Written by Greg Fertel
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22 January 2008
- Age: 20
- Height: 6?5?
- Weight: 230 lbs
- Position: Starting Pitcher
- Throws: Right
Scouting Report: The old line on
Zach McAllister was that he was a 2-seam guy. He threw around 90 mph in high school with a lot of movement. Zach himself cleared that up when Eric and I interviewed him last summer. McAllister said that he never threw a 2-seamer, it just looked like he did. He is blessed with plenty of natural movement. The change that the Yankees implemented was to straight out his 3/4 arm slot to a more over-the-top one. He gets less movement, but still has plenty. His control and velocity improved. He's now throwing around 93, with both his curveball and changeup developing. McAllister is a great athlete with a perfect pitcher's frame. I'm 6'4" and 220 lbs, and McAllister was visible bigger than me, so he might be even a little bigger than listed.
History: Hailing from the cold-weather state of Illinois, McAllister may have been underrated at the draft. He added 6 inches and 60 pounds to his frame in his last two years of high school. The Yankees sent McAllister down to the Gulf Coast League immediately after drafting him. He pitched 35 innings with 28 strikeouts, 12 walks, and an ERA of 3.09. Batters just could not lift the ball off the ground, and he posted one of the best (sample size aided) GO/AO that Ive ever seen at 4.29.
This Season: The Yankees surprised some by holding McAllister out of the minor leagues until Staten Island's season began in June. He was making mechanical adjustments and getting himself into shape. New York-Penn League hitters tend to be advanced college hitters. At first glance, McAllister seems to have not been up for the challenge. He pitched 71 1/3 innings with an ERA of 5.17. However, he struck out 75 (9.46 per 9) and walked just 28 (3.53 per 9), allowed just 3 HR (0.38 per 9), and had a GO/AO ratio of 1.59. His BABIP was an elevated .362 thanks to a sky-high 20.5% line drive rate. His FIP would be closer to 3.00 with those numbers. Basically, McAllister was a victim of poor luck and poor defense at the same time. His time in Staten Island was in fact very successful.
Outlook and Movement: A more aggressive organization would send McAllister to the Florida State League, but the Yankees can afford to be patient. He's still just 20 years old and didn't get a lot of work in last season. McAllister will surely start the season at Charleston. He'll join a talented rotation there (which I'll profile tomorrow), and could very well move up to Tampa before the end of 2008. He won't enter the major league picture until 2010 at the absolute earliest.
Ranking: I had McAllister at #24, while Eric had him at #10. Once again, I'd love to hear Eric's thoughts on him. Ashish did not even have McAllister in the top-30, so I'd love to hear his opinion too. I think that one of these days, McAllister could really break out and become a top prospect. I really think he has big-time potential. That said, we're still waiting on it. I love his strikeout rate, but his control isn't top-pitcher worthy yet. The argument for him still falls victim to the young player caveats: his stuff will improve with age, he'll refine his secondary pitches, and his big body should hold up to higher workloads. I'm not down on McAllister per se - I'm just a little cautious with his young arm. I'll say this though - it wouldn't take a lot for me to really believe in him. If McAllister starts the season off with 60 IP of 2.50 ERA, a good strikeout rate, and solid control, I'll be singing his praises.
