Reese Olson

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #11 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Olson was originally drafted as the Brewers' 13th-round pick in 2018 before being traded to the Tigers at the 2021 trade deadline for lefthander Daniel Norris. Prior to making the move to Detroit, Olson booked 14 starts with High-A Wisconsin, where he posted 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings over 69 frames. Following the Tigers' acquisition of Olson, they assigned him to High-A West Michigan, where he received a promotion to Double-A Erie after just 11 innings. The Tigers returned Olson to Erie in 2022, where he spent the entire season. He completed his Double-A campaign with 168 strikeouts--good for ninth-most in the minor leagues--over 119.2 innings with 2.9 walks per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Olson features a four-pitch mix that grades above-average to plus, with added room for development across the board. There is some concern surrounding Olson's history of inconsistent command, but the improvement he showed in 2022 led to optimism for his development track. Olson leads his arsenal with an above-average changeup with fade, one of two very strong secondary offerings with an ability to produce weak groundball contact and plenty of swing-and-miss. Next up is a sweeping low-80s slider that Olson shows the most confidence in because of its proven ability against righthanded hitters. His go-to offering against lefthanded hitters is a high-70s curveball. Olson is still developing deception with his mid-90s fastball, a pitch that could tick up as he fills out.
  
  The Future: After Olson showcased his arsenal in 2022, there remains some debate as to whether he will stick in a rotation or face a move to the bullpen. But the proven quality of his pitch mix has established the righthander as a future multi-inning reliever at the very least.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #15 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Olson was drafted by the Brewers in 2018 and then dealt to the Tigers at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for lefthander Daniel Norris. Prior to the deal, Olson posted a 4.30 ERA at Milwaukee’s High-A Wisconsin affiliate, the same club he pitched for in 2019 when it was previously a Low-A affiliate. Detroit promoted him to Double-A Erie shortly after the trade, where he made five starts.
  
  Scouting Report: Olson’s four-pitch mix grabs the attention of scouts, but so does his violent delivery and inconsistent command. He attacks hitters with a mid-90s fastball and scouts believe there’s still room for a touch more velocity. However, despite above-average velocity, the pitch lacks movement, and deception at release. He mixes a trio of strong secondaries that all generated whiffs at a rate of 40% or higher in 2021. The best of that group is an above-average changeup with heavy fade and tumble, generating both ground balls and whiffs at a high rate. His pair of breaking balls show distinctive shape and sharp break. His low-80s sweeper slider sees higher usage than the curveball in large part due to its dominance against righthanded hitters. His curveball is a mid-to-high-70s downer, with two-plane break, and is used primarily versus lefthanders as an alternative to his changeup. Olson needs to demonstrate more consistent command of his arsenal to project long term in a starting role, as he walked nearly 12% of hitters with High-A Wisconsin in 2021.
  
  The Future: There’s considerable reliever risk, but due to Olson’s fastball velocity and deep quality mix of secondaries he could become an effective multi-inning relief option down the road.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #336 prospect in 2018 draft
  A 6-foot-1, 155-pound righthander, Olson pitches above his size, sitting in the 90-94 mph range this spring thanks to an extremely fast arm. He also gets good life on the pitch. Because of his frame and the fact that he's a prep righthander, many teams will be out on Olson entirely, but he's a solid athlete, throws strikes and also has shown an above-average curveball and changeup--though both pitches are inconsistent. A Georgia Tech commit, Olson is considered signable and might not make it to campus with several teams very much in on him.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Olson was originally drafted as the Brewers' 13th-round pick in 2018 before being traded to the Tigers at the 2021 trade deadline for lefthander Daniel Norris. Prior to making the move to Detroit, Olson booked 14 starts with High-A Wisconsin, where he posted 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings over 69 frames. Following the Tigers' acquisition of Olson, they assigned him to High-A West Michigan, where he received a promotion to Double-A Erie after just 11 innings. The Tigers returned Olson to Erie in 2022, where he spent the entire season. He completed his Double-A campaign with 168 strikeouts--good for ninth-most in the minor leagues--over 119.2 innings with 2.9 walks per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Olson features a four-pitch mix that grades above-average to plus, with added room for development across the board. There is some concern surrounding Olson's history of inconsistent command, but the improvement he showed in 2022 led to optimism for his development track. Olson leads his arsenal with an above-average changeup with fade, one of two very strong secondary offerings with an ability to produce weak groundball contact and plenty of swing-and-miss. Next up is a sweeping low-80s slider that Olson shows the most confidence in because of its proven ability against righthanded hitters. His go-to offering against lefthanded hitters is a high-70s curveball. Olson is still developing deception with his mid-90s fastball, a pitch that could tick up as he fills out.
  
