Seth Willoughby Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Seth Russell Willoughby
Born 06/28/1990 in Columbus, OH
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Xavier
Drafted in the 4th round (138th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2012 (signed for $330,300).

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Breaking the hamate bone in his left hand may have been the best thing that ever happened to Willoughby. Xavier planned on using him as a two-way player for the second straight season, but when he hurt his hand in the third game of the season he no longer could serve as the Musketeers' cleanup hitter. Once he focused on pitching, his stuff took off. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has seen his fastball jump from 87-90 to 92-95 mph and his so-so slider turn into an 88-90 mph cutter that's a legitimate out pitch. He sometimes falls in love with the cutter, costing him fastball command. Through 24 appearances, he had a 1.12 ERA, a 40-11 K-BB ratio in 32 innings and a .170 opponent average. While Willoughby profiles strictly as a reliever, he could move quickly and earn a late-inning role in the majors. He has gone from not being on scouts' follow lists coming into the spring--they saw him more as a senior sign for 2013--to flying up draft boards, perhaps as high as the third round.

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Willoughby was a two-way player for Xavier until he broke the hamate bone in his left hand in the sixth game of his junior season. That meant he had to concentrate on pitching and could no longer hit cleanup, which turned out to be a boon for his professional prospects. Previously a draft afterthought, Willoughby's stuff improved markedly, and the Rockies took him in the fourth round in June and signed him for $330,300. As the 138th player taken overall, he became Xavier's highest-ever draft pick, besting Rich Donnelly, who was taken 158th overall by the Yankees in 1967. Willoughby is a strike-thrower who attacks hitters and doesn't get rattled by any situation. His out pitch is an 88-90 mph cutter that sets him apart, though he sometimes relies on it too much. Colorado took it away from him in instructional league so he could concentrate on his fastball and changeup, which he rarely threw while closing games at Tri-City. His fastball ranges from 92-95 mph, and he needs to hone his command of it. Willoughby pitched in three games for Asheville in the final week of the season and will begin 2013 there if he doesn't jump to Modesto in spring training. Strictly a reliever, he could move through the system quickly.

Breaking the hamate bone in his left hand may have been the best thing that ever happened to Willoughby. Xavier planned on using him as a two-way player for the second straight season, but when he hurt his hand in the third game of the season he no longer could serve as the Musketeers' cleanup hitter. Once he focused on pitching, his stuff took off. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has seen his fastball jump from 87-90 to 92-95 mph and his so-so slider turn into an 88-90 mph cutter that's a legitimate out pitch. He sometimes falls in love with the cutter, costing him fastball command. Through 24 appearances, he had a 1.12 ERA, a 40-11 K-BB ratio in 32 innings and a .170 opponent average. While Willoughby profiles strictly as a reliever, he could move quickly and earn a late-inning role in the majors. He has gone from not being on scouts' follow lists coming into the spring--they saw him more as a senior sign for 2013--to flying up draft boards, perhaps as high as the third round.