Johnny Hellweg

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #21 prospect in 2015
  With so many moving parts to Hellweg's 6-foot-9 frame and trouble repeating his mechanics, he seemed almost destined to blow out his elbow and require Tommy John surgery. And that's exactly what happened after just four starts at Triple-A Nashville in 2014. Hellweg always has had a big arm and seemed on the verge of big things after earning Pacific Coast League pitcher of the year honors in 2013. But he flopped badly in his big league debut in 2013, going 1-4, 6.75 in nine games. When Hellweg is at his best, he pounds the bottom half of the zone with fastballs in the 92-96 mph range with good movement and sink. He still needs to hone his secondary pitches, which consist of an average changeup and below-average, slurvy breaking ball. Still on the 40-man roster, Hellweg profiles more as a reliever.
• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #4 prospect in 2014
  Acquired from the Angels in the July 2012 Zack Greinke trade, Hellweg had a schizophrenic season. He led the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in walks (89, which ranked fourth in the minors) and hit batters (14). Yet he also led the PCL in opponent average (.228) while ranking second in ERA (3.15) and wins (12). He won the league's pitcher of the year award but flopped in his September callup. At 6-foot-9, Hellweg can't help but throw on a downhill plane. When he's pounding the lower half of the zone with fastballs in the 92-95 mph range, he induces one groundball out after another. He's capable of reaching 98 mph whenever he wants, but because of control problems he learned to dial back his fastball and pitch more to contact, and his strikeout numbers plummeted. He has such good movement on his fastball that hitters don't square him up much, but that life, as well as Hellweg's extra-tall frame, makes the pitch hard to control. He has a lot going on with his delivery and struggles to maintain a consistent release point. His average changeup has improved and some scouts prefer it to his slurvy, below-average breaking ball. The Brewers hope Hellweg is the classic late-blooming tall pitcher, and he clearly needs more time to improve his control. With a 70-grade fastball, he's worth waiting on. He could return to the Triple-A rotation or gain big league experience in the bullpen in 2014.
• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #6 prospect in 2013
  Once the Brewers saw that Zack Greinke had no interest in signing a contract extension, they sent him to the Angels last July for Jean Segura and hard-throwing righthanders Hellweg and Ariel Pena. Because Hellweg already had exceeded his previous career high for innings by 31, Milwaukee pitched him sparingly afterward. The Angels switched Hellweg from relieving to starting in 2011 to give him more innings in an attempt to help him repeat his delivery more consistently and improve his problematic command. He has made strides with locating his pitches, but his strikeout totals have dipped as he has dialed back his fastball to get ahead in the count. Hellweg still pitches regularly in the mid-90s with his fastball, which features late sink and has hit 100 mph when he came out of the bullpen. He can be tough to hit when he throws his slurvy breaking ball for strikes. His changeup is a work in progress. Tall and skinny, he can overpower hitters with the downward tilt on his fastball, but his long limbs also make it difficult to maintain his release point. When Hellweg throws all of his pitches for strikes, he looks like a potential No. 2 starter. But his lack of consistency could mean that his future will come as a late-inning reliever, possibly as a closer. He'll open 2013 in Triple-A.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #4 prospect in 2012
  Signed for $150,000 as a 16th-round selection in 2008, Hellweg walked 129 batters in his first 122 pro innings, most as a reliever. He took off after the Angels shifted him to the rotation at high Class A Inland Empire last June, recording a 2.12 ERA and 80-24 K-BB ratio in 14 starts. Starting every fifth day allowed Hellweg to work on improving his direction to the plate and repeating his arm path during side sessions. Pacing himself also forced him to throttle back his fastball a bit, resulting in dramatically better control. With an effortless delivery, Hellweg tops out near 100 mph and sits at 95-97 with his fastball, which features late sink that induces plenty of grounders. He has improved the command of his low-80s breaking ball, which more often resembles a slider with plus lateral break but occasionally morphs into a knee-buckling curve when he stays on top of the pitch. He tends to throw a changeup with too much velocity, and he used it only sparingly in 2011. Tall and skinny, Hellweg still is growing into his frame and velocity, but if he holds onto his control gains he has No. 2 starter potential. The Angels added him to the 40-man roster in November and Double-A awaits in 2012.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #23 prospect in 2011
  The Marlins took a 46th-round flier on Hellweg in 2007, even though he had missed his senior year at St. Dominic High (O'Fallon, Mo.) after having a bone spur shaved down in his pitching elbow. He decided to attend Florida CC in Jacksonville, where he spent one season before signing with the Angels for $150,000 as a 16th-round pick in 2008. To say Hellweg has been wild as a pro would be an understatement. He walked 45 batters in 44 relief innings in low Class A last season, and his career rate of 9.2 walks per nine innings is obviously not tenable. On the flip side, Hellweg fanned 13.6 batters per nine with Cedar Rapids, a better rate than all but two other MWL pitchers with at least 40 innings. In fact, 57 percent of batters to oppose him didn't put the ball in play--they walked, struck out or were hit by a pitch. The ball jumps out of his hand, and Hellweg's fastball sits at 94-98 mph with sink. His low-80s slider gives him a second potential plus pitch, though it's extremely inconsistent. Hellweg's lack of control, which grades generously at 35 on the 20-80 scouting scale, stems from his delivery. He loses his direction to plate and often throws against his body. But if Los Angeles can find a way to iron out Hellweg's mechanics, he could be a potential high-leverage reliever--possibly a Kyle Farnsworth type. Just don't expect that to happen overnight. He'll move up to high Class A this year.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #20 prospect in 2012
  A key piece in the Zack Greinke trade this summer, Hellweg was one of the AFL's top relievers. While the Brewers plan to move him back to the rotation in 2013, the 6-foot-9 Hellweg was electric in relief. His fastball sits 95-97, touching 100 mph, with sinking action and his mid-80s slider projects above-average with good tilt and bite. Control continues to be a concern, as he walked seven over 13 innings this fall, and many scouts project Hellweg will reach the major leagues as a reliever.
