Erick Fedde

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #3 prospect in 2018
  The 2014 first-rounder had a roller-coaster season in 2017. He started off well in Double-A Harrisburg before being moved to the bullpen because the big league club needed for relievers. Fedde's fastball ticked up to 96-97 mph out of the bullpen after he sat in the low 90s as a starter with excellent sinking action. After 16 appearances out of the pen and a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse, Fedde made four starts and posted a 6.94 ERA before making his big league debut, where he gave up seven earned runs in just four innings. Regardless, Washington still sees Fedde as a starter despite his mixed usage and was encouraged with the progress he made with his changeup, which he threw much more often. The pitch flashed plus at times and was occasionally was as much of an out pitch as his low-80s slider, which is still his go-to secondary and a true plus offering. Fedde can also drop in a below-average curveball. Fedde has the repertoire and athleticism to turn into a mid- to back-of-the-rotation starter, and he has displayed no drop in velocity since having Tommy John surgery in May 2014 before being drafted.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #2 prospect in 2017
  A 24th-round pick by the Padres coming out of Las Vegas High, Fedde stayed close to home and attended Nevada-Las Vegas. After his sophomore season at college, Fedde had a strong showing with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and carried that into his junior year back at school, where he went 8-2, 1.76 with 82 strikeouts in 77 innings. He appeared to be on his way to becoming a top-10 pick in the 2014 draft until he had Tommy John surgery that May. Despite the injury, he didn't fall far on draft day and the Nationals selected him 18th overall. Fedde made his pro debut a year later and reached Double-A Harrisburg in 2016. As more time has passed since Fedde's surgery, he has gotten stronger and seen his stuff return. His fastball has reached 97 mph, but he more typically pitches in the low 90s. It plays up because of excellent sinking action, and he pounds the strike zone with it. His low-80s slider is a plus offering and generates swings and misses. He made strides with his changeup in 2016, and it could become an average pitch. Fedde throws a lot of strikes but still has room to refine his command to more consistently locate all his pitches. He is an excellent athlete, helping him to both repeat his delivery and field his position well. Now that he's fully healthy, Fedde could make quick work of the upper minors. He will return to Harrisburg to start 2017 and is closing in on his big league debut. He has a No. 2 starter ceiling with a high floor based on his wide-ranging ability.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #4 prospect in 2016
  A 24th-round pick by the Padres coming out of Las Vegas High, Fedde stayed close to home and attended Nevada-Las Vegas. He had a strong showing with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team following his sophomore year and carried that over into the spring back at school, where he went 8-2, 1.76 with 82 strikeouts in 77 innings. He appeared to be on his way to becoming a top-10 pick in the 2014 draft until he had Tommy John surgery that May. Despite the injury, he didn't fall far on draft day. The Nationals snagged him with the 18th overall pick and signed him for $2,511,100, happy to be able to grab a player with his upside at that draft spot. Fedde made his pro debut a little more than a year after the draft. After eight starts at short-season Auburn, he earned a promotion to low Class A Hagerstown. Fedde still was getting back to full strength this season, but he showed glimpses of the kind of stuff that made him a first-round pick. His fastball has gotten up to 97 mph in the past, but he more typically pitches in the low 90s. His fastball plays up because it has excellent sinking action, and he locates it well. His low-80s slider is still a bit inconsistent--it gets slurvy at times--but should sharpen and give him a second plus pitch when he returns to full strength. He also shows flashes of a solid changeup. He is an excellent athlete, helping him to both repeat his delivery and field his position well. The Nationals have had success helping young pitchers through Tommy John rehab, including Lucas Giolito, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. Fedde got off to a good start in his recovery and he'll likely pick that process back up in Class A next season.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #4 prospect in 2015
  A 24th-round pick by the Padres after flashing 94 mph heat at Las Vegas High, Fedde went to Nevada-Las Vegas and spent three years in the rotation. He emerged as a likely first-rounder in 2013, but he got even better during his junior spring in 2014, when he went 8-2, 1.76 with 82 strikeouts in 77 innings before Tommy John surgery ended his season. He slipped to the Nationals at No. 18 overall and signed for $2,511,100. At his best, Fedde's fastball sat at 93-95 mph and bumped 98 in the middle innings, with angry sinking action that helped it rate as a double-plus pitch. His slider also drew some plus-plus grades at its best, when he threw it 85-88 mph with late two-plane tilt. His 83-84 mph changeup has flashed plus. His overall stuff wasn't that loud in every outing, playing down by as many as three ticks at times. Fedde has advanced command of his fastball for his age, and he is a groundball machine. He is an excellent athlete who fields his position well, though his lack of physicality raises questions about his durability. Fedde's recovery from Tommy John surgery is progressing according to schedule, and he probably will make his pro debut some time in 2015. The Nationals have nursed Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Lucas Giolito through T.J. with brilliant results, so Fedde should jump on the fast track when he returns.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #24 prospect in 2014 draft
