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A Camarillo, California native and product of Oxnard College in Ventura County, right-handed pitching prospect Luke Eubank was initially selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 15th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. The 6’0″, 180-lb. righty has spent his entire pro career in the bullpen since, reaching High-A Lynchburg for a portion of an injury-shortened 2017 season before being sent to pitch for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League to fill out some innings and get back on track after spending much of the summer on the disabled list. At the AFL, Eubank appeared in ten games in relief for Glendale, finishing with no record and a 5.79 ERA in 9.1 innings pitched.

It’s there that Baseball Census saw the sinker/slider righty pitch multiple times this fall, and from our looks, we’ve put together a full Luke Eubank scouting report below. In it, you’ll find tool grades, game video, projection notes, and more on the Cleveland Indians farmhand.




Luke Eubank Scouting Report, Cleveland Indians — 2017

Dates observed in 2017: Arizona Fall League

TOOL (FV)
NOTES & COMMENTS
Fastball (50)
Two-seam look with ample arm side run and sink; fades down and in to RHH and makes for a tough pitch to square up when down in the zone. Sink is occasionally hard; the harder and deeper, the better. Long, loose gunslinger arm action helps with pitch life; consistent sink makes pitch a ground ball machine when down. Not overpowering, and won’t miss a ton of barrels at higher levels, but reliable to draw weak ground ball contact with consistency. Command must improve; will flatten out and get fat above the knees. Struggles to execute it with as much life to glove-side as to arm-side; less consistent ability to backdoor the pitch glove-side and keep LHH off the plate. Velocity: 89-92, T 93.

Slider (40)
10-to-4 break; slower spinner with sweeping action rather than hard downward bite. Inconsistent execution; will spin out and back up as he gets around it rather than on top and behind the pitch. Low arm angle aids deception and some sweeping action, making it difficult for RHH to square up when thrown well, but issues with getting under the pitch and hanging it with no bite. At its best, tunnels well with the fastball, but inconsistent execution without good, late life makes it a must-improve if he’s to throw high-leverage innings. Velocity: 78-81, T 82.

Changeup (40)
Nearly identical movement to fastball at its best, with speed differential and some tumble. Comparable pitch to tunnel with fastball and slider from same arm slot and release with arm-side life. As with slider, inconsistent execution here particularly with inability to throw it effectively to glove-side. Some feel for arm action and grip on the pitch, but lacks ability to actualize it beyond setting low middle and letting it run. Needs more nuance in spotting to survive consistently as weak contact pitch at higher levels, especially with LHH leaning out over the plate. Velocity: 80-82, T 83.

Control/Command (50/40)
Control ability to fill up the zone and draw swings over the top of his arsenal with ample downward movement. Command is an issue, though, with too many misses in the zone. Not enough velocity or natural life when left up to give him a margin of error; everything flattens out in upper half of zone and risks being squared up there. Profiles well to continue in relief with command and control as they are now, but even so, could stand to improve command and better execute full repertoire at knees more consistently to work ahead and keep hitters on their heels. Little margin of error; LHH will hit him very hard.

Mechanics
Conventional look with very long arm action in the back; lots of hand movement early, shows the ball very early on arm swing behind head. Low three-quarters delivery with some cross-body deception; lands closed to the plate and makes for a tough at-bat against RHH with sidewinding feel. Drop and drive guy who lacks downward plane; all depth/sink he gets relies on arm action and hand/grip manipulation of the ball. Will drop elbow and get under the ball too often, pushing it up in the zone and flattening it out. LHH pick the ball up very early, pointing him towards a matchup role vs RHH in his future.

Intangibles
Undersized with some command issues, but there’s enough natural life to his sinker that makes Luke Eubank an interesting follow. As with many sinkerballers, his off-speed stuff lags behind, and it’s imperative for him to develop a more consistent slider with depth out of the same tunnel as the fastball. Expect a middle relief job at ceiling with matchup work particularly against RHH, and a more likely up-and-down role in his baseball future.




Luke Eubank Scouting Report — Cleveland Indians — 2017 Game Video





Luke Eubank Scouting Report — Notes, Analysis & Projection

Undersized ever since his time in college and yet still overachieving from then through today, Luke Eubank has an interesting arsenal that can produce a ton of weak, ground ball contact when he’s working down in the zone. His sinker has a shot to be his true carrying pitch with a ton of natural life if he can show some modest command improvements, but as with many sinkerballers, his off-speed stuff lags behind enough to ultimately limit his ceiling into low-leverage relief without any realistic expectation that he’ll miss bats at the next level.

The Cleveland Indians may have a workable long/middle reliever here over the next few years thanks to that sinker, but I’m not bullish on the righty producing too much more as he reaches the upper minors. It may likely be less than middle relief, too, with a real shot here to fade back into organizational depth. Luke Eubank could reach Triple-A Columbus by the end of 2018 if he stays healthy, but regardless, he’s unlikely to be a future big league reliever of note beyond occasional emergency/up-and-down work depending on roster needs.

Overall Future Potential (Future Value): Interesting arsenal but lacks velocity and wipeout stuff; ceiling in low-leverage middle relief, with more likely up-and-down future ahead (35/40)

MLB ETA: 2019




Did you like this Luke Eubank scouting report? Get more prospects here:

Tampa Bay Rays 3B Kevin Padlo — CLICK HERE

St. Louis Cardinals RHP Josh Lucas — CLICK HERE

Colorado Rockies OF Daniel Jipping — CLICK HERE

Milwaukee Brewers RHP Jon Perrin — CLICK HERE

Seattle Mariners INF Joseph Rosa — CLICK HERE

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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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5 Comments

  1. […] Cleveland Indians RHP Luke Eubank — CLICK HERE […]

  2. […] Brewers) Laz Rivera (INF, White Sox)Jancarlos Cintron (INF, Diamondbacks) Spencer Jones (RHP, Rays)Luke Eubank (RHP, Indians) Nicky Lopez (INF, Royals)Luis Urias (INF, Padres) Kody Eaves (INF, Tigers)Cody […]

  3. […] (RHP, Rangers) Laz Rivera (INF, White Sox)Julio Mendez (INF, Brewers) Roel Ramirez (RHP, Rays)Luke Eubank (RHP, Indians) Jancarlos Cintron (INF, Diamondbacks)Spencer Jones (RHP, […]

  4. […] bit of fellow CCCAA product (Oxnard College) and current Cleveland Indians prospect Luke Eubank (scouting report here). OFP (45 FV) Projection play here even without ideal height/stature, but velocity will increase […]

  5. […] Luke Eubank, RHP | Bradley Zimmer, OF […]

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