Brad Peacock

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #4 prospect in 2013
  A high school shortstop drafted as a catcher, Peacock signed for $110,000 as a draft-and-follow pitcher in 2007. He broke out in 2011, when he was the Double-A Eastern League's pitcher of the year and made his big league debut with the Nationals. Part of the package for Gio Gonzalez, Peacock had his worst pro season in 2012. Peacock pitched up in the zone too frequently in 2012. The A's tried to remedy the issue by having him keep his shoulders more level and eliminate a tilt in his delivery, but the changes didn't have the desired effect and he went back to his old mechanics. When he's going well, he still shows three quality pitches. Peacock's fastball works at 91-95 mph but lacks movement, underscoring the need for better command. He also flashes a sharp curveball and a changeup with depth. He has added a slider/cutter hybrid to help induce weak contact, but it remains a work in progress. The A's consider 2012 a transition year for Peacock, who may have put too much pressure on himself while a parade of other young pitchers made it to Oakland. They still expect big things from him, though he'll likely be back in Triple-A to open 2013.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #3 prospect in 2012
  Peacock's arm strength has made him stand out since his days as a high school shortstop. He made gradual progress as a pitcher in his first four seasons with the Nationals before breaking out in 2011. He won Double-A Eastern League pitcher of the year honors and finished the year with impressive stints in Triple-A and the majors. Peacock pitches comfortably at 91-94 mph and runs his fastball up to 97 at times. He worked hard in 2011 to keep his front shoulder closed while maintaining his balance and alignment, which led to improved fastball command and deception. He pitches heavily off his four-seamer, which has late hop. He has another swing-and-miss pitch in his sharp 12-to-6 curveball, though it still needs more consistency. He has gained significant confidence in his low-80s changeup, throwing it with good arm speed and fade, though it still gets too firm at times. Peacock is a great athlete who fields his position well, though he's not overly physical. Though he'll compete for a big league rotation spot out of spring training, some more time in Triple-A to master his delivery and secondary stuff might benefit Peacock. He could become a No. 2 starter if everything clicks.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #10 prospect in 2011
  Primarily a shortstop in high school, Peacock has made significant strides on the mound since signing with for $110,000 as a draft-and-follow in 2007. He led Nationals farmhands with 148 strikeouts in 142 innings last season, then racked up 17 more whiffs in 12 innings as a reliever in the Arizona Fall League. Peacock always has owned a quick, loose arm, and his velocity climbed last year, when his fastball sat at 92-94 mph and regularly topped out at 96. He's a bit undersized and often has struggled to pitch downhill, so the Nationals worked to help him turn his front shoulder more and keep his head down. He made some progress but still needs to do a better job working down in the zone. Peacock's knuckle-curve is a plus offering with sharp downer action that complements his straight fastball well. He also has developed a decent changeup to use against lefties, though it still lags behind his other two offerings. Peacock fields his position and holds runners well. Peacock has the arm strength and stuff to become a mid-rotation starter in the big leagues if he can put everything together. There's some sentiment that his AFL bullpen stint was a sign of things to come, and that his frame is better suited for relief. For now, he'll return to the Harrisburg rotation.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #16 prospect in 2010
  An excellent athlete, Peacock played mostly shortstop in high school and the Nationals selected him in the 41st round of the 2006 draft as a catcher. He was impressive on the mound at Palm Beach (Fla.) CC in the spring of 2007, throwing two-seam fastballs that topped out at 94 mph and flashing an above-average knuckle-curve. After signing him for $110,000 as a draft-and-follow, the Nationals tweaked his arm slot and had him to throw a four-seamer and a conventional curve. He struggled with the adjustments and got bombed in low Class A in 2008, but once he was demoted to Vermont, he went back to his three-quarters arm-slot and college repertoire. Peacock has a quick arm and a smooth arm action, and he maintained a 90-94 mph fastball throughout last season. His knuckle-curve and changeup also rate as slightly above-average pitches when they're on. Peacock could take off once he learns to be a little more aggressive and do a better job attacking the bottom of the strike zone. He figures to return to high Class A to start 2010 but could reach Double-A by midseason.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #19 prospect in 2008
  The athletic Peacock played mostly shortstop in high school and was drafted as a catcher, but he was impressive on the mound at Palm Beach (Fla.) CC in the spring of 2007, prompting the Nationals to sign him as a draft-and-follow for $110,000. He garners comparisons to Tim Hudson for his slight stature, smooth delivery and three-pitch repertoire. Peacock works comfortably at 89-92 mph with his lively fastball and touches 93-94 at times. He dazzled in instructional league with a changeup that was at times well above-average with deception and late armside movement. His curveball has some sharpness and has a chance to be another plus pitch in time. Peacock still needs to add some weight to maintain his fastball velocity, but his stuff, command, advanced feel for pitching and excellent makeup suggest he has a chance to be a No. 3 starter in the big leagues someday. He'll likely skip a level and move to low Class A this year.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Eastern League #4 prospect in 2011
  Peacock entered the season with a reputation as an athletic power arm who was more thrower than pitcher. He finished it with the EL pitcher of the year award and a spot in the major leagues, winning his first two starts and making a bid for a spot in the Nationals' 2012 rotation. Using a fastball that sat at 91-94 mph and touched 97, Peacock was leading the league in strikeouts when he departed for Triple-A in mid-July. He commanded the pitch much better this year than he had in a seven-game EL trial in 2010, thanks in part to working with Harrisburg pitching coach Randy Tomlin on keeping his front shoulder closed longer. The adjustment also added to his deception. Peacock's hard curveball and tailing changeup also are solid-average pitches at times. His changeup can get too firm, but it was better than his curve and helped him limit lefthanders to a .470 OPS.
