Zach Pop

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #26 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Pop was a fast riser after the Dodgers drafted the Canadian righthander in 2017. He climbed three levels in a 2018 season defined by his inclusion in the Manny Machado trade. The Orioles invited him to big league camp in 2019, but he dealt with forearm soreness that limited him to eight appearances and led to Tommy John surgery in May.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, the tall, lanky Pop featured one of the most electric fastballs in the organization at 96-98 mph while topping out at 100 with sinking life from a low arm slot. That, combined with a mid-80s slider, has opponents batting just .173 off him in his career, with two-thirds of pro hitters he's faced either hitting the ball on the ground or striking out.
  
  THE FUTURE: Pop likely won't be back on a mound in game action until midseason 2020 due to the timing of his surgery, but if he finds his form quickly, he could quickly find his way to Baltimore as a medium-leverage reliever.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #24 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Pop, a product of the Canadian National Team system, dealt with an arm injury in his junior year at Kentucky that hurt him in the draft, but he's shown no issues as a pro. He climbed three levels in 2018 between his time with the Dodgers and Orioles after he was part of the Manny Machado trade. All told, Pop generated an elite groundball rate while striking out 8.9 per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Pop may have a typical reliever's fastball/slider arsenal, but his heater has atypical life. It's a heavy 92-96 mph sinker from a low arm slot, but he'll need his mid-80s slider to reach its above-average potential to keep hitters off his fastball. His heater has a plus-plus ceiling, and Pop showed enough command for the Orioles to believe he profiles as a potential impact reliever.
  
  The Future: Pop might have the best pure stuff of anyone acquired by the Orioles in their five July trades, and he has both the mentality and the arsenal to be an effective bridge reliever to get his team to the back-end of the bullpen.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #178 prospect in 2017 draft
  On most college teams, Pop would be a moment-of-truth reliever, but as senior lefty Logan Salow has filled that role, Kentucky has been able to use Pop as a hard-throwing setup man. Pop, a native of Brampton, Ontario, who has pitched for the Canadian Junior National Team, has a plus 94-96 mph fastball that touches 98. It has late life, but Pop has poor control. His delivery has some effort but there's also some deception; he cuts off his front side and throws across his body from a lower three-quarters arm slot. His potentially above-average hard 85-88 mph slider gives him a second above-average offering, although he needs to improve its consistency. At its best the slider is tight with late break. He's also toyed with a below-average changeup. Pop left a game in late April with an arm injury and had not returned by mid-May, clouding his status as the draft approached.
• Ranked #319 prospect in 2014 draft
  Pop is the top prep arm north of the border in a year when most of the draftable talent leans toward position players. He's one of the youngest players in the draft class and won't turn 18 until the fall, yet he already has a strong 6-foot-4, 225-pound build that offers limited physical projection. He is a low three-quarters slinger with deception in his delivery and above-average fastball life, working 88-92 mph, touching 94 in short stints. He has a short stride but gets extension out front. Pop works primarily off his fastball and his secondary stuff (slider and changeup) lags significantly behind. Scouts worry that he will be a reliever without continued development of his secondary stuff and control. He is committed to Kentucky.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Pop was a fast riser after the Dodgers drafted the Canadian righthander in 2017. He climbed three levels in a 2018 season defined by his inclusion in the Manny Machado trade. The Orioles invited him to big league camp in 2019, but he dealt with forearm soreness that limited him to eight appearances and led to Tommy John surgery in May.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, the tall, lanky Pop featured one of the most electric fastballs in the organization at 96-98 mph while topping out at 100 with sinking life from a low arm slot. That, combined with a mid-80s slider, has opponents batting just .173 off him in his career, with two-thirds of pro hitters he's faced either hitting the ball on the ground or striking out.
  
  THE FUTURE: Pop likely won't be back on a mound in game action until midseason 2020 due to the timing of his surgery, but if he finds his form quickly, he could quickly find his way to Baltimore as a medium-leverage reliever.