Brennan Malone

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #9 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The D-backs drafted Malone with the 33rd pick in the 2019 draft and signed him for an above-slot $2.2 million to keep him from a North Carolina commitment. The Pirates acquired him with Liover Peguero for Starling Marte in January 2020. Malone reported to the Pirates’ alternate training site in Altoona, Pa., after the pandemic canceled the minor league season, but he was never cleared for on-field activity.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Malone is a physical, projectable pitcher still learning to harness his potent stuff. His fastball sits at 93 mph and touches the upper 90s with heavy sink, and his slider is a potential plus pitch with late, sharp break. He focused on developing his curveball during the shutdown and transformed it from a slurvy pitch to a spike-curveball that shows average potential. His changeup isn’t consistent but flashes average potential. Malone has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery, but he can be a bit wild and spent the shutdown working to shorten his arm path in an attempt to throw more strikes more consistently.
  
  THE FUTURE: Malone made his Pirates debut in instructional league and should see full-season ball in 2021. He has mid-rotation potential but is a long way from that ceiling.
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #8 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Long regarded as one of the top prep arms in the 2019 class, Malone solidified his stock with a strong spring at IMG Academy, where the North Carolina native transferred for his senior year. The D-backs used the third of their seven first-day draft picks on Malone, taking him 33rd overall and signing him for $2.2 million to forgo a North Carolina commitment. The Pirates acquired him with shortstop prospect Liover Peguero for Starling Marte after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Malone featured perhaps the best combination of present stuff and future projection of any high school pitcher in his class. He has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery with a loose, easy arm action. He showed plus fastball velocity consistently throughout the spring, sitting 93 mph while touching the upper 90s. His slider is his best secondary offering, a potential plus pitch with sharp, late break that he throws at the back foot of lefthanded hitters. His curveball and changeup are less consistent, but both project average. Malone has a mature, stoic demeanor on the mound. At times, his command deserts him and he can look more like a thrower than a pitcher.
  
  THE FUTURE: Malone has the ingredients to become a power starter, with his upside to be determined by how his command and stuff progress.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #18 prospect in 2019 draft
  Malone initially blew up on scouts' radars as an underclassman and has long been thought of as one of the most talented pitchers in the 2019 draft class. He has an uber-projetable, 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, a picturesque arm action and delivery, as well as well above-average pure stuff. His fastball trails only Georgia righthander Daniel Espino's as the best fastball in the prep class, and Malone's heater sits in the low to mid-90s, touching as high as 97 mph. The righthander also throws a curveball, slider and changeup. Throughout the summer, Malone displayed flashes of a plus breaking ball--at times with his slider and at other times with his curveball--but scouts lamented that fact that neither of his breaking balls show above-average or plus potential consistently. He would either struggle to get on top of his curveball regularly, or his slider would lack sharp biting action. This spring, Malone seems to have addressed those critiques, as he put on one of the best amatuer outings of the season at USA Baseball's National High School Invitational. Pitching for IMG Academy (where he transferred to for his senior season after playing in North Carolina previously), Malone threw a seven-inning shutout and showcased an 80-83 mph slider that had late biting action and two-plane break. He used the pitch effectively against both righthanders and lefthanders, landing it in the zone for strikes and also using it as a chase pitch. Malone's mid-70s curveball has 11-to-5 shape and could be an average or better offering in the future, depending on how he continues to improve his release point. His low-80s changeup has solid velocity separation from his fastball, and he throws the pitch with solid arm speed as well. Overall, Malone might have the best combination of current stuff and future projection of any prep pitcher in the 2019 draft class, and while he is committed to North Carolina, he should get drafted at some point in the middle of the first round this June.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The D-backs drafted Malone with the 33rd pick in the 2019 draft and signed him for an above-slot $2.2 million to keep him from a North Carolina commitment. The Pirates acquired him with Liover Peguero for Starling Marte in January 2020. Malone reported to the Pirates' alternate training site in Altoona, Pa., after the pandemic canceled the minor league season, but he was never cleared for on-field activity.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Malone is a physical, projectable pitcher still learning to harness his potent stuff. His fastball sits at 93 mph and touches the upper 90s with heavy sink, and his slider is a potential plus pitch with late, sharp break. He focused on developing his curveball during the shutdown and transformed it from a slurvy pitch to a spike-curveball that shows average potential. His changeup isn't consistent but flashes average potential. Malone has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery, but he can be a bit wild and spent the shutdown working to shorten his arm path in an attempt to throw more strikes more consistently.
  
  THE FUTURE: Malone made his Pirates debut in instructional league and should see full-season ball in 2021. He has mid-rotation potential but is a long way from that ceiling.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The D-backs drafted Malone with the 33rd pick in the 2019 draft and signed him for an above-slot $2.2 million to keep him from a North Carolina commitment. The Pirates acquired him with Liover Peguero for Starling Marte in January 2020. Malone reported to the Pirates’ alternate training site in Altoona, Pa., after the pandemic canceled the minor league season, but he was never cleared for on-field activity.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Malone is a physical, projectable pitcher still learning to harness his potent stuff. His fastball sits at 93 mph and touches the upper 90s with heavy sink, and his slider is a potential plus pitch with late, sharp break. He focused on developing his curveball during the shutdown and transformed it from a slurvy pitch to a spike-curveball that shows average potential. His changeup isn’t consistent but flashes average potential. Malone has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery, but he can be a bit wild and spent the shutdown working to shorten his arm path in an attempt to throw more strikes more consistently.
  
