 17, he struck out 10, walked none and allowed one hit. He throws a fastball in the 94-98 mph range and has what one member of the organization termed a wipeout breaking ball. He generates swings and misses with his curveball but seldom locates it for strikes. Chalmers left Beloit in late May for what was reported as a personal issue and did not return the rest of the regular season. During instructional league, the A's spent time with Chalmers trying to create a repeatable delivery. Chalmers' youth and upside give the organization reasons to have patience with him. He could return to Beloit to begin 2018.
Chalmers was the top prep pitcher in Georgia in the 2015 draft and fell to the A's in third round. They pounced and gave him $1.2 million--twice the slot amount--and Chalmers rejected a Georgia scholarship to go pro. He opened the year in extended spring training before joining 2016 first-rounder A.J. Puk and supplemental pick Logan Shore in short-season Vermont's rotation. Chalmers can throw his 92-94 mph fastball for strikes and needs to improve the consistency of his changeup and curveball. He got 40 percent swings-and-misses on his 1-to-7 curveball but was landing it for strikes just half the time. The A's believe repetition will sharpen it up. His changeup, while too firm at times, flashes above-average with good arm speed and downward action. Chalmers has some moving parts in his delivery, such as a head whack, that complicate his ability to stay on line to home plate. His back knee also tends to collapse, and the A's will try to improve his tempo. Chalmers just turned 20 in October, so the A's won't rush him. He is likely to start 2017 in low Class A Beloit.
The Athletics went over slot to sign Chalmers, the pick of the litter in a good year for Georgia high school arms, for $1.2 million in the third round of the 2015 draft. He'll need his development time, but he's also one of the system's more intriguing arms. He has a lean, projectable frame with broad shoulders and can already throw fastballs in the 93-95 mph range, and he can touch 97. He spins a sharp 1-to-7 curveball that looks great when he has it dialed in, though it can be erratic. His changeup has developed into perhaps his best secondary pitch right now, looking just like his fastball out of his hand and then disappearing with nice downward action. As with most teenage arms, Chalmers still has to harness his stuff. He threw with a head whack in his delivery in high school and the A's have worked to smooth him out. He arrived without much understanding of sequencing and setting hitters up but proved an eager learner and absorbed information quickly. The A's are in no hurry with Chalmers, which most likely means a stay in extended spring training followed by an assignment to short-season Vermont in 2016.

Draft Prospects

The Georgia high school ranks are strong this year and Chalmers is the best of the pitchers in the state. He performed well last summer and was the winning pitcher in the championship game of the WWBA World Championships last October. The Georgia commit then took another step forward this spring and has continued to climb draft boards. Chalmers has a powerful right arm and can run his fastball up into the upper 90s. He more typically throws in the low to mid 90s now, but there's a lot of room for more strength gains in his 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. He has a good feel for spinning the baseball and throws both a curveball and slider. He rounds out his four-pitch arsenal with an improving changeup. Chalmers' biggest concern is his control. He didn't pound the zone this spring and there's a head whack in his delivery. He may be able to smooth out his delivery as he gets stronger, which would likely help him throw strikes more consistently. The effort in his delivery could scare some teams off, but if a team is willing to be patient with Chalmers, they could eventually be rewarded with a top flight starter.

Minor League Top Prospects

Few AZL pitchers have Chalmers' upside, but he comes with more risk and need for development time than some of his counterparts. He flashed some of the best stuff in the league at times, thus justifying the Athletics' over-slot investment of $1.2 million, but he needs to learn to throw consistent strikes and iron out mechanical issues with his high three-quarters delivery. Chalmers is a good athlete with a projectable, 6-foot-3 frame. His fastball sat 93-95 mph and touched 97 with good life and plenty of movement. His curveball has a sharp bite that he needs to control better. He's also working on a slider which, along with an emerging changeup that he doesn't use often, will give him a nice four-pitch mix. Chalmers is competitive but needs to improve his poise on the mound.

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: Chalmers signed an over-slot $1.2 million deal with the Athletics as a third-round pick in 2015, but he struggled to throw strikes for three seasons before having Tommy John surgery in 2018. The Twins acquired him for Fernando Rodney that year while he was rehabbing. Chalmers returned to the mound with high Class A Fort Myers at the end of 2019 and spent 2020 at the alternate training site.

SCOUTING REPORT: Chalmers' stuff is undeniable. His fastball is a high-spin 93-96 mph pitch that has touched 100 mph in the past. He complements it with a high-spin curveball that reaches 2,800 revolutions per minute with impressive depth in the low 80s. Both pitches are plus and he also has a fringy changeup. Control is the ultimate question with Chalmers. He has walked 6.6 batters per nine innings in his minor league career and frequently misses the strike zone with all of his pitches.

THE FUTURE: The Twins have confidence Chalmers can improve his control enough to start. His pure stuff profiles nicely in the bullpen as a fallback.
TRACK RECORD: Chalmers signed an over-slot $1.2 million deal with the Athletics as a third-round pick in 2015, but he struggled to throw strikes for three seasons before having Tommy John surgery in 2018. The Twins acquired him for Fernando Rodney that year while he was rehabbing. Chalmers returned to the mound with high Class A Fort Myers at the end of 2019 and spent 2020 at the alternate training site.

SCOUTING REPORT: Chalmers' stuff is undeniable. His fastball is a high-spin 93-96 mph pitch that has touched 100 mph in the past. He complements it with a high-spin curveball that reaches 2,800 revolutions per minute with impressive depth in the low 80s. Both pitches are plus and he also has a fringy changeup. Control is the ultimate question with Chalmers. He has walked 6.6 batters per nine innings in his minor league career and frequently misses the strike zone with all of his pitches.

THE FUTURE: The Twins have confidence Chalmers can improve his control enough to start. His pure stuff profiles nicely in the bullpen as a fallback.