Demarcus Evans Stats & Scouting Report

IP	30
ERA	4.8
WHIP	1.433
BB/9	4.8
SO/9	11.1

Full name Demarcus Malik Evans
Born 10/22/1996 in Petal, MS
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 265 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Petal
Debut 09/18/2020
Drafted in the 25th round (738th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2015 (signed for $100,000).

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: An unheralded 25th-round high school pick in 2015, Evans broke out as one of the most dominant relievers in the minors in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019, capped by an ERA of 0.96 in 30 appearances at Double-A. He seemed like an easy choice to be in the Rangers' bullpen early in 2020, but instead spent most of the season at the alternate training site and made four brief appearances in September.

SCOUTING REPORT: Evans was never far away from the major leagues in 2020 but needed to refine some things. He works with a 92-96 mph fastball with an elite spin rate and 22 inches of vertical movement, making it a plus-plus pitch that plays beyond its pure velocity. It's a nasty pitch at the top of the strike zone and one he can dominate with. The Rangers asked him to focus on improving his below-average control, adding depth to his 82-86 mph curveball and bettering his mental approach while at the alternate site. Those things had been remedied by the time he debuted and helped him retire 11 of the 14 batters he faced.

THE FUTURE: With the Rangers in rebuild mode, Evans is a strong candidate to make the team out of spring training. If his command remains dialed in, he could work in high-leverage situations for years to come.
TRACK RECORD: As a reliever between two levels in 2019, Evans struck out 43 percent of the batters he faced. After the season, he went on the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

SCOUTING REPORT: Evans is a huge, physical reliever who throws a power invisiball up in the zone, a high-spin fastball at 92-96 mph that hops over bats at an elite rate when he rides it up above the belt. Evans generates a tremendous amount of swing-and-miss off his fastball, to the point where he can carve up minor league hitters with just that pitch. His curveball also flashes above-average, and in the second half he started mixing that pitch in with more frequency, which will be important for him against better hitters. Below-average control is a weakness for Evans, who walked 5.9 batters per nine innings in 2019.

THE FUTURE: Evans is a potential late-inning reliever who could end up a closer if he can throw strikes. He is probably headed for Triple-A to begin 2020 but should be up in Texas at some point during the year.
Track Record: Years ago, a pitcher like Evans would confound evaluators as to how he was able to get so many empty swings just on a fastball that seemed invisible to hitters. Today, that invisiball is better understood and more accurately measured as a high-spin fastball, which is Evans' strength.

Scouting Report: Evans' velocity ticked up as the season went along as he better incorporated his lower half into his delivery, and his fastball at 92-96 mph quickly disappears on batters. Pitching primarily off that pitch, Evans struck out a whopping 47 percent of hitters with low Class A Hickory in 2018. He was even better in the second half once he started landing his above-average curveball for strikes.

The Future: Evans has yet to play above low Class A, but he pitched in the Arizona Fall League and could rise quickly in 2019, with a chance to pitch high-leverage innings in the big leagues.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Fastball in the Texas Rangers in 2020

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: An unheralded 25th-round high school pick in 2015, Evans broke out as one of the most dominant relievers in the minors in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019, capped by an ERA of 0.96 in 30 appearances at Double-A. He seemed like an easy choice to be in the Rangers' bullpen early in 2020, but instead spent most of the season at the alternate training site and made four brief appearances in September.

SCOUTING REPORT: Evans was never far away from the major leagues in 2020 but needed to refine some things. He works with a 92-96 mph fastball with an elite spin rate and 22 inches of vertical movement, making it a plus-plus pitch that plays beyond its pure velocity. It's a nasty pitch at the top of the strike zone and one he can dominate with. The Rangers asked him to focus on improving his below-average control, adding depth to his 82-86 mph curveball and bettering his mental approach while at the alternate site. Those things had been remedied by the time he debuted and helped him retire 11 of the 14 batters he faced.

THE FUTURE: With the Rangers in rebuild mode, Evans is a strong candidate to make the team out of spring training. If his command remains dialed in, he could work in high-leverage situations for years to come.
TRACK RECORD: An unheralded 25th-round high school pick in 2015, Evans broke out as one of the most dominant relievers in the minors in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019, capped by an ERA of 0.96 in 30 appearances at Double-A. He seemed like an easy choice to be in the Rangers' bullpen early in 2020, but instead spent most of the season at the alternate training site and made four brief appearances in September.

SCOUTING REPORT: Evans was never far away from the major leagues in 2020 but needed to refine some things. He works with a 92-96 mph fastball with an elite spin rate and 22 inches of vertical movement, making it a plus-plus pitch that plays beyond its pure velocity. It's a nasty pitch at the top of the strike zone and one he can dominate with. The Rangers asked him to focus on improving his below-average control, adding depth to his 82-86 mph curveball and bettering his mental approach while at the alternate site. Those things had been remedied by the time he debuted and helped him retire 11 of the 14 batters he faced.

THE FUTURE: With the Rangers in rebuild mode, Evans is a strong candidate to make the team out of spring training. If his command remains dialed in, he could work in high-leverage situations for years to come.
TRACK RECORD: As a reliever between two levels in 2019, Evans struck out 43 percent of the batters he faced. After the season, he went on the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

SCOUTING REPORT: Evans is a huge, physical reliever who throws a power invisiball up in the zone, a high-spin fastball at 92-96 mph that hops over bats at an elite rate when he rides it up above the belt. Evans generates a tremendous amount of swing-and-miss off his fastball, to the point where he can carve up minor league hitters with just that pitch. His curveball also flashes above-average, and in the second half he started mixing that pitch in with more frequency, which will be important for him against better hitters. Below-average control is a weakness for Evans, who walked 5.9 batters per nine innings in 2019.

THE FUTURE: Evans is a potential late-inning reliever who could end up a closer if he can throw strikes. He is probably headed for Triple-A to begin 2020 but should be up in Texas at some point during the year.
TRACK RECORD: As a reliever between two levels in 2019, Evans struck out 43 percent of the batters he faced. After the season, he went on the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

SCOUTING REPORT: Evans is a huge, physical reliever who throws a power invisiball up in the zone, a high-spin fastball at 92-96 mph that hops over bats at an elite rate when he rides it up above the belt. Evans generates a tremendous amount of swing-and-miss off his fastball, to the point where he can carve up minor league hitters with just that pitch. His curveball also flashes above-average, and in the second half he started mixing that pitch in with more frequency, which will be important for him against better hitters. Below-average control is a weakness for Evans, who walked 5.9 batters per nine innings in 2019.

THE FUTURE: Evans is a potential late-inning reliever who could end up a closer if he can throw strikes. He is probably headed for Triple-A to begin 2020 but should be up in Texas at some point during the year.