PBR Draft 100 Spotlight: Sam Carlson
May 19, 2017
By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor
When RHP Sam Carlson (Burnsville HS, MN) showed up to the 2015 Future Games, he was seen as a legitimate two-way prospect at the college level. He was named MVP of the event that weekend and quickly committed to Florida. Now it looks like he won’t make it to Gainesville, bypassing the Gators for professional baseball.
Scouting Report
4/17/17 - Attracted a large crowd of high-level scouts Monday, making his second regular season start. The Florida recruit stands at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds with a long, lean frame and projection. He prepares to pitch with a purpose and has an imposing presence on the mound. He’s in control of the game at all times. His delivery is clean, directional and lands with a close toe and a strong front side. His arm action is short, clean and quick through a high-3/4 slot.
8/10/16 - Allowed two runs on three hits and struck out two in one inning. His fastball was 89-90 and he got several swings and misses on a good changeup at 80-82.
6/23/16 - Strong all-around showing on Thursday. First, the 6-foot-3, 193-pound Florida recruit turned on a 90-mph for a double off the left-field wall. Later in the game, Carlson pitched three innings of scoreless relief with one hit, three strikeouts and a walk.
8/23/15 - Didn’t collect a hit today, but had two hard-hit balls, grounding out to short and flying out to center. He exhibited a short, quick swing and stayed back on a curveball on the fly out.
8/11/15 - Inconsistent round of BP, but got the start in the first White Sox game, going four innings and allowing two hits and two walks while striking out four.
8/2015 - Committed to University of Florida.
2015 Future Games - RHP/OF showed off his two-way ability and dominated on both sides of the ball, earning him MVP honors of the Future Games. In three games, the 6-foot-4, 185-pounder went 5-for-8 with four doubles, a triple and four RBIs. On the mound, he pitched two innings and struck out two while giving up one hit and a hit batter. During the workout portion of the event, Carlson showed off his arm strength in the outfield, hitting 89 mph, which then translated to the mound. He sat 85-88 mph with arm-side life and showed good feel for his secondary stuff. His changeup was 78-79 with fade and his slider was 77-78 with lateral action. He pitches with rhythm and tempo and comes through a 3/4 slot. At the plate, Carlson starts slightly open and takes a good path to the ball with a smooth, easy swing. When he gets his front foot down in time, he shows off easy raw power to all fields.
7/15/15- 6-foot-4, 185-pound player that is widely viewed as legitimate 2-way prospect at the college level. Fast twitch ability with athleticism on the field. Fastball in the upper 80's with power breaking ball on mound. Also has the ability to hit with bat speed and consistently squares baseballs.
6-foot-3, 175-pound right-handed pitcher. Easy arm action with slender athletic build. Fastball is 86-88mph with life. Curveball has quality shape and is thrown for strikes. Changeup in 75-77 range. Projectable arm and will continue to increase velocity with physical maturity and strength gains.