Taft, California —— At the top of this post, watch our scouting video of Taft College right-handed relief pitcher Seth Sorensen, throwing in the Cougars’ second-to-last game of the spring season against Reedley College during California junior college baseball play in the Central Valley Conference. Sorensen, who is committed to play at Indiana Tech (NAIA) for the next two years, is fresh off two strong seasons pitching for the Cougars, including finding a home in the bullpen this spring where his hard stuff and max effort delivery play up in short stints.
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Seth Sorensen scouting report notes
There’s a lot to love about a relief pitcher who throws with a little attitude, and down the stretch this spring, that was Seth Sorensen in his work for Taft College. The big sophomore right-handed pitcher from Utah—who’s on his way to NAIA powerhouse Indiana Tech in the fall—is a great fit coming out of the bullpen in high-leverage situations with a max effort delivery, a mean streak on the mound, and the attitude to go right after hitters in tight situations with a nice one-two punch of hard stuff.
As you’ll see in the video (above), Sorensen has a pretty radically overhand release point, but at his size (6’3″) when he commands the fastball down in the zone, he gets a phenomenal downward plane on the pitch. Hitters have a lot of trouble squaring the ball up when it’s commanded down like that. Combine the plane with his velocity — he’ll sit 84-86 mph with regularity and top out at 87-88 mph — and he’s a formidable threat coming out of the ‘pen when his command is present. His fastball is relatively straight due to the overhand release point, but at times he seems to have the ability to both cut it arm-side, and run it glove-side with a boring, heavy two-seam look. If he can figure out either the two-seamer or the cutter with regularity and consistent command, that’d be an entirely new wrinkle to keep batters on each side of the plate honest against his main offering.
In addition to the fastball, Sorensen flashes a 70-74 mph overhand curveball. He throws it hard, and it spins tight—tight enough that you could consider it a slider—but when the pitch is thrown hard and released in the right place, it’s got nearly a straight downward plane and shows flashes of being a true strikeout pitch. He struggles to command it at times, and he needs to work on finding a consistent release point, but when he gets out in front and stays on top with fastball-like arm action, it’s a nasty two-strike offering that he can bury against both right- and left-handed batters.
Sorensen also shows a changeup that sits 71-74 mph, and while it’s clearly his third-best pitch right now, it shows flashes of quality with some arm-side run and a bit of depth when he throws it down in the zone. Like the curve, he can struggle to command it, and with the change in particular Sorensen can at times slow down his arm action noticeably. But considering his role out of the ‘pen, it’s not really a pitch he’d need very much, anyways. If he can improve it, that might push him into a role in the starting rotation.
His delivery is interesting, with a bit of a hitch after he breaks his hands at his belt. He’ll hold the ball down low behind his back, and he hides it extremely well from right-handed hitters, who are noticeably uncomfortable in the box against Sorensen. That’s a double-edged sword, though, because lefties should have no trouble tracking the ball early from behind his back from their vantage point in the opposite batter’s box.
Above all, Sorensen is a high energy guy on the mound and a perfect fit for the back end of a bullpen. He’s coming off an exceptional year with Taft — 4-1 with four saves and a 2.49 ERA in 47.0 IP to go along with 24 strikeouts against just 40 hits and 16 walks — and another summer of working on command and off-speed stuff should only improve his repertoire. As solid a physical frame as he has, the more he can build out raw strength through his lower half and core, and the more you might see a significant velocity jump. Add the thought of a potential 90-92 mph fastball to this Seth Sorensen scouting report in the future, and you’ve got a lights-out reliever worth following.
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Seth Sorensen scouting report: 140 characters or less
A deceptive righty with hard stuff and a mean streak on the mound, further refinement could turn Seth Sorensen into one hell of a reliever.
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Seth Sorensen scouting report video
Here’s a look at our most recent Seth Sorensen baseball video, taken from his multi-inning relief stint for Taft College against Reedley College on April 25:
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In this Taft College / Seth Sorensen baseball scouting report:
Taft College | Reedley College | Central Valley Conference | Seth Sorensen
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