Caden Grice Stats & Scouting Report

IP	50.1
ERA	3.75
WHIP	1.31
BB/9	5.19
SO/9	12.16

Full name Caden Bradley Grice
Born 06/15/2002 in Greer, SC
Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Clemson
Drafted in the CB-B round (64th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 (signed for $1,250,000).

View Draft Report

School: Clemson Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup 50. Control: 45
Hit: 30. Power: 60. Run: 40. Field: 45. Arm: 55.

Grice showed intriguing two-way potential out of high school, but started drawing more interest as a hitter after showcasing massive lefthanded raw power during his senior season. He ranked as the No. 289 prospect in the 2020 class and made it to campus at Clemson, where he pitched only briefly in his first two seasons before playing like one of the best two-way players in the country in 2023. Grice hit .307/.411/.618 with 18 home runs, 15 doubles and a 26.9% strikeout rate and on the mound he posted a 3.30 ERA over 14 starts and 73.2 innings, with a 31.4% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. Grice has a massive frame at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, with massive 70-grade raw power to go with it, but he has always had contact issues and while he performed solidly during his junior season, most scouts seem to prefer his pro potential on the mound. Grice attacks from a three-quarter slot and throws a fastball that sits in the 90-93 mph range and has been up to 95. He also throws a slurvy slider with two-plane break in the 78-82 mph range and a mid-80s changeup. He generated plenty of whiffs with both secondaries this spring, though his fastball is more of a sinker that drives a high percentage of ground balls. Grice has the physical tools to be selected among the top five rounds as a hitter or pitcher, with more risk as a hitter, but potentially more upside as well.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 50/High

Track Record: Grice has been an intriguing two-way prospect since his high school days and played both ways at Clemson as a lefthanded pitcher and power-hitting first baseman. He hit .307 with 18 home runs for the Tigers as a junior while going 8-1, 3.35 on the mound in his first year as a starter. Arizona drafted him as a pitcher in the supplemental second round and signed him for $1.25 million.

Scouting Report: Grice may have a higher ceiling at the plate due to his plus-plus raw power, but his propensity for striking out led the Diamondbacks to believe he offered more certainty on the mound. His fastball sits in the low 90s and touches 95 with good angle and ride to play as an above-average pitch. His breaking ball is another above-average pitch that alternates between a slider with tight break and a power curveball. Grice also throws an average changeup that has flashed better in the past. The D-backs were encouraged given his relative inexperience on the mound—just 94 innings in three years at Clemson—by the quality of both his strikes and pitch mix. He has surprising athleticism given his husky frame and his arm works well out of a sound delivery.

The Future: Grice may still get some opportunities to hit, but pitching will be his focus. He still has upside in development and projects to be a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50

Draft Prospects

School: Clemson Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup 50. Control: 45
Hit: 30. Power: 60. Run: 40. Field: 45. Arm: 55.

Grice showed intriguing two-way potential out of high school, but started drawing more interest as a hitter after showcasing massive lefthanded raw power during his senior season. He ranked as the No. 289 prospect in the 2020 class and made it to campus at Clemson, where he pitched only briefly in his first two seasons before playing like one of the best two-way players in the country in 2023. Grice hit .307/.411/.618 with 18 home runs, 15 doubles and a 26.9% strikeout rate and on the mound he posted a 3.30 ERA over 14 starts and 73.2 innings, with a 31.4% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. Grice has a massive frame at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, with massive 70-grade raw power to go with it, but he has always had contact issues and while he performed solidly during his junior season, most scouts seem to prefer his pro potential on the mound. Grice attacks from a three-quarter slot and throws a fastball that sits in the 90-93 mph range and has been up to 95. He also throws a slurvy slider with two-plane break in the 78-82 mph range and a mid-80s changeup. He generated plenty of whiffs with both secondaries this spring, though his fastball is more of a sinker that drives a high percentage of ground balls. Grice has the physical tools to be selected among the top five rounds as a hitter or pitcher, with more risk as a hitter, but potentially more upside as well.
Over the summer on the showcase circuit, Grice showed interesting stuff out of a big frame on the mound. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Clemson commit looks like he could be an incoming tight end for the football program, but he’s a two-way prospect on the baseball field with a fastball that was in the 89-92 mph range from the left side and a solid slider and changeup. He threw solid strikes with all three offerings, but it wouldn’t be surprising if more teams were now on Grice as a hitter after what he showed early this spring. In early batting practice sessions, Grice showed off raw power from the left side that compares with the best power hitters in the prep class. Multiple scouts have called it 80-grade raw power. He takes furious hacks and has plenty of natural strength and bat speed to send the ball a long way when he makes contact. That last point is the biggest question, as Grice did not hit particularly well over the summer, and evaluators are skeptical about how much he’ll hit in the future. Grice would have been easier to assess with a full season to show improvement in his hit tool, but for now he’s a high-risk, high-reward hitting prospect, who still has some potential on the mound.