Chandler Champlain Stats & Scouting Report

IP	36
ERA	3.5
WHIP	.92
BB/9	1.75
SO/9	12

Full name Chandler Jay Champlain
Born 07/23/1999 in Mission Viejo, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Southern California
Drafted in the 9th round (273rd overall) by the New York Yankees in 2021 (signed for $150,000).

View Draft Report

Champlain was one of the top prep pitching prospects in the 2018 draft class, but his strong commitment to Southern California deterred teams from selecting him. The Angels took him in the 38th round as a courtesy selection. Champlain flashed promise but never put everything together at USC. He went 4-4, 5.06 in 15 starts with the Trojans this year and owns a career 5.31 ERA. Champlain looks the part at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds with a smooth delivery and a three-pitch mix. His fastball sits 92-93 mph and touches 96, his 12-to-6 curveball flashes above-average and his changeup shows average at its best. Champlain’s fastball is extremely straight and hittable, however, and he struggles to throw his secondary pitches for strikes, allowing batters to ignore them and sit on his fastball. Champlain’s control has slowly improved during his college career, so he has potential if he can start throwing his secondary pitches for strikes to get hitters off his fastball.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: A well-regarded pitching prospect in high school in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Champlain went to nearby Southern California for a disappointing three-year college career. The Yankees drafted the beefy 6-foot-5 righthander in the ninth round in 2021 and began working with him to improve his pitch selection. Champlain got into just 16 Low-A games before being bundled with two other pitchers to the Royals at the 2022 trade deadline for Andrew Benintendi. Champlain ran up a 9.84 ERA in 32 innings at High-A Quad Cities in 2022 but took big steps forward in 2023, with strong performances at both High-A and Double-A northwest Arkansas.

Scouting Report: Champlain was given two goals to meet in 2023--improving command of his fastball and using his breaking balls more--and he was successful on both counts. Champlain delivers his fastball at 94-98 mph with good life to both sides of the plate. Both of his breaking pitches project as above-average. His 83-86 mph slider shows more sweep than a true gyro, and his 77-81 mph curveball that he throws for strikes is hard and tight with good shape. Champlain is aggressive on the mound and not afraid to throw his breaking balls when behind in the count. His changeup, which he generally used five or six times per game, is still very much a work in progress. It’s a harder pitch at 87-88 mph that resembles a splitter with more vertical drop. It should be an average offering in time. Champlain’s energetic delivery lends deception, and his arm works well.

The Future: now that he’s using his changeup more often, Champlain more safely profiles as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter or possible high-leverage bullpen arm.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55
BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: Champlain was one of the top high school pitching prospects in California in his senior year but stuck to his strong commitment to Southern California. His three-year career there didn't go as expected but was still drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round in 2021. Champlain didn't pitch that summer, with the Yankees instead working with him to improve his selection of pitches. He got into 16 games at Low-A Tampa, with an impressive 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings and just 2.3 walks per nine. Champlain was part of the package of prospects acquired by the Royals for outfielder Andrew Benintendi and he got into eight games at High-A Quad Cities.

Scouting Report: Champlain has a tall, sturdy pitcher's frame. The extra work that the Yankees did with him after being drafted resulted in a more dynamic fastball, which now averages 93 mph and touches as high as 99 with added riding life through the zone. He's known for the quality of his breaking balls. Both a curveball and slider have above-average spin: the curve is a 79-mph breaker with 12-to-6 shape and the slider checks in a few ticks higher at 82. He also tinkered with a changeup with some sink as an occasional weapon against lefthanded batters, but it's mostly the fastball and breaking balls coming out of his quick-paced, smooth delivery.

