Tanner Rainey Stats & Scouting Report

IP	51
ERA	4.76
WHIP	1.49
BB/9	5.12
SO/9	7.76

Full name Tanner Scott Rainey
Born 12/25/1992 in Folsom, LA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 250 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School West Alabama
Debut 04/10/2018
Drafted in the CB-B round (71st overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 (signed for $432,950).

View Draft Report

After pitching sparingly in two years at Southeast Louisiana, Rainey transferred to Division II West Alabama. There, he has blossomed into a two-way star for the Tigers. He is their starting first baseman and hit 17 home runs during the regular season. But it's his pitching that has had him climbing draft boards all spring. He serves as West Alabama's closer and presents an intriguing arm for scouts. Rainey has only relieved in college, but with two above-average pitches and a strong, athletic frame (he's listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds), scouts are eager to see what he could do with more innings and experience. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he pairs it with an above-average slider. If a team wanted to put him in the rotation, they'd have to teach him a changeup and help him adjust to the increased workload of a starter. But his athleticism and work ethic make scouts optimistic about his chances to make the transition. Rainey could be the first senior to be drafted, but the team that takes him won't just be seeking a discount on his signing bonus. Even if he stays in the bullpen as a professional, he could end up pitching in high-leverage situations.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Traded to the Nationals in December in exchange for RHP Tanner Roark, Rainey made a third straight minor league All-Star game with Triple-A Louisivlle with a 2.65 ERA in 51 innings in the International League, but struggled mightily in a brief major league stint with the Reds.

Scouting Report: The explosive righthander was moved to the bullpen by Cincinnati in 2017 to capitalize on his two-pitch mix. His fastball is a top of the scale offering, regularly in the 97-99 mph range and touching as high as 101. His slider is also a plus offering, with sharp movement that falls off the table. The biggest issue is his control, which is below-average and currently prevents him from throwing his slider in the strike zone with any sort of consistency.

The Future: After having success in the upper minors, Rainey should get another crack in a major league bullpen in 2019. Big league hitters were able to lay off his slider, and were able to barrel him up during his brief, eight-game stint with the Reds. Control is the biggest question, but his stuff could play as a back-end bullpen piece if he makes improvements in that area.
There's never been much doubt that Rainey would end up in the bullpen, and in 2017 he pitched exclusively as a reliever for the first time. He's big and throws hard--really hard. The Reds had him clocked as high as 102 mph in 2017. He spent time between high Class A and Double-A, striking out 104 batters in just 62 innings. Rainey's below-average command and his control still must improve, but if it does, he's got a shot to be a big league closer thanks to his top-of-the-scale fastball. Rainey already has the look of a big league closer, with intimidating size, Jonathan Broxton-size thighs and a light-em-up fastball. He can throw that fastball up in the zone, above the hitting plane and hitters can't get comfortable because every now and then, one gets away from him. His slider, like his fastball, is hard as it will touch 90 mph. It can be an above-average pitch if he commands it more, but even when he buries it, the power of it makes it hard for hitters to adjust to it. He has thrown a changeup in the past, but hasn't developed it. Now that he's working in the bullpen he has less in-game opportunities to work on it and less need to as well. If Rainey throws strikes, he could find himself in the big leagues in 2018. His delivery has a little effort, but there's not an glaring red flags, so there's hope he'll clean it up.
Most pitchers selected with high draft picks begin their pro career in the rotation, whether or not they project to be relievers. This gives them more innings and thus more opportunities to develop their control and secondary offerings. That plan didn't work with Rainey, a 2015 pick from West Alabama. When he started, he was largely a disaster. He mixed three pitches while commanding them well enough to get through five innings. Every now and then it worked, but typically he surrendered too many walks and wild pitches. A late-season move to the bullpen put Rainey back into his natural habitat by allowing him to just rear back and throw. His 95-97 mph fastball became livelier, and he put his ineffective changeup in his back pocket to focus on his slider. His potentially above-average slider got better as well. Rainey didn't allow a run in his final seven appearances out of the pen at low Class A Dayton in 2016, and his arm strength makes him a potentially valuable bullpen option.
The Reds believe in drafting, signing and developing pitchers who are athletic, from Cuban imports Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias to two-way college standouts Michael Lorenzen and Nick Howard. Rainey fits that profile perfectly. He hit 19 home runs as a first baseman while also serving as West Alabama's closer, striking out 50 of the 113 batters he faced as a senior in 2015. Rainey's stuff seems well-suited to relief because he has 92-96 mph velocity and an above-average slider that could allow him to move quickly as a reliever. But he also has a strong lower half with massive thighs. Rainey's 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame helped the Reds conclude that they should try him in the rotation, even though his too-firm changeup is in the formative stages, his control is below-average and his stuff faded in the later innings of his initial pro starts at Rookie-level Billings. Scouts see Rainey moving back to the bullpen after logging innings as a minor league starter. He will pitch at low Class A Dayton in 2016.

Draft Prospects

After pitching sparingly in two years at Southeast Louisiana, Rainey transferred to Division II West Alabama. There, he has blossomed into a two-way star for the Tigers. He is their starting first baseman and hit 17 home runs during the regular season. But it's his pitching that has had him climbing draft boards all spring. He serves as West Alabama's closer and presents an intriguing arm for scouts. Rainey has only relieved in college, but with two above-average pitches and a strong, athletic frame (he's listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds), scouts are eager to see what he could do with more innings and experience. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he pairs it with an above-average slider. If a team wanted to put him in the rotation, they'd have to teach him a changeup and help him adjust to the increased workload of a starter. But his athleticism and work ethic make scouts optimistic about his chances to make the transition. Rainey could be the first senior to be drafted, but the team that takes him won't just be seeking a discount on his signing bonus. Even if he stays in the bullpen as a professional, he could end up pitching in high-leverage situations.

Minor League Top Prospects

Rainey possessed one of the best power arms in the Pioneer League this year. A closer and first baseman at NCAA Division II West Alabama, he was drafted as a starter and took 15 turns for Billings, striking out nearly one batter per inning. Rainey possesses a strong, athletic frame suited for the rotation and brings a power arsenal to the mound with elite-level arm speed. His heater ranges from 92-96 mph and is paired with an above-average slider. He started working on a changeup during the summer, and the pitch is an essential addition to his starter repertoire. He will need to hold his stuff deeper into games. At a minimum, Rainey can function as a power arm out of the bullpen if the starting gig doesn't work out for him.

Career Transactions

Washington Nationals sent RHP Tanner Rainey on a rehab assignment to FCL Nationals.
Washington Nationals placed RHP Tanner Rainey on the 60-day injured list. Tommy John surgery.