Eric Skoglund

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #5 prospect in 2018
  Skoglund made his major league debut in Kansas City in just his third full season since being drafted in the third round in 2014 out of Central Florida, getting into seven games in two different stints with the Royals. The bulk of the lean, lanky southpaw's season was spent with Triple-A Omaha, where he put up a 4.11 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League while fanning just over one batter per inning. Skoglund battled through a lat issue early in the season but showed no ill effects. He gets lots of leverage and good plane from his 6-foot-7 frame. An above-average 90-95 mph fastball, which he elevates with two strikes, gets good movement and plenty of swings and misses. The heater gets good four-seam ride and arm-side tail, coming in late on righthanded batters. A solid-average curveball with good shape delivered at 80 mph is his best secondary, followed by an 85 mph changeup with cut action he uses infrequently. Skoglund also mixes in an 87 mph slider that resembles a cutter, but it's still a work in progress. His stuff plays up because he commands it well. Skoglund profiles as a No. 4 starter or better and will head to spring training looking to earn a shot in the Royals' 2018 rotation.
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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #4 prospect in 2017
  An accomplished skinny lefthander at Sarasota (Fla.) High, Skoglund became the ace of his Central Florida staff before signing with the Royals for $576,100. Skoglund missed the second half of the 2015 season with elbow soreness but avoided surgery, and he showed no ill effects in 2016 He led the Texas League in innings pitched (156) and strikeouts (134), was second-best in the league in walk rate among starters and finished third average against (.230). Though he's 6-foot-7, Skoglund generally works side to side, going in and out on hitters, rather than working up and down in the strike zone with downhill plane. He succeeds with his average 90-92 mph fastball because he has above-average command and control. Skoglund did a good job of tightening up his once-slurvy breaking ball into an average curveball with 2-to-7 shape. He locates it well, but it lacks the late-break or depth to be a plus pitch. He's also tinkered with a below-average slider. His changeup is fringe-average as well. As a lefthander with three average pitches and excellent control but no plus offering, Skoglund is the epitome of a back-of-the-rotation starter. He's ready for Triple-A and could see some big league time in 2017 With a rebuild looming, Skoglund should be a significant part of the 2018 rotation plans.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #14 prospect in 2015
  A 16th-round pick of the Pirates out of high school, Skoglund put his time at Central Florida to good use. He gained 10 pounds per year to go from a 6-foot-7, 170-pound pencil in high school to a still lanky but much more solid 200 pounds. Skoglund earned American Athletic Conference pitcher of the year honors as a junior. Skoglund struggled through his pro debut when he threw plenty of strikes but gave up too much solid contact at Rookie-level Idaho Falls. He throws an average 90-91 mph fastball with some life and an average 80-83 mph slider that he pairs with a below-average changeup that he doesn't really trust. His pitches play up because he locates well with average control, a rare trait for a young, long-levered pitcher. As he presently stands, Skoglund projects as a back-end starter, but one who could end up being more than that if he gains some more strength and velocity.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #101 prospect in 2014 draft
  Skoglund earns Chris Sale physical comparisons at a listed 6-foot-7, 200 pounds. He has a prospect pedigree and an improved performance track record. He anchored the rotation for tradition-rich Sarasota High and bumped 91 mph as a high school senior. A late thumb injury helped drive him down to the 16th round, where the Pirates drafted him but were unable to sign him. His clean arm action and easy delivery didn't translate immediately to a lot of strikes, as he was hittable as a freshman and struggled mightily as a sophomore, posting a 5.08 ERA and losing his rotation spot with a 29-26 walk-strikeout ratio. However, Skoglund hit his stride in the Florida Collegiate Summer League last year and carried that momentum over to the spring, leading the American Athletic Conference in strikeouts while limiting righthanded hitters to a .190 average. Skoglund's fastball sits in the 88-91 mph range, bumping 93, and has good life down in the zone. Like other tall pitchers, it took him a while to grow into his body, but he has a loose arm and repeats his delivery, leading to a much-improved 86-22 strikeout-walk ratio through 99 innings. Skoglund doesn't have a plus pitch though. He is effective at using his slider, a solid-average pitch, but his changeup lags behind. It has solid movement and he hasn't learned to command it or throw it with enough conviction. Most scouts don't consider Florida pitchers, who play year-round, to be projectable, but Skoglund's body gives some reason to think he could add velocity if he gains strength.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: An accomplished skinny lefthander at Sarasota (Fla.) High, Skoglund became the ace of his Central Florida staff before signing with the Royals for $576,100. Skoglund missed the second half of the 2015 season with elbow soreness but avoided surgery, and he showed no ill effects in 2016. He led the Texas League in innings pitched (156) and strikeouts (134), was second-best in the league in walk rate among starters and finished third average against (.230). Scouting Report: Although he's 6-foot-7, Skoglund generally works sides to side, going in and out on hitters, rather than working up and down in the strike zone with downhill plane. He succeeds with his average 90-92 mph fastball because he has above-average command and control. Skoglund did a good job of tightening up his once-slurvy breaking ball into an average curveball with 2-to-7 shape. He locates it well, but it lacks the late-break or depth to be a plus pitch. He's also tinkered with a below-average slider. His changeup is fringe-average as well.
  
  The Future: As a lefthander with three average pitches and excellent control but no plus offering, Skoglund is the epitome of a back-of-the-rotation starter. He's ready for Triple-A and could see some big league time in 2017. With a rebuild looming, Skoglund should be a significant part of the 2018 rotation plans.