Aaron Blair
Born:
05/26/1992 (Age: 31)
Bats:
Right
Throws: Right
Arm Slot: Over the top
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 250
Primary Position: RHSP
Seconday Position: -
Throws: Right
Arm Slot: Over the top
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 250
Primary Position: RHSP
Seconday Position: -
Acquisition Period:
1st Rd. (CBA, #36 overall), 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (ARI); Acquired in trade for S. Miller by SD 11/13/15 (ATL)
Entry Point: 4 Yr College
Entry Point: 4 Yr College
Report Info
| Evaluator: | Billy Henley |
| Report Date: | August 16th, 2016 |
| Dates Seen: | 7/27/16 |
| Level: | Triple-A |
| Affiliate: | Gwinnett Braves |
| MLB Team: |
|
Physical Description
Tall, physical; Thick through lower half; long armed and high waisted
Mechanical Notes
Works from hybrid windup; hands start at chest; stab to medium/long arm circle; rotates hip to over-closed at top of leg lift; hides ball well; slight rush forward with body on foot strike; arm will drag occasionally; lands online; repeatable delivery; 1.4-to1.5 seconds to plate.
| MLB ETA | Future Floor | Future Ceiling | Realistic Role | Risk | 2016 | 45 | 55 | Role 50: #4 Starter | Moderate |
|---|
| Pitch | Present | Future | Sitting | Max | Comments |
| Fastball | |||||
| Fastball | 55 | 55 | 92-94 | 96 | Downhill plane; command to outer half; some late run when thrown arm side. |
| Downhill plane; command to outer half; some late run when thrown arm side. | |||||
| Curveball | |||||
| Curveball | 30 | 40 | 79-81 | 81 | Loose and loopy; arm late on this pitch; misses up; used primarily early in count. |
| Loose and loopy; arm late on this pitch; misses up; used primarily early in count. | |||||
| Slider | |||||
| Slider | 45 | 55 | 83-84 | 85 | Showed snap down in zone; put away pitch to RHH; go-to pitch in high-leverage situations. |
| Showed snap down in zone; put away pitch to RHH; go-to pitch in high-leverage situations. | |||||
| ChangeUp | |||||
| ChangeUp | 50 | 55 | 82-85 | 87 | Late fade; matches fastball release point; average- to above-average offering; used in all counts; viable out pitch to LHH |
| Late fade; matches fastball release point; average- to above-average offering; used in all counts; viable out pitch to LHH | |||||
| Overall Command | |||||
| Overall Command | 40 | 50 | |||
| Overall Control | |||||
| Overall Control | 45 | 50 | |||
MiLB Stats
Overall Summary
Physical back-end starter with fairly clean mechanics; has a tendency to rotate his front hip beyond square at balance point which hides the ball well, but leads to some flyout in his drive to the plate. He shows mild rush forward on foot strike, leading to some arm drag, especially on the curveball. When he is in sequence, he gets downhill with his fastball, which shows run when thrown to the arm side and consistent command to the glove side down in the zone. Shows feel and confidence with slider and changeup. Overall aggressive approach, attacking hitters and working around the zone. Two average-to-above average off-speed pitches play up off an above-average fastball. Projects to be a solid #4 starter if he can work through command/control issues.
