Buck Farmer Stats & Scouting Report

IP	71
ERA	3.04
WHIP	1.2
BB/9	3.68
SO/9	8.87

Full name George Runie Farmer
Born 02/20/1991 in Conyers, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 243 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Georgia Tech
Debut 08/13/2014
Drafted in the 5th round (156th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2013 (signed for $225,000).

View Draft Report

Farmer ranked No. 92 in BA's preseason draft rankings in 2012 and No. 117 at the time of the draft, but in spite of his strong junior season, he fell to the Brewers at pick No. 485. As expected, Farmer returned to Georgia Tech for his senior season and put in another strong season as the Friday starter, showing subtle improvements under a new pitching coach, Jason Howell. Farmer's stuff remains similar to last season and his 6-foot-3, 228-pound frame helps him profiles as an innings-eating workhorse. He pitches off an 88-92 mph fastball that runs up to 95 at times and complements it with a solid-average slider and changeup. The slider has been sharper this year, one reason why his strikeout rate is up and his home run rate is down. Some scouts don't like his arm action and see him as a better fit in the bullpen, believing he'll have too much trouble repeating his breaking ball. His signability as a senior will determine how high he goes in the draft.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Had Farmer recorded one more out, he would have lost his prospect eligibility, but with 49 2/3 career major league innings, he narrowly sneaks in under the cutoff for the Prospect Handbook. After signing for $225,000 as a fifth-round pick in 2014, he made his major league debut in 2014 in his first full season after starting the year in the low Class A Midwest League. Farmer opened 2015 in Triple-A Toledo and as back in the big leagues for spot starts in May, June and July, but he got hammered around and shuttled back to Triple-A before re-joining Detroit in August, mostly as a reliever. Farmer has the three-pitch mix to be a starter, starting with a fastball that sits at 90-94 mph and touches 96 with sink and downhill plane. His breaking ball was his best secondary pitch in college, but his changeup now gets more swing-andmiss. It comes in a little firm off his fastball at 83-87 mph, but it has good movement and he's able to get hitters to chase and swing over the top of it, making it a solid-average pitch. He uses his slider just as much as his changeup, giving him a third average pitch. Farmer missed fewer bats in the big leagues and ran into trouble with his command, which he might always battle because of his funky delivery and long arm stroke. The organization is internally leaning toward using Farmer in a relief role, which would give him a better chance to begin 2016 in the majors.
Farmer spent four seasons at Georgia Tech, then signed for $225,000 as a fifth-round pick in 2013. At 23, he started the year relatively old for the low Class A Midwest League, but after carving through the circuit he jumped to Double-A Erie for a pair of starts in August, made his major league debut on Aug. 13, then split the rest of the season between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo. Farmer is a solid strike-thrower who works downhill with a lively 90-95 mph fastball that generates sink and run and has peaked at 97. His slider was his best secondary pitch in college, but his changeup improved tremendously over the course of the season . His changeup was below-average early in the year, but it now flashes above-average with late drop . His average slider can be a swing-and-miss pitch . That may stem from his arm action, which along with his funky delivery provides deception but leads some scouts to project him as a reliever. Farmer has the stuff to be a back-end starter . Given the Tigers' bullpen woes, though, it may be tempting to move him there.

Draft Prospects

Farmer ranked No. 92 in BA's preseason draft rankings in 2012 and No. 117 at the time of the draft, but in spite of his strong junior season, he fell to the Brewers at pick No. 485. As expected, Farmer returned to Georgia Tech for his senior season and put in another strong season as the Friday starter, showing subtle improvements under a new pitching coach, Jason Howell. Farmer's stuff remains similar to last season and his 6-foot-3, 228-pound frame helps him profiles as an innings-eating workhorse. He pitches off an 88-92 mph fastball that runs up to 95 at times and complements it with a solid-average slider and changeup. The slider has been sharper this year, one reason why his strikeout rate is up and his home run rate is down. Some scouts don't like his arm action and see him as a better fit in the bullpen, believing he'll have too much trouble repeating his breaking ball. His signability as a senior will determine how high he goes in the draft.
The aptly named Farmer (whose family has a long agricultural history) has raised his draft stock with his consistency for an injury-plagued Yellow Jackets pitching staff. An unsigned 46th-rounder of the Braves in 2009, Farmer will go at least 40 rounds earlier thanks to his durable 6-foot-3, 228-pound frame and above-average fastball. Farmer doesn't overpower hitters but throws a lot of quality strikes with his 88-92 mph fastball, at times touching 95. He competes well and challenges hitters with the fastball, though it's not a swing-and-miss pitch. His changeup has surpassed his slider in consistency as his best secondary offering, though he has feel for the breaking ball and locates it. Farmer has performed for three seasons and also threw well in summer ball in the Coastal Plain League (2010) and Cape Cod League (2011), though he was hit fairly hard in the Cape. He has some effort in his delivery and his arm action isn't clean, so despite his frame and track record of performance, scouts see him more as a reliever than as a starter. He still figures to go out in the first five rounds and perhaps as high as the third.

Minor League Top Prospects

The West Michigan pitching corps led the 16-team MWL in walk rate and home run rate and finished second in ERA and strikeout rate. Of course, they also ranked second in average age, leading one opposing manager to call the Whitecaps, who had five starters with significant college pedigrees, an all-Southeastern Conference rotation. While sources do not agree as to which starter is top prospect, Farmer reached the big leagues first, debuting with the Tigers on Aug. 13, little more than a year after turning pro. Hammered for 11 runs in two emergency starts for Detroit, he finished the minor league season at Triple-A Toledo. Farmer's 92-95 mph fastball is a plus pitch and his best attribute. He shows an ability to sink it or run it, and he can throw it for strikes even if he shows below-average command. His slider can generate swings and misses in the MWL, but he has to prove it's more than a chase pitch. His changeup has potential but is well below-average at this point. Farmer's combination of velocity and below-average command leads some scouts to project him as a power reliever. Others see a future No. 4 starter.