Glenn Otto

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #15 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Otto was the Yankees’ fifth-round selection in 2017 and wound his way through the minors until 2021, when he was dealt to the Rangers as part of the deal that sent Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez to New York. He saw huge improvements in 2021 and made his big league debut on Aug. 27 and got six starts with Texas.
  
  Scouting Report: The biggest reason for Otto’s success centered around tweaks to his arsenal. Specifically, the Yankees worked with him to add a slider in order to give him weapons to both lefties and righties. The pitch, thrown in the low-to-mid 80s, showed excellent sweepy break and worked as a perfect complement to his downer curveball in the low 80s. Otto rounds out his pitch mix with a high-80s changeup. Before the trade, he also worked to tweak his delivery a little bit in order to improve the timing of his arm stroke. Scouts showed a bit of concern with Otto’s inability to command his arsenal to his arm side.
  
  The Future: Otto will try to win a job in the Rangers’ rotation out of spring training. If not, he’ll head to Triple-A for more seasoning. He has the ceiling of a No. 4 starter in the big leagues.
  
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #19 prospect in 2018
  Much like they did with Chance Adams, the Yankees looked at Otto, who made just four starts in 84 appearances with Rice, and saw a pitcher with rotation potential. He dealt with a little bit of shoulder soreness early in his junior season but rebounded to strike out 81 in 59.2 innings with the Owls. That was enough for the Yankees to take him with their fifth-round pick. Once Otto got to pro ball, the Yankees used him on a starter's schedule, with five or six days coming between appearances. Those who saw him after he signed saw a potential horse, based on his massive size and fastball in the mid-90s with downhill plane. He coupled the fastball with an average or better 12-to-6 curveball that he used to ring up 30 strikeouts in his first 20 pro innings. He's still developing his changeup, and his fastball command will have to show continued refinement, but the Yankees like his upside as a rotation piece. If he falters in that role, he could easily move back to the bullpen and dominate. He's slated for the rotation with Charleston in 2018, where he would join an intriguing mix of high-end arms with varying backgrounds.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #181 prospect in 2017 draft
  Otto got off to a slow start this season after battling some shoulder soreness in the leadup to the season. While he's not missed any time since the season began, his stuff has not been as sharp and the results have not been as good. Otto has allowed as many earned runs this year as he did in his freshman and sophomore years combined and his .241 average against is 100 points worse than the batting average he allowed as a freshman. Otto does still get to 95 mph on his better days, but there are other outings where he's 90-93 with a straight and hittable fastball. His curveball has flashed plus for three seasons and does give him a chance to have two above-average pitches in pro ball. Otto was used extensively last year (71 innings in 33 appearances as a sophomore), so there is some hope that his stuff will pick up in shorter stints.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Otto was the Yankees’ fifth-round selection in 2017 and wound his way through the minors until 2021, when he was dealt to the Rangers as part of the deal that sent Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez to New York. He saw huge improvements in 2021 and made his big league debut on Aug. 27 and got six starts with Texas.
  
  Scouting Report: The biggest reason for Otto’s success centered around tweaks to his arsenal. Specifically, the Yankees worked with him to add a slider in order to give him weapons to both lefties and righties. The pitch, thrown in the low-to-mid 80s, showed excellent sweepy break and worked as a perfect complement to his downer curveball in the low 80s. Otto rounds out his pitch mix with a high-80s changeup. Before the trade, he also worked to tweak his delivery a little bit in order to improve the timing of his arm stroke. Scouts showed a bit of concern with Otto’s inability to command his arsenal to his arm side.
  
  The Future: Otto will try to win a job in the Rangers’ rotation out of spring training. If not, he’ll head to Triple-A for more seasoning. He has the ceiling of a No. 4 starter in the big leagues.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Otto is the rare pitcher whose results have skyrocketed while his velocity has taken a step back. His fastball now sits in the low 90s, but the addition of a slider has made all the difference in the world because it pairs with his curveball to give him weapons to hitters from both sides of the plate. Otto got a chance to work together in the 2019 Arizona Fall League with Rangers scout Mike Anderson, who served as the pitching coach for the Surprise Saguaros. Two years later, Otto was the only pitcher included in the teams' Joey Gallo blockbuster.