Dillon Tate

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #27 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Two trades and four years after he was selected fourth overall in 2015, Tate made his major league debut with the Orioles in a bullpen role that he had expressed interest in returning to in spring training. As a starter since he signed, Tate struggled to stay healthy and limit big innings. In the bullpen, he found the role less cluttered and was able to just go out and pitch.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: It helps that those pitches played up significantly when he was able to crank them out of the bullpen. His fastball sat 94-97 mph with sink. His slider got up to 88 mph and his changeup registered in the mid-80s. While the action on all the pitches means they can be above-average, he has struggled to command them consistently.
  
  THE FUTURE: Considering he asked and the Orioles acquiesced to a role change, it's safe to say that's where his future lies. He might not have the putaway pitch to close, but consistency could see him rise to a set-up role with a middle relief floor.
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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #12 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Tate was a breakout star for UC Santa Barbara and the top college pitcher in the 2015 draft class. He went fourth overall to the Rangers and signed for $4.2 million before being dealt to the Yankees for Carlos Beltran. He made strides with New York and was an Eastern League all-star at Double-A Trenton when he became the top piece in the Zach Britton trade at the 2018 deadline.
  
  Scouting Report: Tate works from a deliberate but athletic delivery, and he saw recent improvement by coming more set with his hands and allowing himself to stay tall over the rubber longer. His fastball has sinking life at 92-94 mph when he gets through it, but it flattens out at times. Likewise, his mid-80s slider and changeup have plus potential on their best days, but Tate struggles to harness them consistently.
  