The Future: He'll head to Double-A to start 2023. Unless he develops a more useful changeup, Champlain will probably wind up in the bullpen, but with a nice three-pitch mix to thrive in that role.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Curveball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 50

Draft Prospects

Champlain looks the part of a professional pitcher but has yet to put it all together. A draft-eligible sophomore who was taken by the Angels in the 38th round out of high school, Champlain flashes a 93-96 mph fastball, an above-average 12-to-6 breaking ball and an average changeup at his best. His fastball is often straight, however, and his control is below average, resulting in too many walks and hits allowed. He’s allowed 51 hits in 52.1 career innings at USC, with nearly as many walks (33) as strikeouts (38). Champlain has promising raw ingredients but is a strong candidate to return to school. His father, Jay, played football at USC and was a member of the Trojans’ 1978 national championship team.
A strong, 6-foot-5 righthander out of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Champlain is the top prep pitcher in Southern California outside of Cole Winn. The Southern California commit pitches off of a heavy, sinking, low-90s fastball that's been up to 94 mph this spring and he has feel to spin a top-to-bottom curveball that has sharp biting action at times. The shape of the pitch is currently inconsistent for scouts, but he lands the pitch regularly and it comes out of his hand well. There are some concerns with a pronounced head whack in Champlain's delivery and evaluators are mixed on Champlain's athleticism and frame, which he'll need to maintain as he develops, but has trended in the right direction this spring. He hasn't shown a changeup often, but with his fastball and breaking ball he has a chance for a pair of plus pitches in the future.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: Champlain was one of the top high school pitching prospects in California in his senior year but stuck to his strong commitment to Southern California. His three-year career there didn't go as expected but was still drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round in 2021. Champlain didn't pitch that summer, with the Yankees instead working with him to improve his selection of pitches. He got into 16 games at Low-A Tampa, with an impressive 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings and just 2.3 walks per nine. Champlain was part of the package of prospects acquired by the Royals for outfielder Andrew Benintendi and he got into eight games at High-A Quad Cities.

Scouting Report: Champlain has a tall, sturdy pitcher's frame. The extra work that the Yankees did with him after being drafted resulted in a more dynamic fastball, which now averages 93 mph and touches as high as 99 with added riding life through the zone. He's known for the quality of his breaking balls. Both a curveball and slider have above-average spin: the curve is a 79-mph breaker with 12-to-6 shape and the slider checks in a few ticks higher at 82. He also tinkered with a changeup with some sink as an occasional weapon against lefthanded batters, but it's mostly the fastball and breaking balls coming out of his quick-paced, smooth delivery.

The Future: He'll head to Double-A to start 2023. Unless he develops a more useful changeup, Champlain will probably wind up in the bullpen, but with a nice three-pitch mix to thrive in that role.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Curveball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 50
BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: Champlain was one of the top high school pitching prospects in California in his senior year but stuck to his strong commitment to Southern California. His three-year career there didn't go as expected but was still drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round in 2021. Champlain didn't pitch that summer, with the Yankees instead working with him to improve his selection of pitches. He got into 16 games at Low-A Tampa, with an impressive 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings and just 2.3 walks per nine. Champlain was part of the package of prospects acquired by the Royals for outfielder Andrew Benintendi and he got into eight games at High-A Quad Cities.

Scouting Report: Champlain has a tall, sturdy pitcher's frame. The extra work that the Yankees did with him after being drafted resulted in a more dynamic fastball, which now averages 93 mph and touches as high as 99 with added riding life through the zone. He's known for the quality of his breaking balls. Both a curveball and slider have above-average spin: the curve is a 79-mph breaker with 12-to-6 shape and the slider checks in a few ticks higher at 82. He also tinkered with a changeup with some sink as an occasional weapon against lefthanded batters, but it's mostly the fastball and breaking balls coming out of his quick-paced, smooth delivery.

The Future: He'll head to Double-A to start 2023. Unless he develops a more useful changeup, Champlain will probably wind up in the bullpen, but with a nice three-pitch mix to thrive in that role.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Curveball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 50

Career Transactions

RHP Chandler Champlain assigned to Omaha Storm Chasers from Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals activated RHP Chandler Champlain.
RHP Chandler Champlain assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Quad Cities River Bandits.
RHP Chandler Champlain assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Quad Cities River Bandits.