Reggie Lawson Stats & Scouting Report

IP	13.1
ERA	8.1
WHIP	2.25
BB/9	11.48
SO/9	9.45

Full name Reginald Jefferson Lawson
Born 08/02/1997 in Victorville, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Victor Valley
Drafted in the CB-B round (71st overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2016 (signed for $1,900,000).

View Draft Report

Scouts already were dreaming on Lawson's athleticism and arm speed before his star turn last summer with USA Baseball's 18U national team. He was the team's go-to reliever--retiring the last five Japanese batters in the gold-medal victory--and thrived, getting two wins and a save with a 16-2 strikeout-walk ratio in 13 innings. Lawson's spring wasn't quite as sharp, however, and an April oblique strain ended his season early, costing him some momentum before the draft and possibly pushing him into the comp round or second-round range. Lawsome has tremendous upside though, with a fastball that reaches 94 mph regularly and has excellent late life, and he pitches off the fastball, generally repeating his release point thanks to a clean, quick arm. According to scouts, Lawson's developing changeup was ahead of his breaking ball this spring, as his curve was softer and loopier than it needs to be. He's signed to Arizona State.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: A touted amateur drafted in the supplemental second round in 2016, Lawson interspersed flashes of brilliance with rough outings before missing most of 2019 with an elbow strain. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to make three dominant appearances in the Arizona Fall League, but the PRP didn't hold and he had Tommy John surgery in March 2020.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lawson looks like a pitcher straight out of central casting with a strong, well-proportioned frame and a loose, athletic delivery. He tops his three-pitch mix with a 93-96 mph fastball with late life he holds deep into games. His 76-80 mph curveball has steadily added power and bite to get swings and misses and his mid-80s changeup flashes above-average with sink at the bottom of the zone. Lawson's stuff is loud, but his secondaries and his control vary widely, leading to dominant outings mixed with disastrous ones. He's at his best in big games.

THE FUTURE: Lawson has the ingredients of a mid-rotation starter, but he has to get healthy and find consistency. He may return in mid-2021 depending on his rehab progress.
TRACK RECORD: Lawson projected to go in the first round of the 2016 draft before an oblique injury limited him to six starts his senior year. He fell to the supplemental second round, where the Padres grabbed him and signed him for an over-slot $1.9 million. After tantalizing with flashes of brilliance his first three seasons, an elbow strain limited Lawson to six starts at Double-A Amarillo in 2019. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, where he threw 11 dominant innings with one run allowed and 14 strikeouts.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lawson is built like a scout's dream at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds with a loose, athletic delivery and a strong, well-proportioned frame. His fastball sits 93-96 mph and maintains its velocity deep into outings, and his previously loopy curveball has added power to sit 76-80 mph and flash as an average pitch. His developing changeup continues to progress and flashes above-average in the mid-80s with sink at the bottom of the zone. A hard landing in his delivery has caused Lawson below-average control his whole career and led to wildly inconsistent performances. He is a fierce competitor who performs best when the stakes are highest.

THE FUTURE: Lawson needs to improve his health, control and consistency, but he has the ingredients of a promising starter. He will return to Double-A Amarillo in 2020.
Track Record: Lawson closed out Team USA's gold-medal victory over Japan at the 2015 18U World Cup in dominant fashion to generate first-round buzz, but an oblique strain limited him to just six starts during his senior year of high school and dropped him down into the supplemental second round. The Padres drafted Lawson 71st overall and signed him for $1.9 million. Lawson battled inconsistent stuff and control his first two years before breaking out for his best season in 2018 at high Class A Lake Elsinore.

Scouting Report: Previously raw and lanky, Lawson bulked up to add strength and coordination and saw his stuff tick up. Now a physical, muscular 6-foot-4, Lawson works 93-96 mph on his fastball and holds his velocity. He pounds the zone to both sides of the plate at his best, and he made mechanical improvements to leave his heater up less frequently. Lawson began throwing his changeup more in 2018 and flashed a plus offering with sink in the mid-80s, although it's still inconsistent. His below-average curveball lacked power, so rather than continue attempting to hone that, he learned a slider in instructional league and introduced it as a swing-and-miss pitch at 83-84 mph in the Don Welke On Deck Classic at Petco Park.

