Alex Scherff

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #26 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Scherff, the 2017 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in Texas, got off to a dreadful start at low Class A Greenville in 2018 while attempting to make some delivery adjustments. But after forging a 9.35 ERA with more walks than strikeouts through four starts, he recovered to post a 3.25 ERA with 7.3 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine the rest of the way while showing improved stuff and command. He missed two months in the middle of the year with an intercostal strain.
  
  Scouting Report: Once Scherff restored his mechanics, he frequently worked at 93-95 mph on his fastball with a good feel for a solid changeup that misses barrels. His fastball lacks deception, but he should have the velocity and command to compensate. His third pitch is a work in progress. In high school he threw a curveball, but he worked during instructional league to shift to a slider, and it’s possible that he’ll refine that to more of a cutter.
  
  The Future: If Scherff finds an average or better third pitch, he has the makings of a starter. If not, his future is in the bullpen. His spring training performance will determine whether he opens 2019 at high Class A Salem or back in Greenville.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #9 prospect in 2018
  A few years ago, Scherff was one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the sophomore class as he could already get to 92-93 mph. But Scherff admits he wasn't mature enough to yet understand the work involved in keeping that velocity. He gained weight as the summer wore on and he wore down, losing 5-6 mph off his fastball. Scherff learned from the experience, upper his workout regime, dropped 40 pounds of bad weight, regained his velocity and turned himself into one of the better arms in the 2017 draft class. Scherff claimed Gatorade Texas player of the year honors in 2017 after going 8-0, 0.44 and striking out 89 in 48 innings as a senior at Colleyville (Texas) Heritage. His performance made him a consideration for the Red Sox with their first-round pick. While signability concerns pushed him into the fifth round, he passed on a scholarship at Texas A&M to sign for $700,000. He didn't pitch after signing, but the Red Sox said that he was healthy but with a heavy spring workload they kept him out of any official outings. Scherff, a former linebacker in football, has a number of delivery traits--size, strength, athleticism, repeatability--that suggest starter potential, and his command of a low- to mid-90s fastball that tops out around 97 mph is unusual for a high school pitcher. He shows some late fade on his changeup, which could become a swing-and-miss weapon. His curveball is inconsistent but flashes the potential to be a decent third pitch. That arsenal gives Scherff a chance to start, though his ability to generate tremendous arm speed from a relatively upright/low-extension delivery might eventually push him to the bullpen. Scherff will have an opportunity to open at low Class A Greenville in 2018. If he solidifies a three-pitch mix anchored by an elite fastball, he has the ceiling of a No. 3 starter, though it's also easy to imagine him complementing his fastball with one swing-and-miss secondary option as a reliever, with a fallback option of two-pitch, late-game reliever.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #59 prospect in 2017 draft
  Scherff has one of the best arms in the 2017 draft class, something that was apparent last summer when he regularly reached 95-plus in showcase outings. Scherff has one of the class' best fastballs and one of the best changeups, a plus pitch that he already throws with deception and conviction. His control wavers at times, but generally this spring he's shown an ability to throw strikes, leading scouts to believe he'll eventually have at least average control. He's working on improving his breaking ball, though it often gets caught in between a slider and a curve. This spring, he's dominated for Colleyville (Texas) Heritage High. At one point he had five perfect innings in one outing followed by five no-hit innings in his next, striking out 27 of 30 batters. Scheff's age is a ding against his draft status as he's one of the older high school players in the class; he turned 19 in February. If he decides to attend Texas A&M he will be draft eligible again as a sophomore.

• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Scherff claimed Gatorade Texas player of the year honors in 2017 after going 8-0, 0.44 and striking out 89 in 48 innings as a senior. His performance made him a consideration for the Red Sox with their first-round pick. While signability concerns pushed him into the fifth round, he passed on a scholarship at Texas A&M to sign for $700,000. Scouting Report: Scherff, a former linebacker in football, has a number of delivery traits--size, strength, athleticism, repeatability--that suggest starter potential, and his command of a low- to mid-90s fastball that tops out around 97 mph is unusual for a high school pitcher. He shows some late fade on his changeup, which could become a swing-and-miss weapon. His curveball is inconsistent but flashes the potential to be a decent third pitch. That arsenal gives Scherff a chance to start, though his ability to generate tremendous arm speed from a relatively upright/low-extension delivery might eventually push him to the bullpen. The Future: Scherff will have an opportunity to open at low Class A Greenville in 2018. If he solidifies a three-pitch mix he has the ceiling of a No. 3 starter, with a fallback option of two-pitch, late-game reliever.