Adam Plutko Stats & Scouting Report

IP	60
ERA	4.35
WHIP	1.1
BB/9	2.1
SO/9	7.35

Full name Adam Gregory Plutko
Born 10/03/1991 in Upland, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School UCLA
Debut 09/24/2016
Drafted in the 11th round (321st overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2013 (signed for $300,000).

View Draft Report

Plutko flashed 93 mph heat in high school and ranked as BA's No. 131 prospect for the 2010 draft. The Astros drafted him in the sixth round, but he headed to UCLA, where he has been one of college baseball's most reliable pitchers for three years. He went 7-4, 2.01 as the Sunday starter behind Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer as a freshman, then went 12-3, 2.48 to lead the Bruins to Omaha as a sophomore. He was 7-2, 2.68 with 65 strikeouts and 22 walks in 84 innings this spring. A consummate winner with toughness, Plutko succeeds without overpowering stuff. A flyball pitcher, he likes to work up in the zone with his 87-91 mph four-seam fastball, which plays up a bit because he hides the ball well in his start/stop delivery. He attacks the strike zone with all four of his pitches, and he has a plus secondary offering in his changeup, which he'll throw to righties as well as lefties. His slider and curveball have distinct looks. He uses the slider more often, and it rates as a fringe-average pitch, while the curveball is below-average. Plutko's feel for pitching, command and competitiveness could help him get drafted in the top five rounds despite his limited ceiling.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Plutko pitched behind Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer in the UCLA rotation as a freshman, and he eventually succeeded them as the team's ace. He led the Bruins to the 2013 national championship and was named Most Outstanding Player in the College World Series. Plutko made a quick transition to pro ball and reached the major leagues in 2016, where he reunited with Bauer on the Indians' staff. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, succeeding instead with plus control and baseball IQ. Plutko's fastball sits around 90 mph but he can run it up to 94. Even with fringe-average velocity, Plutko's fastball plays up thanks to his ability to throw it for strikes to both sides of the plate. His changeup is his best offspeed offering, and his slider is the better of his two breaking balls. He does a good job of pitch sequencing and understands how to get the most out of his stuff. Plutko can't match the upside of the organization's top pitchers, but his approach gives him a chance to be successful in the big leagues. He will serve as rotation depth at Triple-A Columbus in 2017, in case a need arises in Cleveland.
Plutko pitched behind Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer in the UCLA rotation as a freshman, and eventually succeeded them as the team's ace. He led the Bruins to the 2013 national championship and was named Most Outstanding Player in the College World Series. Plutko has made an easy transition to pro ball, leading all qualified Indians minor leaguers in 2015 in ERA (2.39) and WHIP (0.93). He doesn't have overpowering stuff, succeeding instead thanks to his plus control and baseball IQ. His fastball sits around 90 mph, though he showed more velocity at Double-A Akron, getting up to 94. Even at average velocity, Plutko's fastball plays up thanks to his ability to throw it for strikes to both sides of the plate. His changeup is his best offspeed offering and his slider is the better of his two breaking balls. He does a good job of pitch sequencing and understands how to get the most out of his stuff. Plutko can't match the upside of the organization's top pitchers, but there are few doubts that he will pitch in the big leagues. He could again find himself in the same rotation as Bauer as soon as 2016.
Plutko will live forever in UCLA lore as the ace of the Bruins' national championship team in 2013. He had gone to college after turning down the Astros as a sixth-round pick out of high school and parlayed his success into an 11th-round selection and well-over-slot $300,000 bonus from the Indians in 2013. Plutko's biggest assets remain his pitchability and ability to command the ball, which shows flashes of being elite. As was the case in college, he remains very fly ball-oriented, although his fastball has picked up some velocity, sitting in the 88-92 mph range and touching 93-94. His changeup has the best chance of any of his offerings to be a true plus pitch, while he can mix in a short slider and a bigger curveball well. The Indians liked that Plutko pitched more assertively last season, while his mechanics were already clean and easy and required no real alterations. Plutko could start 2015 back in high Class A although Double-A should come calling if things go well.
Plutko stepped out of the shadows of Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer to lead the UCLA program to even greater heights than did the two more ballyhooed top-three picks. Taking over as the Bruins' No. 1 starter in 2012, Plutko established himself as a dominant big-game pitcher while helping UCLA to its first national championship in 2013. Shortly after being named Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series, Plutko collected a $300,000 bonus from the Indians, the fourth-largest in Cleveland's draft class. He had already thrown 124 innings during the college season, so the Indians chose to shut him down after signing him. Plutko gets by without plus velocity, but he offers four average pitches and the moxie to get his stuff to play up. He works at 87-91 mph, though the Indians do think he could add some velocity once he gets on a professional throwing program. His changeup gets the highest marks of his three secondary pitches, which also include a curveball and slider. He doesn't rely on any one pitch though. He has superb command, an intelligent pitching mind and a repeatable delivery. Plutko's stuff may not make him more than a No. 4 starter at the major league level, but he has a good chance to move through the system quickly.

Draft Prospects

Plutko flashed 93 mph heat in high school and ranked as BA's No. 131 prospect for the 2010 draft. The Astros drafted him in the sixth round, but he headed to UCLA, where he has been one of college baseball's most reliable pitchers for three years. He went 7-4, 2.01 as the Sunday starter behind Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer as a freshman, then went 12-3, 2.48 to lead the Bruins to Omaha as a sophomore. He was 7-2, 2.68 with 65 strikeouts and 22 walks in 84 innings this spring. A consummate winner with toughness, Plutko succeeds without overpowering stuff. A flyball pitcher, he likes to work up in the zone with his 87-91 mph four-seam fastball, which plays up a bit because he hides the ball well in his start/stop delivery. He attacks the strike zone with all four of his pitches, and he has a plus secondary offering in his changeup, which he'll throw to righties as well as lefties. His slider and curveball have distinct looks. He uses the slider more often, and it rates as a fringe-average pitch, while the curveball is below-average. Plutko's feel for pitching, command and competitiveness could help him get drafted in the top five rounds despite his limited ceiling.

Minor League Top Prospects

Beyond anything he does on the mound, Plutko draws raves for what he does beforehand. The UCLA product is a student of the game who studies hitters and takes notes on their tendencies to use later in the season. Plutko attacks hitters with a standard mix of four pitches, none of which grades as plus. Each, however, has a chance to be at least average. His fastball sits in the low 90s with hints of 93 mph every so often. His best secondary pitch is matter of personal preference. Some prefer his curveball, an average pitch in the low 70s. Others like his small slider, thrown in the low 80s. Still others prefer his changeup, thrown with good feel in the same velocity range as his slider. Plutko's command and pitchability bring the package together and could make the difference between him becoming a back-end starter or something more.

Career Transactions

St. Paul Saints transferred RHP Adam Plutko to the Development List.
St. Paul Saints placed RHP Adam Plutko on the 7-day injured list. Right forearm strain.
St. Paul Saints activated RHP Adam Plutko.
RHP Adam Plutko assigned to St. Paul Saints from FCL Twins.
RHP Adam Plutko assigned to FCL Twins.
Minnesota Twins signed free agent RHP Adam Plutko to a minor league contract.