  The Future: After Olson showcased his arsenal in 2022, there remains some debate as to whether he will stick in a rotation or face a move to the bullpen. But the proven quality of his pitch mix has established the righthander as a future multi-inning reliever at the very least.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 45
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Olson was originally drafted as the Brewers' 13th-round pick in 2018 before being traded to the Tigers at the 2021 trade deadline for lefthander Daniel Norris. Prior to making the move to Detroit, Olson booked 14 starts with High-A Wisconsin, where he posted 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings over 69 frames. Following the Tigers' acquisition of Olson, they assigned him to High-A West Michigan, where he received a promotion to Double-A Erie after just 11 innings. The Tigers returned Olson to Erie in 2022, where he spent the entire season. He completed his Double-A campaign with 168 strikeouts--good for ninth-most in the minor leagues--over 119.2 innings with 2.9 walks per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Olson features a four-pitch mix that grades above-average to plus, with added room for development across the board. There is some concern surrounding Olson's history of inconsistent command, but the improvement he showed in 2022 led to optimism for his development track. Olson leads his arsenal with an above-average changeup with fade, one of two very strong secondary offerings with an ability to produce weak groundball contact and plenty of swing-and-miss. Next up is a sweeping low-80s slider that Olson shows the most confidence in because of its proven ability against righthanded hitters. His go-to offering against lefthanded hitters is a high-70s curveball. Olson is still developing deception with his mid-90s fastball, a pitch that could tick up as he fills out.
  
  The Future: After Olson showcased his arsenal in 2022, there remains some debate as to whether he will stick in a rotation or face a move to the bullpen. But the proven quality of his pitch mix has established the righthander as a future multi-inning reliever at the very least.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 45
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record:: Olson was drafted by the Brewers in 2018 and then dealt to the Tigers at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for lefthander Daniel Norris. Prior to the deal, Olson posted a 4.30 ERA at Milwaukee&#39s High-A Wisconsin affiliate, the same club he pitched for in 2019 when it was previously a Low-A affiliate. Detroit promoted him to Double-A Erie shortly after the trade, where he made five starts.
  
  Scouting Report: Olson&#39s four-pitch mix grabs the attention of scouts, but so does his violent delivery and inconsistent command. He attacks hitters with a mid-90s fastball and scouts believe there&#39s still room for a touch more velocity. However, despite above-average velocity, the pitch lacks movement, and deception at release. He mixes a trio of strong secondaries that all generated whiffs at a rate of 40% or higher in 2021. The best of that group is a plus changeup with heavy fade and tumble, generating both ground balls and whiffs at a high rate. His pair of breaking balls show distinctive shape and sharp break. His low-80s sweeper slider sees higher usage than the curveball in large part due to its dominance against righthanded hitters. His curveball is a mid-to-high-70s downer, with two-plane break, and is used primarily versus lefthanders as an alternative to his changeup. Olson needs to demonstrate more consistent command of his arsenal to project long term in a starting role, as he walked nearly 12% of hitters with High-A Wisconsin in 2021.
  
  The Future: There&#39s considerable reliever risk, but due to Olson&#39s fastball velocity and deep quality mix of secondaries he could become an effective multi-inning relief option down the road.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Changeup: 60. Slider: 55. Curveball: 45. Control: 45.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Olson was drafted by the Brewers in 2018 and then dealt to the Tigers at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for lefthander Daniel Norris. Prior to the deal, Olson posted a 4.30 ERA at Milwaukee’s High-A Wisconsin affiliate, the same club he pitched for in 2019 when it was previously a Low-A affiliate. Detroit promoted him to Double-A Erie shortly after the trade, where he made five starts.
  
  Scouting Report: Olson’s four-pitch mix grabs the attention of scouts, but so does his violent delivery and inconsistent command. He attacks hitters with a mid-90s fastball and scouts believe there’s still room for a touch more velocity. However, despite above-average velocity, the pitch lacks movement, and deception at release. He mixes a trio of strong secondaries that all generated whiffs at a rate of 40% or higher in 2021. The best of that group is an above-average changeup with heavy fade and tumble, generating both ground balls and whiffs at a high rate. His pair of breaking balls show distinctive shape and sharp break. His low-80s sweeper slider sees higher usage than the curveball in large part due to its dominance against righthanded hitters. His curveball is a mid-to-high-70s downer, with two-plane break, and is used primarily versus lefthanders as an alternative to his changeup. Olson needs to demonstrate more consistent command of his arsenal to project long term in a starting role, as he walked nearly 12% of hitters with High-A Wisconsin in 2021.
  
  The Future: There’s considerable reliever risk, but due to Olson’s fastball velocity and deep quality mix of secondaries he could become an effective multi-inning relief option down the road.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Selected by the Brewers in the 13th round out of the 2018 draft out of high school in Georgia, Olson has moved a level every year since turning pro. Scouts see him as a potential No. 5 starter or swingman with a full four-pitch complement and feel to pitch. His curveball is his best offspeed offering. None of his stuff is electric but nothing is lackluster, either. The combination of strikes and decent stuff should get him to the big leagues.