Jacob Rhame

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Mets #23 prospect in 2018
  Though Rhame worked as a starter in junior college when the Dodgers drafted him in 2013, he had only one reliable pitch--a fastball--so Los Angeles developed him exclusively as a reliever. He first reached Triple-A in 2016 and remained there through most of 2017. The Dodgers traded him to the Mets for outfielder Curtis Granderson in late August, and he made his big league debut as a September callup. Rhame pitches at 95 mph and tops out at 97 with late-riding life and high spin on a fastball that he uses to generate swings and misses at the top of the zone. The Mets saw improvement in the quality of his changeup in 2017. The pitch shows good fade to his arm side and good separation from his fastball--about 12 mph on average. He throws a mid-80s slider for early-count strikes, but it hasn't shown the necessary bite to be a true out pitch. The Mets acquired Rhame to address their velocity-deficient bullpen, and pumping mid-90s fastballs is exactly what he'll be given a chance to do in 2018.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #31 prospect in 2017
  Rhame's fastball reached 95 mph when he signed with the Dodgers in 2013 as a sixth-round pick. His velocity had helped him strike out 10.0 batters per nine innings out of the Triple-A Oklahoma City bullpen in 2016. Rhame sits in the mid-90s and can reach 99 mph. With his fastball combining big velocity, late riding life and high spin, Rhame is able to get hitters to swing through his fastball in the strike zone. He has overhauled his arm action since signing, shortening his arm stroke to help him stay healthy and add deception, though he needs to improve his fastball command. Rhame has long searched for a reliable secondary pitch, but that has never come to fruition. He tried a changeup and a splitter with little success, so his best option is a slider, which is fringy at best. If the breaking ball is workable enough and hee improves his fastball command, there's a chance for Rhame to carve out a role in middle relief.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #20 prospect in 2016
  When the Dodgers signed Rhame for $300,000 as a sixth-round pick in 2013, his fastball sat 88-93 mph and touched 95. The next season, by the end of the year, he added a few ticks and began to dominate hitters. That carried over to 2015 when Rhame jumped to Double-A Tulsa and threw 95-99 mph with his four-seam fastball. Beyond pure velocity, his fastball has deception and good life, which makes it a swing-and-miss pitch. Rhame has averaged more than a strikeout per inning every season, even though he lacks a reliable second pitch. He didn't have much feel for a changeup, so he toyed with a splitter in 2015, but that experiment didn't work. His best offspeed pitch is a fringy slider, which can be a quick, sharp pitch with short break, but it isn't a true out pitch. Rhame is a solid strike-thrower who could develop into a middle reliever if he can develop a legitimate second pitch, which will be a focal point in 2016 when he either returns to Tulsa or moves up to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #23 prospect in 2015
  Rhame signed with the Dodgers for $300,000 as a 2013 sixth-rounder, when he sat 88-93 mph and touched 95. That's the range he started throwing in 2014, but as the year progressed he began bumping mid- to upper-90s heat, topping out at 100 mph. Rhame has a low-90s two-seamer he tends to rely on too much, but he's at his best when he's pumping his four-seamer in the 95-100 mph range. He introduced a hard, upper-80s slider into his mix and it flashes average, with an occasional changeup as well. He tweaked his arm action in 2014, going from a long, wrappy path with a wiggle and transitioning to a cleaner arm circle before exploding out front, and he's now one of the best strike-throwers in the organization. Rhame could move quickly, with a chance to pitch high-leverage relief innings within a few years.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #172 prospect in 2013 draft
  Rhame pitched just 10 innings at Oklahoma as a freshman in 2012, prompting his transfer to Grayson County, where he was the best prospect on a team that advanced to the final round of NJCAA regional play. He lives mainly off his fastball, dealing at 91-93 mph with a peak of 95 and good sink. His secondary pitches aren't as impressive, with his changeup ranking ahead of his curveball, but he does throw strikes with all of his offerings. His ability to refine his changeup and curveball ultimately will determine whether he remains a starter or becomes a reliever in pro ball. His 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame is built for durability. If he doesn't turn pro this summer, he'll continue his college career at Texas State.

• December, 2015 Scouting Report
  When the Dodgers signed Rhame for $300,000 as a sixth-round pick in 2013, his fastball sat 88-93 mph and touched 95. The next season, by the end of the year, he added a few ticks and began to dominate hitters. That carried over to 2015 when Rhame jumped to Double-A Tulsa and threw 95-99 mph with his four-seam fastball. Beyond pure velocity, his fastball has deception and good life, which makes it a swing-and-miss pitch. Rhame has averaged more than a strikeout per inning every season, even though he lacks a reliable second pitch. He didn't have much feel for a changeup, so he toyed with a splitter in 2015, but that experiment didn't work. His best offspeed pitch is a fringy slider, which can be a quick, sharp pitch with short break, but it isn't a true out pitch. Rhame is a solid strike-thrower who could develop into a middle reliever if he can develop a legitimate second pitch, which will be a focal point in 2016 when he either returns to Tulsa or moves up to Triple-A Oklahoma City.