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After being drafted by the New York Yankees out of the University of Southern Mississippi as a 22nd round selection in 2015, Cody Carroll broke out in 2017, splitting time between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton with a power relief arsenal that should push him to Yankee Stadium next year. The 6’5″, 210-lb. right-handed relief pitcher just turned 25 (DOB: October 15, 1992), and the Yankees rewarded his strong season with a spot on the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, which is where we saw him throw five times across October and November.

In total, Cody Carroll finished 3-5 with a 2.54 ERA in 39 relief appearances this summer, locking up seven saves over 67.1 innings pitched while allowing just 46 hits (.191 opponents’ batting average) and striking out 89 hitters. At the AFL, the New York Yankees pitching prospect was even better and drew considerable attention for his efforts: nine relief appearances, four saves, and just two hits and five walks — no runs allowed — against 18 strikeouts over 11.2 innings pitched. Barring something unforeseen, Cody Carroll will parlay that stellar season and power profile into big league time in 2018; below, we’ll break down his arsenal and future value, and share video from his time pitching at the Arizona Fall League the last six weeks.




Cody Carroll Scouting Report, New York Yankees — 2017

Dates observed in 2017: Arizona Fall League

TOOL (FV)
NOTES & COMMENTS
Fastball (80)
Four-seam. Legitimate double-plus velocity out of overhand release with downward plane. Very little nuance; tries to blow hitters away. Unafraid to challenge hitters. Modest arm-side run at times, especially when he starts it to arm-side, but little by way of natural life or sink beyond downward plane created by release point and stature. Will fall off hard arm-side on occasion and leave arm lagging behind, which pushes fastball up and out over the plate, but velocity is the equalizer; don’t overcomplicate this pitch — it’s elite velocity that will play during high-leverage innings in The Show. Velocity: 95-98, T 99.

Slider (60)
Extremely tight spin with 11-to-5 (occasional straight 12-to-6) break. Lacks some feel/nuance for the pitch and can’t always command it side to side, but enough control in the zone and as a wipeout pitch. Comes out of his hand like a fastball; very little hand/finger manipulation besides grip, which allows velocity to play up without much risk of hanging or backing up. Enough depth and hard break to be effective to both RHH and LHH. Will miss bats. Velocity: 86-89, T 90.

Splitter (60)
Considerable arm-side fade with hard, late tumble; almost screwball-like in its movement at times. Carroll throws the pitch hard like the fastball, and uses a somewhat non-traditional grip, preventing hitters from picking up spin and ensuring pitch doesn’t knuckle and hang. Arm-side movement with life helps pitch work against RHH and LHH. Will miss bats. Velocity: 84-86, T 87.

Control/Command (50/40)
Control ahead of command, sum total is average at best. Struggles at times to extend glove side with fastball in upper velocity band. Falls off hard to arm side at finish and will leave pitches up in the zone as arm lags behind body. Struggles to command off-speed beyond two spots: low-middle for strikes early, and wipeout down and out of zone for strikeouts late. That said, enough power and late life in arsenal to make up for it; so long as he throws enough strikes to fill up the zone and consistently challenge hitters, Cody Carroll can survive with below-average command as a power reliever.

Mechanics
Turns his back to the hitter at balance point; uncorks as he comes to the plate with ample deception to RHH. Hands break early, with ball dropping noticeably down behind body; allows LHH to pick up the pitch very early. Deception significantly better to RHH than LHH. High three-quarters/nearly overhand release point with downward plane from 6’5″ frame. Front foot lands slightly open to plate, and momentum will fall off hard to first base in follow-through. In turn, that’ll make things difficult for his arm to catch up to his body and get out in front at release; will pitch quite a bit in the upper half of the zone because of it. Free and easy arm action with ball that explodes out of the hand.

Intangibles
No-nonsense power reliever; controls emotions well in high-leverage situations. Calm demeanor with clear intelligence about how to sequence hitters. Low key, slow heartbeat guy; fit in well at notoriously laid back AFL, but can’t imagine him being overwhelmed by the moment in a critical high-leverage situation.




Cody Carroll Scouting Report — New York Yankees — 2017 Game Video








And we’ve also got an interview video with Cody Carroll from the AFL, where the New York Yankees relief prospect showed us how he holds and throws his full pitch arsenal:




Cody Carroll Scouting Report — Notes & Analysis

By far, Cody Carroll was the nastiest bullpen arm at the Arizona Fall League this year. I didn’t see a single hitter who looked comfortable in the box against the big New York Yankees righty, and it’s that more so than double-plus velocity which should garner attention: stepping in against Cody Carroll makes for a seriously uncomfortable experience. The velocity alone can blow away good professional hitters, but Carroll has enough in his back pocket between the slider and splitter that they can’t sell out dead-red. There’s enough control here and more than enough life through his arsenal to give the righty a shot to carve hitters from both sides of the plate, and in turn that gives Carroll the ability to sequence his stuff rather than just blow people away.

Add in a deceptive delivery that’s proven itself repeatable,  particularly against righties, and it’s clear why the Yankees farmhand allowed just two hits the entire AFL season. He’s already 25 years old with that age eating into some of his big league competitive window, but timetables are somewhat different for short-stint power relievers, and Cody Carroll should have no problem providing big league value for the New York Yankees. Whether he’s a legitimate closer of the future in waiting, or just a consistent and nasty set-up man, Cody Carroll’s future will undoubtedly be one throwing high-leverage innings late in games; if the Arizona Fall League is any indication, his calm demeanor and power profile make the righty particularly well-suited for that high-stakes role in the spotlight.

cody carroll scouting report new york yankees baseball video arizona fall league 2




Cody Carroll Scouting Report — Future Projection

Barring something completely unforeseen, it’s tough to imagine a scenario where Cody Carroll doesn’t reach the big leagues with the New York Yankees at some point in 2018. At 25 years old, he’s starting a bit older than what’s ideal, of course, but as a power reliever, he’ll adjust to the big leagues quickly in a no-nonsense role. Command issues will leave him open to being hit hard on occasion if he can’t get the ball down, and maybe that tempers his future value from a closer to more of a set-up role, but Carroll’s velocity and power profile are as good as they come at this level and it’ll earn him some sort of high-leverage role in The Show. If all goes well and his stuff looks like it did at the AFL, Cody Carroll has the opportunity to be a force in the late innings for the New York Yankees, and his is certainly a name you need to know ahead of spring training 2018.

Overall Future Potential (Future Value): Legitimate late-inning relief option with power arsenal to close games in the big leagues; age eating into window, but profile will provide big league value quickly (57.5/60)

MLB ETA: 2018




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Bobby DeMuro

Bobby DeMuro is the founder of Baseball Census. A former college and independent league baseball player, he now watches more than 200 games a year working full time for the site. You can follow him on Twitter @BobbyDeMuro for more.

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