#JACOB NOTTINGHAM SCOUTING MILB PLUS#

Nottingham, a 6th round pick back in 2013, has raked to the tune of. *Pitchers who have yet to play their age-28 season.

There areВ very few successful pitchers inВ the bunch. His Mahalanobis comps based on his 2015 performance are similarly pessimistic.

Although heвЂ™s turned in respectable numbers this year,В heвЂ™s done so as a 22-year-old in A-Ball, which isnвЂ™t overly impressive in KATOHвЂ™s eyes. Using his 2015 numbers, KATOH forecastsВ Mendgden for a weak 0.7 WAR through age-28. The 22-year-old has pitched to a 3.46 ERA and 3.42 FIP over 88 innings, with the help ofВ better-than-average strikeout (22%) and walk (7%) rates. Mengden, who was a fourth round pick in last yearвЂ™s draft, has split time between Low-A and High-A in 2015. LetвЂ™s start with Daniel Mengden, who is a right-handed pitcher just a year removed from Texas A&M. HeвЂ™s a AвЂ™s-type pickup in that he doesnвЂ™t blow you away with stuff or size but has the ability to eatВ 180 innings at somewhere around a league average level if things work out. A scout I talked to said MengdenвЂ™s stuff has been more fringy to average this year and he looks like a middle reliever or long man on some days, then like a solid back-end starter on others.

#JACOB NOTTINGHAM SCOUTING MILB PLUS#

He isnвЂ™t big and doesnвЂ™t have a plus pitch, but has good feel, three solid average pitches and athleticism - he was also a pretty good hitter as a a two-way guy in college at Texas A&M - so youвЂ™re looking at a lower risk, possibly quick-moving back-end starter type. Mengden only missed the list due to some back issues which he now looks to be mostly past, so IвЂ™d slide him up to the 40 FV group. I could see the AвЂ™s holding onto him like Franklin Barreto, as a potential up the middle impact type that was the prize of a trade, or spinning him into aВ more MLB-ready piece(s) before next April if the right offer comes along and their 2016 plan comes more into focus. I would have Nottingham in the 6-10 area of the Astros list as a 50 FV, even with Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Daz Cameron entering the system from the recent draft, since theyвЂ™re basically just taking the place of Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers and Vincent Velasquez in the top 10 of the org list.ДЄs a 50 FV, Nottingham would be in the (roughly) 85-150 area of my top 200В using last yearвЂ™s list as a guide, but IвЂ™ll have a more specific answer after I go through the entire research process this off-season.В Nottingham should spend all of next year in the minors and probably most, if not all of 2017, in part because catchers take longer to learn the small things than any other position and heвЂ™s still pretty raw back there. He may have enough bat to play everyday at any corner position, so itвЂ™s hard to not be excited from OaklandвЂ™s perspective, as thereвЂ™s a lot to like here.

HeвЂ™s 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds at 20 years old, while remaining athletic and performing against older competition. 260 or better if it all works out, Nottingham could be an above average everyday catcher. That said, thereвЂ™s above average raw power potential and arm strength, withВ a chance to hit.

A scout I spoke to today answered the вЂњWill he be a catcher?вЂќ question with вЂњYes, not elite defensively, but will hit enough to make it work.вЂќ ThereвЂ™s still some typical A-Ball stuff to work on for him, as another scout told me today that NottinghamВ gets a little too high or low on himself based on offensive results, and there are some mechanical issues to work out behind the plate, but this is normal for a 20 year old. HeвЂ™s emphatically answered the offensive concerns this year, and that makes the defensive questions less important. Based on the preseason rankings, this will look like a light return, but given NottinghamвЂ™s breakout season, they did indeed land a guy who would have ranked in the Astros top 10 if the list was re-done today.Д¬oming into the season, Nottingham was an offensive-minded catcher with the body and tools to be a high-level prospect, but there were some questions relating to his contact and defensive skills. I donвЂ™t have inside info on how the negotiations went down, but IвЂ™m guessing Kazmir was long a target for Houston (as they took a run at him this offseason) and Oakland was holding out for a top 10 prospect in the Astros organization. Both players were among the group of six given 35+ FV grades, so they were both in the 23-28 range in HoustonвЂ™s system entering the year.

Jacob nottingham scouting milb