Clint Everts Stats & Scouting Report

IP	803
ERA	4.169
WHIP	1.482
BB/9	4.707
SO/9	8.843

Full name Clinton Charles Everts
Born 08/10/1984 in Houston, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: S / Throws: R
School Cypress Falls
Drafted in the 1st round (5th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2002 (signed for $2,500,000).

View Draft Report

Kazmir and Everts should become the fourth pair of high school teammates to be selected in the first round of the same draft. With his switch-hitting ability, plus speed and stellar defensive play, Everts might be the second-best shortstop in the nation after Virginia high schooler B.J. Upton. Yet he'll almost certainly be taken as a pitcher, and one scouting director with an early pick says Everts could be the best arm to come out of the draft. He can't match the quality of Kazmir's stuff, but Kazmir can't equal Everts' projectability or the ease with which he throws. Everts is just 17 and could get much stronger as he adds to his 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame. His curveball is the best among high school pitchers, and he has a 91-94 mph fastball and above-average changeup. Scouts dream about pitchers with his kind of quick arm action. "He's the sleeper of the whole draft," one scouting director said. "He's going to make someone very happy."

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

A two-way star in high school who signed for a $2.5 million bonus after being drafed fifth overall in 2002, Everts was the top prospect in the system in 2003 and 2004 before having Tommy John surgery in September 2004. He returned earlier than expected in 2005, taking the mound in late June, and it now looks like he returned too early. Everts is still trying to regain the low-90s fastball he showed prior to his injury. He worked mostly in the mid-80s in a rough 2006 season in high Class A. His changeup and curveball, which have previously rated as plus-plus offerings, still have good movement, but he struggled to command the curveball as well as he once did. Everts fell into a number of bad habits right before his surgery when he was favoring his arm. He spent 2006 almost having to relearn his rhythm and hip loads, and he had trouble finding a consistent release point. The Nationals planned to send Everts to the same long-toss program in Southern California this winter that Joel Zumaya once attended, with the hope he can regain some arm strength. If that plan works, he still has the terrific secondary stuff to be a frontline starter. But first, he'll have to conquer high Class A in 2007.
The system's No. 1 prospect in 2003 and 2004, Everts was derailed by Tommy John surgery in September 2004. During his layoff, he grew a couple of inches and added 10-15 pounds of muscle. He came back ahead of schedule, returning to the mound in late June. Everts has a changeup that rates as a current 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, and his curveball is also well above average, though for the most part he was only allowed to throw it in bullpen sessions. In order to build his arm strength back up, the Nationals made Everts throw almost exclusively fastballs, which topped out around 87 mph, and capped his outings at 50 pitches. The key for Everts will be continuing to regain his arm strength and improve his fastball command. He needs to be forced to throw a fastball-heavy diet and hope his heater regains its previous low-90s velocity. He also must develop better conditioning and work habits, as well as learn how to pitch inside. With two plus-plus offspeed pitches, Everts can still be a frontline starter if his velocity returns. He'll start 2006 at Potomac.
The No. 1 prospect in the system in 2003 and 2004, Everts still has the highest ceiling of any player in the organization. But his velocity dropped to 84-88 mph last season before it turned out he blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. He'll miss all of 2005. Without a good fastball, Everts still posted excellent numbers and earned a berth in the Futures Game, played in his hometown of Houston, by relying heavily upon his curveball and changeup, which are both plus-plus pitches. He worked at 88-92 mph and touched 94 with his fastball before his elbow problems. His command and feel for pitching make his stuff that much tougher. Everts looked like a sure thing before he got hurt. Though the track record for comebacks from Tommy John surgery is good, he still has a long road ahead. He can focus on adding strength to his lean upper body during his rehabilitation. If he can regain his health, Everts still can develop into a frontline starter. The plan is for him to be throwing by the end of 2005 and to take the mound again in 2006.