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  Ranked International League #9 prospect in 2011
  By adding a bit more deception to his delivery, Peacock vaulted from just another hard thrower to one of the top arms in the upper minors. He began the year by going 10-2, 2.01 in Double-A, and after serving up seven runs to Lehigh Valley in his IL debut, he settled down and allowed just 11 runs in his other eight starts with Syracuse. He finished the season by pitching scoreless ball in his first two big league starts. Displaying excellent arm action, Peacock sits at 93-94 mph and touches 97 with his sinking and tailing fastball. While scouts preferred his changeup to his curveball in the Eastern League, the reverse was true in the IL, where evaluators rated his curve as a plus pitch. He tends to lose his delivery at times, which led to struggles with his command in Syracuse.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #36 prospect in 2012

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: A high school shortstop drafted as a catcher, Peacock signed for $110,000 as a draft-and-follow pitcher in 2007. He broke out in 2011, when he was the Double-A Eastern League's pitcher of the year and made his big league debut with the Nationals. Part of the package for Gio Gonzalez, Peacock had his worst pro season in 2012, with his 6.01 ERA the second-worst in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Scouting Report: Peacock pitched up in the zone too frequently in 2012. The A's tried to remedy the issue by having him keep his shoulders more level and eliminate a tilt in his delivery, but the changes didn't have the desired effect and he went back to his old mechanics. When he's going well, he still shows three quality pitches. Peacock's fastball works at 91-95 mph but lacks movement, underscoring the need for better command. He also flashes a sharp curveball and a changeup with depth. He has added a slider/cutter hybrid to help induce weak contact, but it remains a work in progress. The Future: The A's consider 2012 a transition year for Peacock, who may have put too much pressure on himself while a parade of young pitchers made it to Oakland. They still expect big things from him, though he'll likely be back in Triple-A to open 2013.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Peacock's arm strength has made him stand out since his days as a high school shortstop. He made gradual progress as a pitcher in his first four seasons with the Nationals before breaking out in 2011. He won Double-A Eastern League pitcher of the year honors and finished the year with impressive stints in Triple-A and the majors. Peacock pitches comfortably at 91-94 mph and runs his fastball up to 97 at times. He worked hard in 2011 to keep his front shoulder closed while maintaining his balance and alignment, which led to improved fastball command and deception. He pitches heavily off his four-seamer, which has late hop. He has another swing-and-miss pitch in his sharp 12-to-6 curveball, though it still needs more consistency. He has gained significant confidence in his low-80s changeup, throwing it with good arm speed and fade, though it still gets too firm at times. Peacock is a great athlete who fields his position well, though he's not overly physical. Though he'll compete for a big league rotation spot out of spring training, some more time in Triple-A to master his delivery and secondary stuff might benefit Peacock. He could become a No. 2 starter if everything clicks.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: More of a shortstop in high school, Peacock made gradual progress as a pitcher before breaking out in 2011. He won Double-A Eastern League pitcher of the year honors and finished with impressive stints in Triple-A and the majors. The Nationals traded him, righthander A.J. Cole, catcher Derek Norris and lefty Tom Milone to get Gio Gonzalez from the A's in December.Scouting Report: Peacock pitches comfortably at 91-94 mph and runs his fastball up to 97 at times. He worked hard last year to keep his front shoulder closed while maintaining his balance and alignment, which led to improved fastball command and deception. He pitches heavily off his four-seamer, which has late hop. He has another swing-and-miss pitch in his sharp 12-to-6 curveball, though it still needs more consistency. He has gained significant confidence in his low-80s changeup, throwing it with good arm speed and fade, but still gets too firm at times. Peacock is a great athlete who fields his position well.The Future: Peacock will compete for a spot in Oakland's ravaged rotation in spring training. He could become a No. 2 starter if everything clicks.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Peacock's arm strength has made him stand out since his days as a prep shortstop. He made gradual progress in his first four seasons with the Nationals before breaking out in 2011. He was the Double-A Eastern League pitcher of the year and finished with impressive stints in Triple-A and the majors. Scouting Report: Peacock pitches comfortably at 91-94 mph and runs his fastball up to 97 at times. He worked hard in 2011 to keep his front shoulder closed while maintaining his balance and alignment, which led to improved fastball command and deception. He pitches heavily off his four-seamer, which has late hop. He has another swing-and-miss pitch in his sharp 12-to-6 curveball, though it still needs more consistency. He has gained significant confidence in his low-80s changeup, throwing it with good arm speed and fade, though it still gets too firm at times. Peacock is a great athlete who fields his position well, though he's not overly physical. The Future: Though he'll compete for a big league rotation spot out of spring training, some more time in Triple-A to master his delivery and secondary stuff might benefit Peacock. He could become a No. 2 starter if everything clicks.
• December, 2007 Scouting Report
  The athletic Peacock played mostly shortstop in high school and was drafted as a catcher, but he was impressive on the mound at Palm Beach (Fla.) CC in the spring of 2007, prompting the Nationals to sign him as a draft-and-follow for $110,000. He garners comparisons to Tim Hudson for his slight stature, smooth delivery and three-pitch repertoire. Peacock works comfortably at 89-92 mph with his lively fastball and touches 93-94 at times. He dazzled in instructional league with a changeup that was at times well above-average with deception and late armside movement. His curveball has some sharpness and has a chance to be another plus pitch in time. Peacock still needs to add some weight to maintain his fastball velocity, but his stuff, command, advanced feel for pitching and excellent makeup suggest he has a chance to be a No. 3 starter in the big leagues someday. He'll likely skip a level and move to low Class A this year.