Norcal ProCase Spotlight: RHP/3B Tucker Bougie

LINCOLN, CA. - Bougie, presently ranked #60 in California (15th among RHP), is a bundle of numerous talents. Go see him on a day when he's playing 3B in a HS game, hitting 4th, and you see what would draw a scout to him as a hitter. Show up to that game later when he's now on the mound and you see the repertoire and stuff that suggests MLB starting pitcher. Watch that whole game and see him do both (that was my last look and experience with him before the stop of the spring season) and you get to compare Bougie the hitter to Bougie the pitcher. More on that in the summary at the end of this piece.

THE PITCHING REPORT:

Body: 6-foot-3, 200-pounds. Large frame LHH/RHP's generally get attention from the pro game.

Delivery: Nothing complicated, small step, hip turn, knee lift about to the waist, hands working in rhythm w/feet. Strong over the rubber, gets separated on time. Powerful stride that opens slightly at foot strike. High-3/4 slot, loose easy and strong arm, finishes w/extension through deceleration. Very repeatable.

FB: Sat 87-90 mph - 2183 avg spin rate - 13.2 avg IVB - 7.4 avg horizontal movement (HM) - Nothing really jumps off the page with his fastball metrics. Seeing how the ball comes out, how easy his effort level is, how the ball plays through the zone, all is better digested with the eyes vs simply looking at the metrics. Look at the high end (max) of the metrics and we start to see where his ceiling can go... 2265 spin, 15.9 IVB, 10.7 HM. I think its a fair projection to put a future 50 grade on his FB and if a scout really likes him, 55. The challenge is that he's not handled a full HS season load as a starting pitcher to see how his stuff holds up in the 4th/5th innings, etc. 

SL: 76-78 mph - 2398 avg spin rate (2481 max) - -8.6 HM (that is the break to his glove side) - As per TrackMan data from the 2019 season, average MLB slider spin rate was 2414, so he's already right there and occasionally above. He throws it with feel, it's got some depth but there can be more depth developed. His extension of the slider was 4.32 vs 5.37 on the FB, meaning, not as close to the plate. However, his slider can be graded as a future plus pitch, which in turn, helps his FB play up.

CHG: 78-81 mph - 1378 spin rate - 2.5 HM - 5.16 extension - 11.2 IVB - The significant decrease in spin on his CHG vs the FB is significant. Its an indication of the type of late fade in the zone that can get swings and misses and/or soft contact. The lower the spin on the CHG, the more fade/drop of the pitch, i.e. the 'heavier' that pitch is. His usage of this pitch isn't likely to be high in HS as he can dominate HS hitters with his FB and SL. But its very useful to know that he has this pitch and has feel of it and will use it on occasion.

Pitching Summary: He punched out 3 of the 4 batters he faced and finished the hitters using each of his three pitches. That obviously speaks to his pitchability and usability of his repertoire. The slider K was looking, the change-up K was swinging and the fastball K was swinging on a heater up in the zone. He has a full repertoire, he's a strike thrower, he's got the body type and delivery that should hold up. Again, the only questions really can be, can he pitch deep into games and hold his stuff and what's the ceiling on the fastball. Both are questions that likely get answered in college.