Keynan Middleton

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #9 prospect in 2017
  The former basketball star struggled to translate his athleticism into production as a starter, and the Angels moved him to the bullpen at high Class A Inland Empire in 2016 and told him to stop overthinking and just throw the ball. He took to the relief role quickly, shooting up the system and finishing 2016 at Triple-A Salt Lake. Middleton's lively fastball jumped a few ticks in relief and now sits in the upper 90s and touches triple digits. He pitched off his heater with a low-90s wipeout slider to generate a lot of strikeouts and weak contacts and showed an occasional below-average mid-80s changeup. With improved stuff and a better plan of attack to the mound, Middleton averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings and significantly cut his walk rate in the second half. His high-three-quarters arm slot can be a little stiff, and his delivery features some effort, but both work well enough in a relief role. The Angels added Middleton to the 40-man roster to shield him from the Rule 5 draft. With his big step forward in 2016, he will go to spring training in 2017 with a shot at earning a role in the Angels' bullpen
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #30 prospect in 2015
  The Angels knew when they drafted Middleton in the third round in 2013 that he would be a longterm project. He was more of a basketball player in junior college, but instead he decided to pursue a career on the mound. He's very athletic but never really focused on baseball until turning pro. Middleton is still very inconsistent with his delivery but showed improvement in 2014 in a return trip to Rookie-level Orem. He struggles to repeat his high-three-quarter delivery, and he doesn't always have the same delivery from the windup and stretch positions. His fastball ranges from 92-95 mph, and he's starting to show more consistency with the 82-83 hard curveball. His changeup, which he'll need to develop to remain in the rotation, is still a work in progress. Middleton was at his best in two outings during the Pioneer League playoffs, when he didn't give up an earned run in a combined seven innings, striking out 11 batters. The Angels will hope that he can ride that momentum into his first full-season assignment in 2015.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #26 prospect in 2014
  If Middleton was looking for immediate success, he would have stuck with basketball. On the court, the shooting guard averaged 11 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for Lane (Ore.) CC as a freshman, and he had mid-major NCAA Division I interest if he had focused on hoops. But Middleton focused on the long game, opting to sign with the Angels as a third-round pick in 2013. He's a better pro prospect as a pitcher, but he's also much further away from the big leagues because he's extremely raw, and he will likely need several years to iron out delivery issues. Middleton has excellent athleticism and a clean arm stroke, but he can't come close to repeating his delivery yet, as he'll throw one pitch from a crossfire delivery and follow it by opening up too soon. His fastball will vary from 88-95 mph as a result. He throws a fringy slider that sometimes turns into more of a curveball, but he's shown some ability to spin a breaking ball. His changeup, like everything else, needs lots of work. Middleton has plenty of potential to go with an athletic 6-foot-2 frame that should handle plenty of innings, but for now, he's got to accept that there will be lots of growing pains along the way. He'll be trying to pitch his way to low Class A Burlington in 2014.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #319 prospect in 2013 draft
  An Oregon native, Middleton wound up at Lane because it was one of the few schools who recruited him to play both basketball and baseball. At 6-foot-3 and 210-pounds, he is a live-bodied athlete who also plays shooting guard. While he's good enough on the court to merit mid-major Division I interest, he has much more pro potential on the mound. Middleton's athleticism and upside intrigued scouts this spring and was pushing him up draft boards late, even though he is raw on the mound because he has never focused on baseball and hasn't received much quality coaching until this year. Coming straight off the basketball court this spring, Middleton threw his fastball in the 90-91 mph range, but topped out at 95. He throws a slider and a curveball. The former is a better pitch with tight rotation at 82-83 mph. He can get poor hitters to chase his curveball, but can't yet command it for strikes. Middleton has a changeup, but doesn't use it much in college.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The former basketball star struggled to translate his athleticism into production as a starter, and the Angels moved him to the bullpen at high Class A Inland Empire in 2016 and told him to stop overthinking and just throw the ball. He took to the relief role quickly, shooting up the system and finishing 2016 at Triple-A Salt Lake. Scouting Report: Middleton's lively fastball jumped a few ticks in relief and now sits in the upper-90s and touches triple digits. He pitched off his heater with a low-90s wipeout slider to generate a lot of strikeouts and weak contacts, and showed an occasional below-average mid-80s changeup. With improved stuff and a better plan of attack to the mound, Middleton averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings and significantly cut his walk rate in the second half. His high-three-quarters arm slot can be a little stiff, and his delivery features some effort, but both work well enough in a relief role.
  
  The Future: Middleton will need to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being exposed to the Rule 5 draft. With his big step forward this year, the Angels will certainly be keeping him around. He'll go to spring training with a shot at earning a role in the Angels' bullpen