The Future: Lawson flashes rotation upside and keeps trending up. He'll move to Double-A in 2019 and attempt to improve his strikethrowing.
Lawson had first-round helium in the 2016 draft before a strained oblique limited him to six starts as a high school senior. The Padres grabbed him with the 71st overall pick and signed him for $1.9 million, more than double slot value. Lawson posted a 5.30 ERA in his first full season at low Class A Fort Wayne, showing flashes of promise but struggling to put together consistent outings. Lawson intrigues as a loose, lean, long-armed athlete with a smooth delivery. He sits 91-94 mph with his lively fastball but he tends to leave it up in the zone where it flattens out, making it a hittable pitch. His 74-77 mph curveball has tight rotation but lacks consistent bite, and he rarely uses his raw, unrefined changeup. Locating his offspeed is a challenge for Lawson and contributed to his 4.2 walks-per-nine rate in his first full campaign. When right, Lawson gets swings and misses on his fastball and shows a top-down, biting curveball, enough for evaluators to project a possible back-end starter. Fastball command, breaking ball consistency and third-pitch development will all be focal points in Lawson's development. He'll move to high Class A Lake Elsinore in 2018.
Lawson rose to prominence after a dominant showing with USA Baseball's 18U National Team and was pegged as a possible 2016 first-round pick. He fell after he made just six starts his senior season before announcing he was shutting down with a strained oblique. The Padres drafted him 71st overall and signed him away from an Arizona State commitment for $1.9 million. Lawson has the loose, athletic body scouts love and a 93-94 mph fastball, but a hard landing in his delivery keeps him upright and his fastball straight in the upper half of the zone, allowing hitters to pound it when it isn't at their eyes. His curveball shows promising shape but lacks velocity, and his changeup is rarely used. Lawson is raw even by prep draftee standards and is all projection at this point, though he has the requisite athleticism to make adjustments. He needs to vastly improve his fastball command and significantly develop his secondary pitches to be a future starter. He will begin 2017 in extended spring training.

Draft Prospects

Scouts already were dreaming on Lawson's athleticism and arm speed before his star turn last summer with USA Baseball's 18U national team. He was the team's go-to reliever--retiring the last five Japanese batters in the gold-medal victory--and thrived, getting two wins and a save with a 16-2 strikeout-walk ratio in 13 innings. Lawson's spring wasn't quite as sharp, however, and an April oblique strain ended his season early, costing him some momentum before the draft and possibly pushing him into the comp round or second-round range. Lawsome has tremendous upside though, with a fastball that reaches 94 mph regularly and has excellent late life, and he pitches off the fastball, generally repeating his release point thanks to a clean, quick arm. According to scouts, Lawson's developing changeup was ahead of his breaking ball this spring, as his curve was softer and loopier than it needs to be. He's signed to Arizona State.

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: A touted amateur drafted in the supplemental second round in 2016, Lawson interspersed flashes of brilliance with rough outings before missing most of 2019 with an elbow strain. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to make three dominant appearances in the Arizona Fall League, but the PRP didn't hold and he had Tommy John surgery in March 2020.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lawson looks like a pitcher straight out of central casting with a strong, well-proportioned frame and a loose, athletic delivery. He tops his three-pitch mix with a 93-96 mph fastball with late life he holds deep into games. His 76-80 mph curveball has steadily added power and bite to get swings and misses and his mid-80s changeup flashes above-average with sink at the bottom of the zone. Lawson's stuff is loud, but his secondaries and his control vary widely, leading to dominant outings mixed with disastrous ones. He's at his best in big games.