  A Las Vegas High graduate, Fedde remains a tall, projectable righthander as he was in 2011, when the Padres drafted him in the 24th round. He has pitched in the UNLV rotation for three seasons and gained significant confidence pitching last summer in the Cape Cod League and then with Team USA. Fedde ran his fastball up to 92 mph in high school and pushed 94 last summer. He's still slender at a listed 6-foot-4, 175 pounds but has added strength and touched 97 mph this spring, more often sitting in the 90-93 range. He repeats his delivery, throws quality strikes with the fastball and commands his slider well. The pitch has taken a step forward this spring, flashing plus at 81-84 mph at times, scraping higher. He has shown the ability to bury it or land it for strikes. Fedde's changeup plays average. UNLV skipped his turn in a non-conference weekend in early May, which together with his slender frame stoked durability concerns. Those fears came to fruition a week later, when it was disclosed Fedde would have Tommy John surgery. Fedde's polish and upside would have landed him in the first 10-15 picks, and still could keep him in the first round in a volatile class thanks to his track record.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Eastern League #17 prospect in 2017
  In a season in which he made his big league debut, Fedde pitched for two affiliates and in two different roles. He began the year in the Harrisburg rotation, moved to the bullpen in late May (in case he was needed in the Nationals' highly combustible big league bullpen), and then shifted back to the rotation at Triple-A in early July. As a starter, Fedde works with a full four-pitch arsenal with his fastball and slider as his two best weapons. His low- to mid-90s fastball has touched 97 mph and features armside sink and bore, His slider is an average pitch that projects as plus, and his changeup has average potential as well. Fedde needs to refine his command and should battle for a spot in the big leagues if he doesn't return to Triple-A in 2018.
• 
  Ranked Carolina League #9 prospect in 2016
  Fedde regained his command after working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Once he regained his feel, he dominated on his way to Double-A Harrisburg. "He has a (92-96 mph) fastball, a slider and a changeup that's still developing--and he's really working at it," Potomac manager Tripp Keister said. "He got that feel back about a month before the all-star break. He's a competitive kid. To see him have that great stretch and get promoted to Double-A, that's really a credit to him."
• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #4 prospect in 2015
  Fedde showed enough promise before having Tommy John surgery as a Nevada-Las Vegas junior that the Nationals still drafted him 18th overall in 2014. Prior to having T.J., Fedde had bumped 98 mph with what was at times a double-plus sinker that sat 93-95. He also mixed in a plus slider and a changeup that flashed plus. Fedde's stuff wasn't all the way back in his pro debut this summer, for his sinker sat around 91-92 mph. He still had the look of a future No. 2 or 3 starter before moving up to low Class A Hagerstown, with his slider showing sharp tilt and his changeup still flashing plus potential. Fedde's delivery is clean, but his sinker can flatten and elevate if he overthrows or leaks out on his front side. Still, he induced groundballs at a high rate and gave up only one homer.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #52 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #82 prospect in 2016
• Ranked Baseball America's #90 prospect in 2015

• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The 2014 first-rounder had a roller-coaster season in 2017. He started off well in Double-A Harrisburg before being moved to the bullpen because the big league club needed for relievers. Scouting Report: Fedde's fastball ticked up to 96-97 mph out of the bullpen after he sat in the low 90s as a starter with excellent sinking action. After 16 appearances out of the pen and a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse, Fedde made four starts and posted a 6.94 ERA before making his big league debut, where he gave up seven earned runs in just four innings. Regardless, Washington still sees Fedde as a starter despite his mixed usage and was encouraged with the progress he made with his changeup, which he threw much more often. The pitch flashed plus at times and was occasionally was as much of an out pitch as his low-80s slider, which is still his go-to secondary and a true plus offering. Fedde can also drop in a below-average curveball. The Future: Fedde has the repertoire and athleticism to turn into a mid- to back-of-the-rotation starter, and he has displayed no drop in velocity since having Tommy John surgery in May 2014.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: After his sophomore season at Nevada-Las Vegas, Fedde had a strong showing with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and carried that into the spring back at school. He appeared to be on his way to becoming a top-10 pick in the 2014 draft until he had Tommy John surgery that May. Despite the injury, the Nationals selected him 18th overall. Fedde made his pro debut a year later and reached Double-A Harrisburg by the end of 2016. Scouting Report: As more time has passed since Fedde's surgery, he has gotten stronger and seen his stuff return. His fastball has reached 97 mph, but he more typically pitches in the low 90s. It plays up because of excellent sinking action, and he pounds the strike zone with it. His low-80s slider is a plus offering and generates swings and misses. He made strides with his changeup in 2016, and it could become an average pitch. Fedde throws a lot of strikes, but still has room to refine his command to more consistently locate all his pitches. He is an excellent athlete, helping him to both repeat his delivery and field his position well. The Future: Now that he's fully healthy, Fedde could make quick work of the upper minors. He will return to Harrisburg to start 2017 and is closing in on his big league debut. He has a No. 2 starter ceiling with a high floor based on his wide-ranging ability.