  The Future: The Orioles added Tate to the 40-man roster after the year to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He could reach a No. 4 starter ceiling with repetitions and consistent innings, but an impact set-up man in short stints is most likely.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #10 prospect in 2018
  After being converted from a reliever to a starter in his junior season at UC Santa Barbara, Tate improved his draft stock immensely. The Rangers liked what they saw, drafted him with the fourth overall pick and signed him to a $4.2 million bonus. Hamstring issues limited his early innings in his first full season, and the Rangers dealt him to the Yankees as the headliner in the Carlos Beltran deal that summer. Tate's 2017 was delayed by lingering back and shoulder issues, but he was dynamite once he got on the field in late June. Between high Class A Tampa and Double-A Trenton, Tate showed off an impressive three-pitch combo led by a mid-90s fastball that topped out at 97 mph. He coupled the pitch with a slider and a changeup, both of which showed flashes of being plus once he's done developing. Scouts are still divided on whether Tate would be better served as a starter with a back-end rotation ceiling or as a power reliever late in games. With a high of 103.1 innings during his collegiate and pro careers, 2018 will be pivotal when it comes to determining Tate's future. He was originally slated to go to the Arizona Fall League, but the Yankees swapped him out in favor of Albert Abreu before the season began, opting instead to let Tate's work in the postseason with Trenton stand as part of the makeup for the time he missed in April and May. He's likely to return to Double-A to begin 2018.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #15 prospect in 2017
  After pitching as UC Santa Barbara's closer as a sophomore, Tate moved into the Gauchos' rotation in his junior year and raised his stock dramatically. The Rangers took him No. 4 overall and signed him for $4.2 million. Tate suffered through hamstring injuries and poor performance throughout his first full year in pro ball, however, and the Rangers traded him away a year after drafting him as part of the Carlos Beltran deal. Tate moved to the bullpen after joining the Yankees system and returned to form at low Class A Charleston. His fastball peaked at 97 mph in the Arizona Fall League after sitting in the high 80s to low 90s in the early part of the season, while his slider and changeup each flashed above-average and garnered swings and misses but lacked consistency. After making 16 starts in 17 appearances with the Rangers, Tate was used exclusively out of the bullpen at both Charleston and in the AFL. He projects as a reliever long-term, but could be a high-leverage arm out of the pen with improved command. He is likely to start 2017 at high Class A Tampa.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #5 prospect in 2016
  Tate pitched sparingly as a freshman at UC Santa Barbara, but he emerged as the Gauchos' closer as a sophomore, then moved into the rotation as a junior. His stock rose quickly, with the Rangers drafting him fourth overall in 2015 and paying $4.2 million to sign him. Tate has an extremely quick arm, with a fastball that sits at 92-96 mph and can reach 98 with good tailing life, though it can come in on a flat plane. He has a pair of plus pitches in his fastball and hard slider, a mid-to-upper 80s weapon that stays on plane with his fastball until the end when it has late, tight break to miss bats. Tate didn't have much need for a changeup but it has improved the more he's thrown it, projecting as a possible average third pitch. He mixes in an occasional cutter as well. Tate held his stuff deep into games as a starter, though it faded down the stretch in college. There is some effort to his high-energy mechanics, but the ball comes out of his hand with ease and he's a good athlete who repeats his delivery and throws strikes. Tate could be a fast-track guy with a chance to get to the big leagues by 2017. While there's a chance he ends up in the bullpen, the Rangers took him at the top of the draft to be a starter, with a chance to pitch at the front of the rotation.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #3 prospect in 2015 draft
  Lightly recruited out of Claremont (Calif.) High, Tate pitched just three innings in four appearances as a freshman for the Gauchos, though one of his nine outs that season was recorded against Kris Bryant on a 3-2 changeup. Tate's confidence grew when he emerged as UC Santa Barbara's closer as a sophomore and when he earned a spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer. He made the transition to starting as a junior, and with the exception of a missed start due to a strained muscle in his neck, Tate had hit few speed bumps in ascending draft charts this spring. Tate's high-energy delivery, fast arm and athletic body deliver plus fastballs, sitting 94-96 mph and touching 97-98, especially early in games. They have some arm-side life that make his hard, plus slider even more effective. It's his strikeout pitch, missing bats with late life and upper-80s velocity, scraping 89 mph. Tate's changeup has improved the more he's used it, and his cutter gives him a another wrinkle to throw at hitters from the same release point. Tate had doubled his 2014 innings total already, so scouts continue to watch how he holds up under a starter's workload. He has adjusted to the role well, though, establishing a routine and holding his stuff deep into games and the season. His lack of an extensive track record is the biggest knock against him, but he still projects to be the first college pitcher drafted with a shot to go No. 1 overall.
• Ranked #391 prospect in 2012 draft
  Another intriguing talent in UC Santa Barbara's strong recruiting class, Tate is a classic projection for scouts. Though he pitches in the 85-88 mph range, he has reached 92-93 at times and should add velocity as he fills out his 6-foot-1, 167-pound frame because his arm works easy. His secondary stuff is still developing, and his breaking ball shows promise, while his changeup is well below-average at this stage. Tate could develop into an impact prospect under Andrew Checketts' tutelage at UCSB, but there are scouts who regard him as a sleeper worth gambling on inside the top 10 rounds this year.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Florida State League #7 prospect in 2017
  The No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Tate finally hit his stride as a pro in his first full year with the Yankees, who acquired him from the Rangers in the 2016 Carlos Beltran trade. Hampered in spring training by a shoulder injury, Tate worked back slowly into form and was ready for action in June, ripping off nine strong starts in the FSL before finishing the season with Double-A Trenton. Tate's athleticism plays with both his quick arm and his ability to repeat a high-energy delivery. His fastball reaches 98 mph consistently, and unlike past seasons, he held his velocity, often getting up to 97 as late as the eighth inning of his last two starts. His fastball command, changeup and slider all have improved from 2016. He locates his plus slider and changeup so well that at times he pitched backwards, finishing hitters off by painting the black at 95 mph. "It looks like he has a routine now and has learned to be a starting pitcher," said Clearwater manager Shawn Williams, who managed against Tate the last two years in the South Atlantic League. "He's at least 95 (mph) from the first through the seventh. He couldn't do that the last two years. He's a completely different animal now.'

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #69 prospect in 2016

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Two trades and four years after he was selected fourth overall in 2015, Tate made his major league debut with the Orioles in a bullpen role that he had expressed interest in returning to in spring training. As a starter since he signed, Tate struggled to stay healthy and limit big innings. In the bullpen, he found the role less cluttered and was able to just go out and pitch.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: It helps that those pitches played up significantly when he was able to crank them out of the bullpen. His fastball sat 94-97 mph with sink. His slider got up to 88 mph and his changeup registered in the mid-80s. While the action on all the pitches means they can be above-average, he has struggled to command them consistently.
  
  THE FUTURE: Considering he asked and the Orioles acquiesced to a role change, it's safe to say that's where his future lies. He might not have the putaway pitch to close, but consistency could see him rise to a set-up role with a middle relief floor.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  One of three pieces sent from the Rangers to the Yankees in exchange for Carlos Beltran two summers ago, Tate still shows athleticism and high-end stuff. He still needs to work on consistency with his offspeed pitches—a slider and a changeup—but when both are work he holds three pitches with plus potential. If that happens, he has a future as a starter. If not, he could make a nice bullpen piece.