Stefan Crichton

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #27 prospect in 2017
  Crichton worked mostly as a starter as a Texas Christian sophomore and then mostly out of the bullpen, throwing 41 innings, his junior season in 2013. The Orioles made him a 23rd-round pick and kept him working predominately in relief as a pro. Crichton reached Double-A Bowie in 2016 and then ventured to the Arizona Fall League to audition for a 40-man roster spot. He allowed 10 runs in 13 AFL appearances, so Baltimore elected to leave him exposed to the Rule 5 draft. Crichton has a live, easy arm with a fastball that sits 93-95 mph and touches 97 with some armside run and sink. It's an easy plus pitch out of his strong, powerful frame, but his lack of a consistent secondary pitch has proven problematic. Crichton made progress with his slider in 2016 and commanded it better once he began to really believe in his stuff. Some scouts think he needs a changeup to keep hitters off his fastball. Crichton needs to improve his slider so opponents can't just sit on his fastball. If he does, he could fill a middle-relief role in the big leagues or even become a high-leverage arm.