SoCal ProCase Spotlight: RHP Evan Yates
August 25, 2020
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FULLERTON, CALIF. - Right-handed pitcher Evan Yates of King High School in Riverside is no stranger to us at PBR California after having seen him play for his high school team and at several events over the course of the last couple years. And while he has the capacity to play third base in high school which he does, it’s apparent that his future is clearly on the mound.
Yates was a member of Team California at the 2019 PBR Future Games where he showed flashes of his potential on the mound. Fast forward to this summer and Yates has taken the next step in his development with added velocity and strength in the frame. Velocity and strength aren’t the only things that have improved for Yates, his command of pitches has taken the next step too.
Yates had a very efficient outing at the SoCal ProCase needing only 26 pitches to dispatch of the five hitters he faced. He struck out three hitters and induced two fly ball outs while throwing close to 60% of his pitches for strikes.
THE REPORT:
Body: 6-foot-1, 180-pounds. Long and lean with a high waist. Lean, wiry strength with streamlined musculature throughout the frame.
Delivery: Starts with hands at chest and keeps them there as he brings his front leg up to the glove before driving down the mound. Online stride with a firm, stable front leg. Compact arm action with a short stab at the bottom. Arm is quick with good extension while maintaining body control from a 3/4 slot which he repeats and maintains on all of his pitches.
FB: Pitched 87-88 mph, while touching 90 several times. There’s movement through the zone with late life. Shows the ability to command the pitch to all quadrants in the zone. Not afraid to come inside on RHH making his second pitches play up. There’s way more velocity in the arm. Average Induced Vertical Break of 21.6” (high of 25.5”). Average Horizontal Movement of 6.8” with average spin rate of 2317 RPM (high of 2406 RPM).
CH: Pitched 83-84 mph. Pitch shows late, snapping life at the plate with the ball virtually falling off the table. Comes from the same tunnel as the fastball and the same release point/arm slot. The pitch proved to be difficult for hitters to pick up on early resulting in consistent swing-and-miss efforts. Average Induced Vertical Break of 17.7” (93rd percentile) causing extreme ride. Average spin rate of 2422 RPM is well above the average for the 2019 MLB season of 1777 RPM. Average horizontal break of 18.6” (93rd percentile) resulting in extreme running action. The metrics show the changeup to have extreme sinking and running action.
CB: Pitched 74-76 mph. Curveball has true 12/6 shape. Yates shows the ability to keep the ball down in the zone for strikes and more often than not, swing-and-miss results. Average spin rate of 2282 RPM with a high of 2332 RPM. Average induced vertical break of -6.3” with an average horizontal movement of -8.3” indicating the pitch has significant drop with some sweeping action. Both metrics put him in the top 15% high school averages. There’s quality depth, shape, and break to the pitch that was unhittable in his outing as he was able to spot it for strikes.
Summary: Yates has the look of a prototypical Cal State Fullerton pitcher we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. He has the stuff, body, and arm speed to thrive in the Titans system. The continued development of his pitches along with added strength give Yates the profile of a weekend starter in the Big West at worst with his ceiling being the ace of the staff. His willingness to pitch inside reflects his toughness on the mound where he attacks hitters while challenging them with his arsenal that is presently average at worst.
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