Rob Scahill
| IP | 149 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.866 |
| WHIP | 1.45 |
| BB/9 | 3.564 |
| SO/9 | 5.98 |
- Full name Robert Joseph Scahill
- Born 02/15/1987 in Winfield, IL
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School Bradley
- Debut 09/11/2012
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Drafted in the 8th round (241st overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2009 (signed for $110,000).
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Drafted in the 48th round by the Yankees as a redshirt sophomore a year ago, righthander Rob Scahill should go about 40 rounds higher this time around. He shook off an early-season oblique injury to pitch in the low 90s and touch 95 mph down the stretch. Scahill's fastball has good life and he has shown the ability to maintain its velocity. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder shows a slightly above-average slider at times, though his stuff plays down when his command wavers. He has bounced back nicely after missing the entire 2007 season following labrum surgery.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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The proverbial up-and-down reliever in 2013, Scahill began the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs but was recalled on April 21 for what proved to be the first of four stints with the Rockies. He pitched in 23 big league games, working two innings or more eight times and pitching three innings three times. Scahill stranded 11 of 12 inherited runners and retired 17 of 23 first batters. He struggled toward the end by allowing eight runs in his final five outings. A starter until the Rockies called him up in September 2012, Scahill has plenty of stuff. And while his command improved from 2012, it needs to be better. He sits at 93-94 mph with his fastball, which touches 96. His average 86-87 mph slider can be flat at times but is effective when thrown with depth. Scahill's fringy changeup is his weakest pitch. It's good enough to get outs and get him back in counts, but he doesn't have confidence in it and rarely throws it. A trustworthy changeup would give Scahill another weapon against lefthanders, who in the big leagues hit .344 in 64 at-bats against him. He'll vie for a middle-relief role with the Rockies in spring training, but he has two minor league options remaining. -
Scahill has quality stuff, and toward the end of last season began seeing better results thanks to mechanical adjustments. In his final four starts at Colorado Springs, he had a 3.42 ERA with seven walks and 32 strikeouts in 24 innings, earning a September callup to Colorado, where he had a 1.04 ERA in six relief appearances. Scahill touches 96 mph and sits at 93-94 with his fastball. His upper-70s curveball is ahead of his 84-88 mph slider, but both are good pitches. He rarely throws his changeup, which is below average. Scahill raised his arm slot and became more consistent staying on top of the ball and driving it downward, which helped him become less rotational in his delivery and not have his body get ahead of his arm. He's aggressive on the mound and has a sturdy frame. His control is solid but his command is below average on all of his pitches and must improve. If it does, he could still be a starter, but with his stuff he could be a valuable member of the Rockies bullpen, particularly if they continue using piggyback relievers. -
Scahill worked strictly with a two-seam fastball and slider when he came out of Bradley as an eighth-round pick in 2009, but he has added a four-seamer, curveball and changeup during his three years as a pro. His fastball sits at 93-94 mph and ranges from 92-96, though it lacks much life. His best secondary pitch is his curveball, an average offering at times. Scahill's slider can be an average pitch and peaks at 89 mph, though it needs more depth and he often hangs it in the strike zone. He has worked very hard on his changeup, which is still fringy and his fourth-best pitch. Scahill is aggressive on the mound and has a strong, durable frame that has allowed him to work 317 innings during the last two seasons. He has an extremely clean arm action, though it also means that his delivery lacks deception and allows hitters to see his pitches easily. His command and control are decent but don't help his stuff to play up. Scahill profiles as a No. 4 or 5 starter, though he might wind up as a middle reliever if his secondary pitches don't develop. After spending his second straight offseason in the Arizona Fall League, he'll begin 2012 in the Colorado Springs rotation. -
Spending 2010 in Modesto meant Scahill had a chance to watch the Giants on television, and he should benefit from that. Watching a slow-motion video of how Tim Lincecum held his changeup, Scahill adopted a similar style late in the season and then went to the Arizona Fall League to perfect the pitch, which he had thrown too hard with his previous grip. Scahill jumped over low Class A and had his struggles in the first half with Modesto, but he rebounded in his final 14 starts to go 7-3, 3.41, and he followed it up with a five-hit, 11-strikeout, nowalk effort against Stockton in the playoffs. The key for Scahill, besides an improved changeup, was a refinement of mechanics that gave him better command of his fastball and hard-breaking slider. He has a power arm, with an easy delivery that produces a 90-94 mph fastball that touches 96. His slider has real power, with reports of it hitting 88 mph. He also benefitted from the development of a slow curveball. The curve is significantly behind the slider, but it has the potential to be a fringe-average pitch as well. Scalhill generally has life down in the strike zone and gets his share of groundballs while keeping the ball in the ballpark. Scahill is a breakout candidate if he maintains his second-half improvements, and he'll report to the Tulsa rotation.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Scahill has made a full recovery from labrum surgery that cost him the entire 2007 season at Bradley. His fastball now sits at 91-92 mph with good sink, and there are some outings where he operates at 94-96 for a few innings. He backs his heater up with a mid-80s slider that has a chance to be an above-average pitch if he can get more consistent with it. Scahill's changeup isn't as good as his fastball or slider, but he needs to work on it and use it more often if he's going to remain a starter. He sometimes rushes through his delivery, which detracts from his control.
