Packy Naughton

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #19 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Naughton was named the Reds minor league player of the year in 2019 after going 11-12, 3.32 between high Class A Daytona and Double-A Chattanooga. The Angels acquired him for Brian Goodwin at the 2020 trade deadline. Naughton was durable enough to throw more than 150 innings in both 2018 and 2019 and spent 2020 at the alternate training sites of the Reds and Angels.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Naughton is a crafty lefthander who works from a slightly funky, low-three-quarters arm slot that adds deception to his three-pitch mix. He throws his fastball in the low-90s with average command, but his best weapon is a changeup he throws with excellent deception, depth and some armside run. Naughton can spin a breaking ball with some shape, but his curveball isn't nearly as effective as his changeup and fastball. He is able to repeat his delivery and has above-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Naughton will likely start 2021 at Triple-A. His lack of high-octane stuff relegates him to the back of the rotation, but with his advanced feel for pitching, durability and control, he should provide starting pitching depth.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #17 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Naughton logged a 6.93 ERA in three years at Virginia Tech, but the Reds liked his stuff from the left side and drafted him in the ninth round in 2017. Naughton rewarded that faith as one of the system's most durable starters the last two years. He pitched more than 150 innings for the second straight season in 2019 and reached Double-A Chattanooga.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Naughton works from a slightly funky, low-three-quarters arm slot that adds deception to his pitch mix. Naughton throws his fastball in the low-90s with average command despite his arm slot. His main weapon is his plus changeup, which has excellent deception, depth and armside run off of his heater. Naughton can spin a breaking ball with some shape, but it isn't nearly as effective as his other two offerings. He is able to repeat his arm slot despite his delivery and has developed above-average control as a professional.
  
  THE FUTURE: Naughton's durability, pitch-mix and control give him a chance to stick as a back-of-the rotation starter. His stuff and arm slot give him a fallback as a lefty reliever.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #28 prospect in 2018
  There was nothing in Naughton's statistics at Virginia Tech that indicated he would be drafted. Despite a 2-6 record and 6.24 ERA for the Hokies, the Reds liked what they saw. Naughton throws his fastball in the 92-94 mph range with an easy delivery. At Billings, he went 3-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 14 appearances, including 12 starts. He throws a slider, curveball and changeup in addition to a plus fastball. He'll throw his slider from a three-quarters arm angle and then drop a true curveball. He has a good changeup that he throws in the low 80s. The Boston native throws all four pitches for strikes and competes well. Naughton has a strange pitching motion with some funk, but is able to repeat it, adding some deception to the delivery. He'll start for now as his feel for pitching gives him survival skills.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #338 prospect in 2017 draft
  Naughton's lefthanded arm strength kept scouts intrigued throughout his time at Virginia Tech. The Massachusetts native has struggled to perform throughout his career with the Hokies; in three years he posted an ERA north of six in just under 180 innings. He seemed to have turned a corner following his sophomore year, when he posted a 1.68 ERA in 42.2 innings in the Cape Cod League. There, Naughton showed upper-level evaluators a low 90s fastball that reached 93 mph and a hard top-to-bottom curveball. He has a long arm swing with a high back elbow as he cocks his arm in the back. Naughton has below-average balance over the rubber and has a tendency to rush his delivery. He has a quick arm and has shown flashes with two pitches and performed in the Cape, so a team could look at him as a low-cost, relatively high-ceiling project.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #15 prospect in 2017
  For an extreme hitter's league in which very few pitchers excel, Naughton was the exception to the rule. The former Virginia Tech southpaw and Reds ninth-round pick was coming off an unimpressive college career, though he pitched well in the Cape Cod League prior to his junior year. With Billings, he recorded an outstanding 3.15 ERA and tied for third with 63 strikeouts. Naughton is a legit four-pitch lefty with his loose arm that delivers a plus fastball up to 95 mph with easy velocity. He commands all of his pitches. Both of his breaking balls, a slider from 79-82 mph with three-quarters break and a downer curveball in the mid-70s, flash as at least average, and he has feel for a low-80s changeup. Naughton has a long arm swing, which provides some deception, and he repeats his motion well. He's athletic enough with enough command to stay in the rotation.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: A ninth-rounder by the Reds in 2017 out of Virginia Tech, Naughton worked his way up to Double-A heading into 2020. The Reds traded Naughton to the Angels along with a player to be named later for Brian Goodwin. He made his major league debut in August of the following year making seven appearances for the Angels over the final months of the 2021 season. He was designated for assignment by the Angels in March and claimed off of waiver by the Cardinals.
  
  Scouting Report: Naughton is the classic up and down starter at this point in his career filling in at the major league level for two organizations over the last two seasons. He features a three-pitch mix with two fastball variations that sit 91-93 mph touching 95 mph at peak, a short slider at 78-80 mph, and changeup at 83-84 mph he shows advanced feel for. Naughton shows the ability to land all of his pitches for strikes and his changeup might grade out as above-average. While his stuff isn&#39t overpowering Naughton knows how to pitch and can fill-in at a variety of roles out of the pen or in the rotation.
  
