Evan MacLane

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #28 prospect in 2007
  MacLane is the prototypical soft-tossing lefthander who succeeds with command and a great feel for pitching. He signed with the Mets for $7,500 and worked his way to Triple-A before coming to the Diamondbacks in the Shawn Green trade last August. Arizona added him to the 40-man roster after the season. One Mets coach called MacLane "Kirk Reuter with a better curve," and his changeup is a plus pitch that usually comes in at the high 70s. His fastball usually runs in the mid-80s, and his curveball is an effective pitch because he commands it so well. MacLane is learning that he'll need to sharpen his fastball command to get hitters out at the highest levels. While he's generally a strike thrower, he needs to move the ball around in the zone better to keep hitters from putting good swings on it, which they did quite a bit in Triple-A. He's also learning that there's little point in dialing up his fastball to the high 80s because he still can't throw it by anyone. MacLane is likely to return to the Triple-A rotation, but he could win a spot in the Arizona with a great spring.
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  Ranked New York Mets #30 prospect in 2006
  MacLane was able to succeed in the lower minors with only average stuff because he has such a good feel of pitching. He had no problems making the jump to high Class A in 2005, but he ran into trouble in Double-A. MacLane's strengths are his plus command and plus changeup, which sits in the 76-80 mph range. His fastball sits in the mid-80s and touches 87, while his curveball is more notable for his ability to locate it than its break. With below-average velocity, MacLane needs to rely on keeping hitters off balance and controlling their bat speed. IF he can improve his curveball, he could be a big leaguer in the modl of Jamie Moyer. He'll work on that in 2006 when he returns to Double-A.
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  Ranked New York Mets #29 prospect in 2006
  MacLane was able to succeed in the lower minors with only average stuff because he has such a good feel of pitching. He had no problems making the jump to high Class A in 2005, but he ran into trouble in Double-A. MacLane's strengths are his plus command and plus changeup, which sits in the 76-80 mph range. His fastball sits in the mid-80s and touches 87, while his curveball is more notable for his ability to locate it than its break. With below-average velocity, MacLane needs to rely on keeping hitters off balance and controlling their bat speed. If he can improve his curveball, he could be a big leaguer in the mold of Jamie Moyer. He'll work on that in 2006 when he returns to Double-A.