• 
  Ranked Texas League #15 prospect in 2012
  Hellweg leapt into prominence as a prospect when he moved from relieving to starting in high Class A last year, and he jumped to the Arkansas rotation to open 2012. He showed erratic control, which has been the bugaboo throughout his career, but was included in the package the Brewers got in the Greinke trade. Milwaukee kept Hellweg in Double-A and used him sparingly the rest of the way in order to limit his innings--his total of 140 between his two stops was 51 more than his previous career high. Hellweg's arm strength is obvious, as he touched 100 mph out of the bullpen. As a starter, he works at 94-97 mph with excellent life. He also throws a curveball that can be an above-average pitch and a solid changeup. With Hellweg, it all comes down to control. His big body makes it difficult to maintain consistent mechanics, and when he loses his fastball command, he runs up high pitch counts and walk totals. He threw 14 wild pitches and hit 13 batters in 21 TL starts.
• 
  Ranked California League #18 prospect in 2011
  In his first three years as a pro, Hellweg scared hitters with his exceptional velocity and utter lack of control. It was more of the same in the first half of 2011, when he posted a 6.54 ERA with 32 walks in as many innings while working mainly out of the bullpen. After he got his mechanics in order, he moved to Inland Empire's rotation and demonstrated significantly better control of a mid-90s fastball that hits 99 mph and features enough sink to make him a groundball machine. Complementing his heat with a slurvy curveball and a decent changeup, he went 4-1, 2.18 with a 78-27 K-BB ratio in 58 innings over 12 second-half starts. He capped his year by pitching one-hit ball with eight strikeouts and eight groundouts in 6 1/3 innings in a playoff start. "We saw him in the last month of the season and he was just filthy," Plantier said. "He had easy velocity with probably more in the tank. Then he shoves it against us in the playoffs. He has a big league arm."

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Once the Brewers saw that Zack Greinke had no interest in signing a contract extension, they sent him to the Angels last July for Jean Segura and hard-throwing righthanders Hellweg and Ariel Pena. Because Hellweg already had exceeded his previous career high for innings by 31, Milwaukee pitched him sparingly afterward. Scouting Report: The Angels switched Hellweg from relieving to starting in 2011 to give him more innings in an attempt to help him repeat his delivery and improve his problematic command. He has made strides with locating his pitches, but his strikeout totals have dipped as he has dialed back his fastball to get ahead in the count. Hellweg still pitches regularly in the mid-90s, featuring late sink, and he has hit 100 mph out of the bullpen. When he throws his slurvy breaking ball for strikes, he can be tough to hit. His changeup is a work in progress. Tall and skinny, he can overpower hitters with the downward tilt on his fastball, but his long limbs also make it difficult to maintain his release point. The Future: When Hellweg throws all of his pitches for strikes, he looks like a potential No. 2 starter. But his lack of consistency could mean that his future will come as a late-inning reliever, possibly as a closer. He'll open 2013 in Triple-A.
• August, 2012 Scouting Report
  A key piece in the Zack Greinke trade this summer, Hellweg was one of the AFL's top relievers. While the Brewers plan to move him back to the rotation in 2013, the 6-foot-9 Hellweg was electric in relief. His fastball sits 95-97, touching 100 mph, with sinking action and his mid-80s slider projects above-average with good tilt and bite. Control continues to be a concern, as he walked seven over 13 innings this fall, and many scouts project Hellweg will reach the major leagues as a reliever.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Signed for $150,000 as a 16th-round selection in 2008, Hellweg walked 129 batters in his first 122 pro innings while working almost exclusively as a reliever. He took off after the Angels shifted him to the rotation at high Class A Inland Empire last June, recording a 2.12 ERA and 80-24 K-BB ratio in 14 starts.Scouting Report: Starting every fifth day allowed Hellweg to work on improving his direction to the plate and repeating his arm path during side sessions. Pacing himself also forced him to throttle back his fastball a bit, resulting in dramatically better control. With an almost effortless delivery, Hellweg tops out near 100 mph and sits at 95-97 with his fastball, which features late sink that induces plenty of grounders. He has improved the command of his low-80s breaking ball, which more often resembles a slider with plus lateral break but occasionally resembles a knee-buckling curve when he stays on top of the pitch. He tends to throw his decent changeup with too much velocity, and he used it only sparingly in 2011. The Future: Tall and skinny, Hellweg still is growing into his frame and velocity, but if he holds onto his control gains he has No. 2 starter potential. The Angels added him to the 40-man roster in November and Double-A awaits him in 2012.