  The Future: A utility arm if there ever was one, Naughton can fill-in as a spot starter in a pinch, go multiple innings in the pen, or work as a one inning type reliever. He may lack the quality stuff to ever establish himself in a permanent role, but he has value on a major league 40-man roster.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Naughton was named the Reds minor league player of the year in 2019 after going 11-12, 3.32 between high Class A Daytona and Double-A Chattanooga. The Angels acquired him for Brian Goodwin at the 2020 trade deadline. Naughton was durable enough to throw more than 150 innings in both 2018 and 2019 and spent 2020 at the alternate training sites of the Reds and Angels.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Naughton is a crafty lefthander who works from a slightly funky, low-three-quarters arm slot that adds deception to his three-pitch mix. He throws his fastball in the low-90s with average command, but his best weapon is a changeup he throws with excellent deception, depth and some armside run. Naughton can spin a breaking ball with some shape, but his curveball isn't nearly as effective as his changeup and fastball. He is able to repeat his delivery and has above-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Naughton will likely start 2021 at Triple-A. His lack of high-octane stuff relegates him to the back of the rotation, but with his advanced feel for pitching, durability and control, he should provide starting pitching depth.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Naughton was named the Reds minor league player of the year in 2019 after going 11-12, 3.32 between high Class A Daytona and Double-A Chattanooga. The Angels acquired him for Brian Goodwin at the 2020 trade deadline. Naughton was durable enough to throw more than 150 innings in both 2018 and 2019 and spent 2020 at the alternate training sites of the Reds and Angels.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Naughton is a crafty lefthander who works from a slightly funky, low-three-quarters arm slot that adds deception to his three-pitch mix. He throws his fastball in the low-90s with average command, but his best weapon is a changeup he throws with excellent deception, depth and some armside run. Naughton can spin a breaking ball with some shape, but his curveball isn't nearly as effective as his changeup and fastball. He is able to repeat his delivery and has above-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Naughton will likely start 2021 at Triple-A. His lack of high-octane stuff relegates him to the back of the rotation, but with his advanced feel for pitching, durability and control, he should provide starting pitching depth.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Naughton was named the Reds minor league player of the year in 2019 after going 11-12, 3.32 between high Class A Daytona and Double-A Chattanooga. The Angels acquired him for Brian Goodwin at the 2020 trade deadline. Naughton was durable enough to throw more than 150 innings in both 2018 and 2019 and spent 2020 at the alternate training sites of the Reds and Angels.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Naughton is a crafty lefthander who works from a slightly funky, low-three-quarters arm slot that adds deception to his three-pitch mix. He throws his fastball in the low-90s with average command, but his best weapon is a changeup he throws with excellent deception, depth and some armside run. Naughton can spin a breaking ball with some shape, but his curveball isn't nearly as effective as his changeup and fastball. He is able to repeat his delivery and has above-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Naughton will likely start 2021 at Triple-A. His lack of high-octane stuff relegates him to the back of the rotation, but with his advanced feel for pitching, durability and control, he should provide starting pitching depth.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Naughton logged a 6.93 ERA in three years at Virginia Tech, but the Reds liked his stuff from the left side and drafted him in the ninth round in 2017. Naughton rewarded that faith as one of the system’s most durable starters the last two years. He pitched more than 150 innings for the second straight season in 2019 and reached Double-A Chattanooga.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Naughton works from a slightly funky, low-three-quarters arm slot that adds deception to his pitch mix. Naughton throws his fastball in the low-90s with average command despite his arm slot. His main weapon is his plus changeup, which has excellent deception, depth and armside run off of his heater. Naughton can spin a breaking ball with some shape, but it isn’t nearly as effective as his other two offerings. He is able to repeat his arm slot despite his delivery and has developed above-average control as a professional.
  
  THE FUTURE: Naughton’s durability, pitch-mix and control give him a chance to stick as a back-of-the rotation starter. His stuff and arm slot give him a fallback as a lefty reliever.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Naughton logged a 6.93 ERA in three years at Virginia Tech, but the Reds liked his stuff from the left side and drafted him in the ninth round in 2017. Naughton rewarded that faith as one of the system's most durable starters the last two years. He pitched more than 150 innings for the second straight season in 2019 and reached Double-A Chattanooga.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Naughton works from a slightly funky, low-three-quarters arm slot that adds deception to his pitch mix. Naughton throws his fastball in the low-90s with average command despite his arm slot. His main weapon is his plus changeup, which has excellent deception, depth and armside run off of his heater. Naughton can spin a breaking ball with some shape, but it isn't nearly as effective as his other two offerings. He is able to repeat his arm slot despite his delivery and has developed above-average control as a professional.
  
  THE FUTURE: Naughton's durability, pitch-mix and control give him a chance to stick as a back-of-the rotation starter. His stuff and arm slot give him a fallback as a lefty reliever.