  THE FUTURE: Malone made his Pirates debut in instructional league and should see full-season ball in 2021. He has mid-rotation potential but is a long way from that ceiling.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 45.
  
  TRACK RECORD: The D-backs drafted Malone with the 33rd pick in the 2019 draft and signed him for an above-slot $2.2 million to keep him from a North Carolina commitment. The Pirates acquired him with Liover Peguero for Starling Marte in January 2020. Malone reported to the Pirates’ alternate training site in Altoona, Pa., after the pandemic canceled the minor league season, but he was never cleared for on-field activity.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Malone is a physical, projectable pitcher still learning to harness his potent stuff. His fastball sits at 93 mph and touches the upper 90s with heavy sink, and his slider is a potential plus pitch with late, sharp break. He focused on developing his curveball during the shutdown and transformed it from a slurvy pitch to a spike-curveball that shows average potential. His changeup isn’t consistent but flashes average potential. Malone has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery, but he can be a bit wild and spent the shutdown working to shorten his arm path in an attempt to throw more strikes more consistently.
  
  THE FUTURE: Malone made his Pirates debut in instructional league and should see full-season ball in 2021. He has mid-rotation potential but is a long way from that ceiling.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Long regarded as one of the top prep arms in the 2019 class, Malone solidified his stock with a strong spring at IMG Academy, where the North Carolina native transferred for his senior year. The D-backs used the third of their seven first-day draft picks on Malone, taking him 33rd overall and signing him for $2.2 million to forgo a North Carolina commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Malone featured perhaps the best combination of present stuff and future projection of any high school pitcher in his class. He has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery with a loose, easy arm action. He showed plus fastball velocity consistently throughout the spring, sitting 93 mph while touching the upper 90s. His slider is his best secondary offering, a potential plus pitch with sharp, late break that he throws at the back foot of lefthanded hitters. His curveball and changeup are less consistent, but both project average. Malone has a mature, stoic demeanor on the mound. At times, his command deserts him and he can look more like a thrower than a pitcher.
  
  THE FUTURE: Malone has the ingredients to become a power starter, with his upside to be determined by how his command and stuff progress.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Long regarded as one of the top prep arms in the 2019 class, Malone solidified his stock with a strong spring at IMG Academy, where the North Carolina native transferred for his senior year. The D-backs used the third of their seven first-day draft picks on Malone, taking him 33rd overall and signing him for $2.2 million to forgo a North Carolina commitment. The Pirates acquired him with shortstop prospect Liover Peguero for Starling Marte after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Malone featured perhaps the best combination of present stuff and future projection of any high school pitcher in his class. He has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery with a loose, easy arm action. He showed plus fastball velocity consistently throughout the spring, sitting 93 mph while touching the upper 90s. His slider is his best secondary offering, a potential plus pitch with sharp, late break that he throws at the back foot of lefthanded hitters. His curveball and changeup are less consistent, but both project average. Malone has a mature, stoic demeanor on the mound. At times, his command deserts him and he can look more like a thrower than a pitcher.
  
  THE FUTURE: Malone has the ingredients to become a power starter, with his upside to be determined by how his command and stuff progress.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Malone initially blew up on scouts' radars as an underclassman and has long been thought of as one of the most talented pitchers in the 2019 draft class. He has an uber-projetable, 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, a picturesque arm action and delivery, as well as well above-average pure stuff. His fastball trails only Georgia righthander Daniel Espino's as the best fastball in the prep class, and Malone's heater sits in the low to mid-90s, touching as high as 97 mph. The righthander also throws a curveball, slider and changeup. Throughout the summer, Malone displayed flashes of a plus breaking ball--at times with his slider and at other times with his curveball--but scouts lamented that fact that neither of his breaking balls show above-average or plus potential consistently. He would either struggle to get on top of his curveball regularly, or his slider would lack sharp biting action. This spring, Malone seems to have addressed those critiques, as he put on one of the best amatuer outings of the season at USA Baseball's National High School Invitational. Pitching for IMG Academy (where he transferred to for his senior season after playing in North Carolina previously), Malone threw a seven-inning shutout and showcased an 80-83 mph slider that had late biting action and two-plane break. He used the pitch effectively against both righthanders and lefthanders, landing it in the zone for strikes and also using it as a chase pitch. Malone's mid-70s curveball has 11-to-5 shape and could be an average or better offering in the future, depending on how he continues to improve his release point. His low-80s changeup has solid velocity separation from his fastball, and he throws the pitch with solid arm speed as well. Overall, Malone might have the best combination of current stuff and future projection of any prep pitcher in the 2019 draft class, and while he is committed to North Carolina, he should get drafted at some point in the middle of the first round this June.