The fifth overall selection in 2002, Everts was an outstanding two-way player at Cypress Falls High in Houston. He and Scott Kazmir (Mets) became the first pair of pitchers from the same high school to go in the same first round, and Everts could have gone in the top three rounds purely as a shortstop. But teams focused on him as a pitcher because he had the best curveball in the draft, not to mention age, command and a feel for pitching that all worked in his favor. He signed too late to play in 2002 and spent the fall at Baylor, where he took accounting classes and worked out with the baseball team. Everts had a brief stint in big league camp last spring before heading to extended spring training, then made his pro debut with short-season Vermont in mid-June. The victim of tight pitch counts and poor run support, he went just 2-7 in 2003 but pitched better than his record would indicate. Promoted to low Class A Savannah on his 19th birthday, he allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts, but went 0-3. Everts is an outstanding athlete with a projectable body and the makings of three plus major league pitches. He has a solid, balanced delivery and a clean, easy arm action, which enables him to generate lightning-quick arm speed. His fastball sat at 88-92 mph with good movement in 2003, and he should increase his velocity as he adds strength to his slender frame. The development of his changeup and curveball are further along at this point. His curveball, an 80-84 mph bender with great depth and tight spin, grades as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. It projects as a strikeout pitch in the majors. Everts' 78-81 mph changeup is almost as good as his curve. It's a plus pitch that he has an exceptional feel for. He didn't turn 19 until late in the 2003 season, so he's well ahead of most pitchers his age. Everts had become so reliant on his curveball at one point that the Expos limited his use of his out pitch. He threw it just 15 percent of the time so he could work on his fastball command, which still needs further improvement. He struggled with walks at times, in part because his curve breaks so much that it would leave the strike zone and/or fool umpires. Because of his limited pitching experience, he needs to improve his mound presence and get more aggressive. With Everts' stuff and the weakened state of the Expos farm system, he can fly through the organization. He's expected to start 2004 at Savannah and could be at high Class A Brevard County by midseason. He has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation starter in the majors.
With the selection of Everts fifth overall, the Expos have taken a pitcher with their first pick in six of the last seven drafts. Everts and Scott Kazmir, who went 15th overall to the Mets, became the fourth pair of high school teammates to be chosen in the first round of the same draft. There were rumors that Everts had agreed to a predraft deal, but he held out throughout the summer. He finally signed in late August for $2.5 million, passing on a scholarship to Baylor. A two-way player in high school, Everts also attracted interest as a shortstop. He pitched for the U.S. national youth team in 2000, earning a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico. Everts has the potential to be a front-of-the-rotation starter. He's an outstanding athlete with a slender frame that projects to fill out as he matures. He has a loose, quick, smooth arm action, using a high three-quarters arm slot and a balanced delivery to produce three above-average pitches. Everts had the best curveball in the 2002 draft. It's a 78-84 mph power curve that falls off the table with good spin, bite and two-plane break. His curve gets top marks on the 20-80 scouting scale, with one National League scouting director saying, "If that's not an 80 curveball, I'll never see one." Everts' fastball arrives at 90-94 mph with late movement. At times his circle changeup is his second-best pitch. He throws it at 78-81 mph with deception, sink, tumbling action and excellent arm speed. He has command of all his pitches, is a strong fielder, and has a good feel for pitching and plus makeup. The Expos didn't hold instructional league, so Everts lost his first chance to gain what he needs most: experience. He has thrown an awful lot of curveballs at an early age, but hasn't had arm problems. All he seems to need are repetitions and added strength. Though many expected Montreal to draft a collegian, Expos scouting director Dana Brown was ecstatic to select Everts. He should make his pro debut at Montreal's new low Class A Savannah affiliate. Though high school pitchers are a risky demographic, Everts could zoom through the system.

Minor League Top Prospects

Everts pitched well enough to rank higher on this list, even though his fastball graded out as below average for most of the season. The velocity on his heater dipped to a consistent 84-88 mph, and the reason was discovered after the season. He was diagnosed with ligament damage in his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery that likely will sideline him for the 2005 season. Everts thrived despite his diminished fastball because he has excellent feel for his secondary pitches. Both his curveball and changeup graded as plus offerings, though his curve lacked the power it had shown in the past. Just 20, he has enough time to make a full recovery and become an elite prospect if his surgery and rehabilitation are successful.
The fifth overall pick in the 2002 draft, Everts signed late last year and was inconsistent in his pro debut. But he made huge strides as the summer wore on and pitched well after a promotion to low Class A Savannah. "Everyone talks about that nasty curve of his," Deeble said. "But he also showed the makings of an above-average fastball and change. There's a lot of upside with this guy." Everts, who was also a prospect as a shortstop in high school, has an athletic frame and smooth arm action. His hard 80-82 mph curveball breaks so much that he had trouble throwing it for strikes, and most managers said that would be the key to his success. He consistently ran his fastball into the 90-91 mph range with late life.