THE FUTURE: Lawson has the ingredients of a mid-rotation starter, but he has to get healthy and find consistency. He may return in mid-2021 depending on his rehab progress.
TRACK RECORD: A touted amateur drafted in the supplemental second round in 2016, Lawson interspersed flashes of brilliance with rough outings before missing most of 2019 with an elbow strain. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to make three dominant appearances in the Arizona Fall League, but the PRP didn't hold and he had Tommy John surgery in March 2020.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lawson looks like a pitcher straight out of central casting with a strong, well-proportioned frame and a loose, athletic delivery. He tops his three-pitch mix with a 93-96 mph fastball with late life he holds deep into games. His 76-80 mph curveball has steadily added power and bite to get swings and misses and his mid-80s changeup flashes above-average with sink at the bottom of the zone. Lawson's stuff is loud, but his secondaries and his control vary widely, leading to dominant outings mixed with disastrous ones. He's at his best in big games.

THE FUTURE: Lawson has the ingredients of a mid-rotation starter, but he has to get healthy and find consistency. He may return in mid-2021 depending on his rehab progress.
TRACK RECORD: A touted amateur drafted in the supplemental second round in 2016, Lawson interspersed flashes of brilliance with rough outings before missing most of 2019 with an elbow strain. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to make three dominant appearances in the Arizona Fall League, but the PRP didn't hold and he had Tommy John surgery in March 2020.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lawson looks like a pitcher straight out of central casting with a strong, well-proportioned frame and a loose, athletic delivery. He tops his three-pitch mix with a 93-96 mph fastball with late life he holds deep into games. His 76-80 mph curveball has steadily added power and bite to get swings and misses and his mid-80s changeup flashes above-average with sink at the bottom of the zone. Lawson's stuff is loud, but his secondaries and his control vary widely, leading to dominant outings mixed with disastrous ones. He's at his best in big games.

THE FUTURE: Lawson has the ingredients of a mid-rotation starter, but he has to get healthy and find consistency. He may return in mid-2021 depending on his rehab progress.
TRACK RECORD: Lawson projected to go in the first round of the 2016 draft before an oblique injury limited him to six starts his senior year. He fell to the supplemental second round, where the Padres grabbed him and signed him for an over-slot $1.9 million. After tantalizing with flashes of brilliance his first three seasons, an elbow strain limited Lawson to six starts at Double-A Amarillo in 2019. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, where he threw 11 dominant innings with three hits and one run allowed, two walks and 14 strikeouts.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lawson is built like a scout’s dream at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds with a loose, athletic delivery and a strong, well-proportioned frame. His fastball sits 93-96 mph and maintains its velocity deep into outings, and his previously loopy curveball has added power to sit 76-80 mph and flash as an average pitch. His developing changeup continues to progress and flashes above-average in the mid-80s with sink at the bottom of the zone. A hard landing in his delivery has caused Lawson below-average control his whole career and led to wildly inconsistent performances from outing-to-outing. He is a fierce competitor who performs best when the stakes are highest.

THE FUTURE: Lawson needs to find health and consistency, but he has the ingredients of a promising starter. He will return to Double-A Amarillo in 2020. BA GRADE 45 Risk: Medium BA GRADE 50 Risk: High
TRACK RECORD: Lawson projected to go in the first round of the 2016 draft before an oblique injury limited him to six starts his senior year. He fell to the supplemental second round, where the Padres grabbed him and signed him for an over-slot $1.9 million. After tantalizing with flashes of brilliance his first three seasons, an elbow strain limited Lawson to six starts at Double-A Amarillo in 2019. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, where he threw 11 dominant innings with one run allowed and 14 strikeouts.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lawson is built like a scout's dream at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds with a loose, athletic delivery and a strong, well-proportioned frame. His fastball sits 93-96 mph and maintains its velocity deep into outings, and his previously loopy curveball has added power to sit 76-80 mph and flash as an average pitch. His developing changeup continues to progress and flashes above-average in the mid-80s with sink at the bottom of the zone. A hard landing in his delivery has caused Lawson below-average control his whole career and led to wildly inconsistent performances. He is a fierce competitor who performs best when the stakes are highest.

THE FUTURE: Lawson needs to improve his health, control and consistency, but he has the ingredients of a promising starter. He will return to Double-A Amarillo in 2020.