Caden Lemons

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #17 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The 6-foot-6 Lemons showed signs of growing into his body as a high school senior and signed with the Brewers for $1.45 million as the 46th overall pick in 2017. He remained in Rookie-ball his entire first season and showed he remains a work in progress with many rough edges to be smoothed. He posted a 5.97 ERA in 10 outings at the rookie levels, allowing more than one hit per inning.
  
  Scouting Report: Lemons is a long-term project whose progress will come as he fills out his tall, lanky frame and gets stronger physically. Pitching from a three-quarter arm slot, Lemons gets good movement on his low-90s fastball but also struggles to repeat his delivery, leading to below-average control. He mixes in two breaking balls--a low-80s slider that flashes average and a fringy curveball--and dabbles with a changeup as well. In addition to lacking the coordination to repeat his delivery, Lemons' arm speed is also not yet where it needs to be, further hampering his stuff.
  
  The Future: It's going to take time to put everything together, but the Brewers think a 6-foot-6 pitcher with the potential to throw four pitches is worth the time and effort to develop. Lemons will get his first look at full-season ball in 2019 at low Class A Wisconsin.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #24 prospect in 2018
  It's all about ceiling with Lemons, who figures to throw harder and get better as his long, lanky frame fills out. As it is, the righthander saw his draft stock soar as a high school senior in the spring when his fastball went from 89-91 mph to touching 96. The Brewers drafted him 46th overall and paid him $1.45 million to forgo a scholarship to Mississippi. They were careful with Lemons afterward, allowing him to make only three short starts in rookie ball. With a three-quarters arm slot and a 6-foot-6 frame, Lemons gets good movement on his fastball but struggles to repeat his delivery and release point, making his secondary pitches erratic. He throws both a low-80s slider and a curveball, with the former showing more consistency. He has to continue to work on spinning the ball. Lemons also mixes in a changeup that needs work, but the potential of a four-pitch mix is intriguing for a young, raw pitcher who will need plenty of development. Lemons showed some improvement with his balance and pitching mechanics in the spring, but that will be a constant focus as he fills out physically and learns his body as a pro. Lemons likely will spend the entire 2018 season at rookie ball as the Brewers ease him into a career with vast potential.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #57 prospect in 2017 draft
  Lemons is far from his ceiling, but he started to ripen this spring. On the summer showcase circuit, Lemons was a wiry 6-foot-6 and 170 pounds. He was showing plus arm speed but pitching in the upper 80s and showing little feel for his offspeed stuff, though he flashed the ability to spin a breaking ball. He had some feel for an below-average curveball at the Metropolitan Baseball Classic in July, then reached the low 80s with a slider at the WWBA Championships in the fall. In the spring time, Lemons was more physically filled out and showed an improved delivery. Now, he's more balanced over the rubber and is more online and direct to home plate. His fastball has ticked up as a result; he's reached 96 mph this spring, and some scouts believe he could some day reach the triple digits. His slider has shown flashes of tight spin, but Lemons's feel for spin remains raw and he rarely reaches those flashes. Lemons is likely to be a slow-moving minor leaguer, potentially spending two seasons at a short-season level so that he can continue to get stronger and refine his offspeed stuff. He may be far away from it right now, but Lemons has a tremendously high ceiling.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Lemons is far from his ceiling, but he started to ripen this spring. On the summer showcase circuit, Lemons was a wiry 6-foot-6 and 170 pounds. He was showing plus arm speed but pitching in the upper 80s and showing little feel for his offspeed stuff, though he flashed the ability to spin a breaking ball. He had some feel for an below-average curveball at the Metropolitan Baseball Classic in July, then reached the low 80s with a slider at the WWBA Championships in the fall. In the spring time, Lemons was more physically filled out and showed an improved delivery. Now, he's more balanced over the rubber and is more online and direct to home plate. His fastball has ticked up as a result; he's reached 96 mph this spring, and some scouts believe he could some day reach the triple digits. His slider has shown flashes of tight spin, but Lemons's feel for spin remains raw and he rarely reaches those flashes. Lemons is likely to be a slow-moving minor leaguer, potentially spending two seasons at a short-season level so that he can continue to get stronger and refine his offspeed stuff. He may be far away from it right now, but Lemons has a tremendously high ceiling.