Braden Shipley Stats & Scouting Report

IP	100
ERA	5.49
WHIP	1.6
BB/9	4.05
SO/9	5.76

Full name Braden Alec Shipley
Born 02/22/1992 in Medford, OR
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Nevada - Reno
Debut 07/25/2016
Drafted in the 1st round (15th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 (signed for $2,250,000).

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While Nevada has produced big leaguers, the school has never had a first-round pick. That will change this year, as Shipley emerged as one of the draft's biggest risers. Shipley was a two-way player in high school in Oregon and was recruited as a shortstop, but his arm was so good that the coaching staff gave him a shot on the mound during his sophomore year. Then he leaped up draft boards after being named the No. 1 prospect in the Alaska League last summer. Shipley's fastball sits in the 93-95 mph range and gets as high as 98, and he already has feel for one of the draft's best changeups. He doesn't use his curveball much, but has a feel for spin, too. His breaking ball is a hard, downer pitch in the upper 70s, and he has experimented with a cutter. Shipley is a good athlete and makes difficult defensive plays on the mound look routine. Athleticism runs in his family, and his cousin Jordan Shipley was a wide receiver for the Bengals, Buccaneers and Jaguars. Shipley also pitches with a mean streak on the mound and is fearless when it comes to challenging hitters and owning the inner half of the plate.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

For the first time as a pro, Shipley's inexperience seemed to hinder him. He became the first-ever first-round pick from the University of Nevada when the Diamondbacks selected him 15th overall. The former college shortstop spent the entire 2015 season at Double-A Mobile, taking the ball every fifth start but struggling with mechanical issues and the consistency of his breaking ball in the first half. Still, he ranked among the Southern League leaders with a 3.50 ERA and 157 innings, and he improved significantly in the second half, recording a 2.66 ERA in 85 innings with a walk rate of 2.0 per nine innings. Shipley functions as a fifth infielder on the mound thanks to his plus athleticism and shortstop background. Even during his earlyseason struggles, he maintained his arm speed and kept his fastball in the 93-96 mph range with plus life. Shipley gets good downhill angle on his pitches, with a plus hammer curveball up to 84 mph coming out of the same slot as his fastball with big, late break. Both pitches are tough for batters to identify. Equally effective is a changeup from 83-85 mph that he can throw in any count. Shipley got back on track later in the season and should be ready to tackle Triple-A Reno in 2016. He projects as a quality No. 3 starter in the big leagues.
The Diamondbacks eagerly called Shipley's name when it was time to make the 15th overall pick in 2013, as he'd been rumored to go in the top 10. Primarily a shortstop as a freshman at Nevada, Shipley's arm was too good to keep him off the mound in his next two seasons. After finishing his debut season at low Class A South Bend in 2013, Shipley returned there to start 2014 and pitched at three levels and finished at Double-A Mobile. He ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Midwest League and No. 4 in the California League. Shipley functions as a fifth infielder on the mound thanks to his plus athleticism and shortstop background. His fastball is a plus pitch in the mid-90s with late life and armside sink. His equalizer pitch is a high-80s changeup that he can throw in any count, coming out of the same release point as his fastball and getting early-contact outs for him. His 12-to-6 curveball is a power pitch with bite that dives hard to the bottom of the zone. It improved in 2014, with a cleaner release. Shipley's clean delivery projects to give him plus command. He's a fierce competitor with a strong desire to improve. Shipley projects as at least a No. 3 starter. After getting a brief taste of Double-A at the end of 2014, he'll return there with a promotion to Triple-A Reno at some point in 2015.
A potential top 10 selection in the 2013 draft, Shipley fell to the Diamondbacks at No. 15, and Arizona didn't hesitate to call his name. He signed soon after the draft for $2.25 million. Primarily a shortstop as a college freshman, Shipley's arm was too good to keep off the mound, and he thrived in his last two seasons to leap up draft boards. Shipley stands out for his athleticism, and he functions as a fifth infielder on the mound. His three pitches all could be plus offerings in time, and he pitches with confidence. His fastball ranges from 94-96 mph, and he has a good feel for an outstanding, late-tumbling changeup, his best secondary pitch, which he delivers with good arm speed. Shipley's hard curveball was already a good pitch and looked even better during instructional league action. His high three-quarters delivery is clean and repeatable. A tough competitor who has a resilient arm, Shipley was capable of going deep into games with Nevada. Despite his relatively short pitching r?sum?, Shipley has an advanced feel for pitching and profiles as a No. 3 starter. Shipley pitched effectively as low Class A South Bend advanced to the Midwest League finals, and he should head to high Class A Visalia in 2014.

Draft Prospects

While Nevada has produced big leaguers, the school has never had a first-round pick. That will change this year, as Shipley emerged as one of the draft's biggest risers. Shipley was a two-way player in high school in Oregon and was recruited as a shortstop, but his arm was so good that the coaching staff gave him a shot on the mound during his sophomore year. Then he leaped up draft boards after being named the No. 1 prospect in the Alaska League last summer. Shipley's fastball sits in the 93-95 mph range and gets as high as 98, and he already has feel for one of the draft's best changeups. He doesn't use his curveball much, but has a feel for spin, too. His breaking ball is a hard, downer pitch in the upper 70s, and he has experimented with a cutter. Shipley is a good athlete and makes difficult defensive plays on the mound look routine. Athleticism runs in his family, and his cousin Jordan Shipley was a wide receiver for the Bengals, Buccaneers and Jaguars. Shipley also pitches with a mean streak on the mound and is fearless when it comes to challenging hitters and owning the inner half of the plate.

Minor League Top Prospects

Shipley made a 10-start stopover at Visalia in June and July before finishing his first full season in Double-A. The former Nevada ace recorded seven quality starts during his brief stint, his ERA blown up by one nightmarish outing in which he gave up eight earned runs, and he had more strikeouts than any pitcher in the Cal League during his time there. Shipley got better as the season went along, showing three average to plus pitches. His fastball works in the low 90s, topping out at 95 mph, with some armside sink. His changeup has similar action and was a valuable weapon for him in the Cal League, helping him get quick outs and limit lefty batters to a .219 average. He also made progress with his power curveball, getting it to look more like a fastball out of his hand--it tended to pop up a little bit in the past--before taking a hard dive to the bottom of the zone. An infielder early in his college career, Shipley shows extreme athleticism on the mound. He also earned plaudits for his competitiveness, even on the nights he wasn't at his best.
Shipley teamed with Aaron Blair to front an impressive South Bend rotation to begin the year, and both righthanders quickly moved up to high Class A Visalia and eventually Double-A Mobile. Blair didn't throw enough innings at South Bend to qualify for the list, while Shipley barely cleared the hurdle. Shipley's 92-94 mph fastball was good enough to handcuff MWL hitters, but he also showed a willingness to throw his curveball and changeup in tough counts. His power curve has improved as a pro. It used to have a hump when he released it, but now it's a tighter pitch that comes out of his hand with a similar trajectory as his fastball before diving toward the dirt.

Top 100 Rankings

Career Transactions

RHP Braden Shipley assigned to Arkansas Travelers.
Texas Rangers signed free agent RHP Braden Shipley to a minor league contract.
Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Braden Shipley to a minor league contract.
RHP Braden Shipley assigned to ACL Mariners.