2023 Countdown to Spring Training: Roman Anthony and Brandon Walter

Physical Description: Left-hander with a medium frame. Not much projection remaining. Looks listed height and weight.

Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Atypical delivery with effort, but it works for him and he repeats it well. Starts angled toward the first base dugout on the middle of the mound, hands by his face before sliding toward third base during wind-up. Swings arm behind with a medium leg kick before coming forward. Short arm action with a hook behind. Hides the ball well before delivery. Will spin and recoil on follow through.

Fastball: 90-93 mph, tops out at 95 mph. Throws both four-seam and two-seam varieties. Can control both, but shows better feel for two-seam with heavy, arm-side run. Slightly below-average spin rate. Potential above-average command profile. Ability to miss bats is dependent on command, as it is not an overpowering pitch. Designed to elicit weak contact primarily, but has shown the ability to dial it up at times. Velocity jumped in 2021 to 92-94 mph, but in 2022 was back in the low-90s primarily, dropping into the high-80s at times. Potential average offering.

Changeup: 80-83 mph. Advanced feel and confidence in pitch. Will throw in any count to hitters on both sides. Throws with the same arm speed as his fastball. Pitch drops off the table late. Really can pull the string on it and elicit lots of swinging strikes. Very high spin rate for a changeup. Command can be spotty at times and will leave up in the zone on occasion. Potential plus offering.

Slider: 80-83 mph. Slurvy, long, two-plane break. 2-to-8 shape. Average spin rate with significant horizontal movement. Feel comes and goes during outings, but has shown the ability to land it for strikes. Tough pitch for left-handed hitters to read; starts right at their body before breaking across the plate. Needs to get more consistent finishing the pitch, as sometimes it will come in loose and hang. Potential plus offering.

Career Notes: Had Tommy John surgery in 2017, missing most of that season and all of the 2018 season. Late-round senior sign in 2019. Stuff improved considerably due to work put in during the cancelled 2020 season, leading to one of the more improbable breakouts in recent memory in 2021. Rose from being something of an afterthought in the Low-A bullpen to begin the 2021 season to being a top-10 prospect in the system in the Triple-A rotation in less than a calendar year. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021. Participated in the 2022 Winter Warm-Up. Did not pitch after June 7 in 2022 due to a bulging disc in his upper back originally diagnosed as a neck strain. Added to the 40-man roster in November 2022 to protect him from selection in the Rule 5 Draft. Participated in 2023 Rookie Development Program.

Summation: Potential back-end starter. Ceiling of a mid-rotation starter. Will show a starter's arsenal with three average-or-better pitches and the ability to turn over a lineup, but does not have a typical starter's delivery. Control is already above-average-to-plus and command should get to at least average. You can debate whether he fits better as a starter or reliever depending on the day you see him. Has some traits that would push him to each potential outcome, but has the makings of a major league-caliber arm either way. If pushed to the bullpen, combination of stuff and handedness gives him a decent floor.