Shane Drohan

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #28 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: Drohan entered Florida State relatively inexperienced thanks to a high school career that also included two seasons of football. He was athletic and had room to project more strength, leading the Red Sox to draft him in the fourth round in 2020. His stock jumped in 2023 after he added a cutter in the offseason, and he reached Triple-A Worcester early in the season. Drohan struggled with the automated ball-strike system in use in the International League, and his stuff ticked down as the season continued. The White Sox selected him in the Rule 5 draft.
  
  Scouting Report: Drohan has steadily developed his repertoire in pro ball, starting as a fastball/curveball pitcher in 2021 before developing an above-average changeup in 2022 and adding a cutter in 2023 that helped him attack both sides of the plate. He also gained strength with the help of a diet that included two steaks per day, and the result was more velocity across the board and a more repeatable delivery. Faced with the ABS strike zone in Worcester, Drohan nibbled and saw his walk rate soar from 7% in Double-A to 15% in Triple-A, and International League hitters crushed him--especially his fastball and cutter--for 1.9 homers per nine innings.
  
  The Future: Drohan will get a chance to stick on the White Sox’s roster, perhaps as a swingman or a No. 5 starter.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Cutter: 45 | Control: 45

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #189 prospect in 2020 draft
  Drohan ranked as the No. 106 draft prospect out of high school in the 2017 draft class, when he showed advanced secondaries, and a fastball that showed future average potential. After pitching just 4.1 innings as a freshman with Florida State, Drohan settled into a starting role during his sophomore season, posting a 3.66 ERA in 51.2 innings with a good strikeout rate (12.4 per nine) but poor control (8.4 walks per nine). Listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Drohan has a skinny frame and a loose, easy arm action with a three-quarter slot and quick tempo. His fastball sits in the 90-93 mph range with some natural sinking life, and he pairs it with an 80-84 mph changeup that mimics the same motion. Drohan also throws a 77-80 mph curveball with 1-to-7 shape that is effective against lefthanders when located down and away. While Drohan improved his control from 2019 through his first four games in 2020, he still walked more than five batters per nine and the inconsistency of his strikes led many scouts to think he’s better suited for a reliever role at the next level. His stuff doesn’t have the explosion or plus potential that back-end relievers all have in the big league game, limiting his upside in that role if starting doesn’t work out. He still has a solid three-pitch mix with some athleticism and projection remaining, giving him a chance to take another step forward in pro ball.
• Ranked #106 prospect in 2017 draft
  Drohan won't light up a radar gun, but he's got a variety of weapons to attack hitters with. He's a quality strikethrower and gets downward angle and tunneling action on his fastball, which works mostly at 87-90 before tapering off later in games. Drohan added significant strength and muscle to his frame in the fall and winter, and he still has a bit more room to fill in his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame. That, coupled with his loose arm action, leads evaluators to project his fastball to get just a bit firmer. If that happens, Drohan's excellent secondary stuff could allow him to develop into a starter. He has the makings of a plus curveball. When Drohan is on top of the pitch, which is thrown in the upper 70s, it can show plus bite and late horizontal snapping action. His low-to-mid-80s changeup also earns above-average projections from scouts. Drohan is committed to Florida State, but teams value him in the third-to-fifth round range if he's signable at that point of the draft.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 draft by Boston, Drohan had been drafted once before as a highly regarded high school prospect by the Phillies in the 23rd round of the 2017 draft. Drohan instead honored his commitment to Florida State, where he cracked the rotation in 2019, before starting all four weekends of the pandemic-shortened 2020 college season. The lefthander made 23 starts for Salem in 2021, compiling a 7-4 record with a 3.96 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 88.2 innings. Drohan did struggle with command as he walked 11.7% of batters he faced. Scouting Report: Drohan has a three-pitch mix led by a low-90s fastball that sits 89-91 mph, touching 93 mph at peak. Despite a lack of power on his four-seamer he shows the ability to backspin the pitch from a tilt that creates both ride and run. He plays his vertical break well off of his changeup, a low-80s offering with 10-plus mph of velocity separation and late bite. His curveball is his third pitch but an essential part of his arsenal, sitting 74-77 mph with two-plane break and spin rates in the 2,600-2,700 rpm range. Drohan&#39s ability to throw any of his three pitches in any count to either handedness for a strike has led to improved success this season. Drohan has cut his walk rate and improved his strikeout rate despite the jump in level year over year. The Future: With advanced feel for his three-pitch mix and some projection remaining in his slender and athletic frame, Drohan has back-of-the-rotation upside if he can continue to fool hitters with sequencing and pitch shapes.