Player of the Week: Tanner McDougal
May 10, 2021
Each week this season, the PBR Nevada staff will be selecting the Player of the Week from the submissions received from the coaches and peers after games have been completed on Saturday afternoons. Submissions will be accepted through Sunday and announced Monday morning as we head into the next week of games.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Oregon commit nearly had himself a perfect week, but the byproduct wasn't too bad either. McDougal tossed a perfect game on Tuesday, a dominant performance that included 14 strikeouts as he continues to raise his stock after a successful Summer and Winter season that culminated in him representing Nevada at the 2021 PBR Super 60 event along side the top MLB Draft prospect in the 2021 Class. His developing 6-foot-6 frame with wide shoulders and room to grow paired with a low to mid 90's fastball and a potential plus slider out of his loose, 3/4 slot, projects to add even more velocity down the road as he adds physical strength. He didn't only perform on the mound last week, he registered an .800 average for the week with a homerun and 4 runs batted in. Though he will only pitch for the Ducks, his bat is hard to ignore in the heart of the Silverado lineup with present power to the pull side as well as an ability to spray line drives to the big part off the yard. McDougal is one of a handful of prospects through the Silver State that have an opportunity to hear their name called in July and performances like the one he produced this past week continue to solidify him as a legitimate professional prospect.
Congratulations to Tanner McDougal on earning Nevada's Player of the Week!
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Scouting Report
McDougal was the most interesting arm of the day and kicked things off by going head-to-head against the top hitting prospects in the state. At 6-foot-5, 200-pounds, the big right-hander has a frame that scouts dream of including wide, broad shoulders, long limbs, and room for much more strength to be developed in the future. He worked exclusively out of the stretch over the course of two innings, and was more effectively wild in the zone than in command of his pitches. The arm works freely through a continuous stroke with impressive quickness out front as he delivers from a high ¾ slot while getting quality extension out front. The fastball jumps on the plate thanks to high spin rates that ran up close to 2600 rpm on the heater. He moves efficiently throughout, and there is a chance that he continues to see the velocity increase as he gets stronger. While the breaking ball was inconsistent in shape, it tunneled best when thrown with depth off the fastball though the sharpest break came in 10/4, slurve-like shape at 74-76. The pitch is tightly spun with upwards of nearly 3000 rpm, and there is obvious aptitude for spin that future pitch design sessions will allow for likely immediate advancements. Intriguingly, McDougal also showed quality feel for a faded changeup, thrown for strikes at an average speed of 86.59 mph, that he comfortably threw to right-handed hitters. McDougal competed and was eager to attack each hitter while entertaining challenges. His upside is likely to be valued moving forward, and given the friendly Trackman metrics, MLB clubs will be monitoring him closely.