Lancaster, California —— Entering play on Friday night, San Diego Padres right-handed pitching prospect Cal Quantrill is 3-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 11 starts for the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, with 60 strikeouts against 20 walks allowed in 56 innings pitched in 2017. I observed the San Diego Padres’ former first round (2016) pick for his June 12 start on the road in Lancaster; below is Baseball Census‘ full Cal Quantrill scouting report, including video.
Cal Quantrill Scouting Report — Video
Our video of San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill comes from his Monday, June 12 start on the road for Lake Elsinore against the Lancaster JetHawks:
In that start, Quantrill lasted just 2.2 innings pitched, giving up three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four batters. He threw 72 pitches, but just 41 strikes, in that losing effort against the JetHawks.
For more baseball prospect videos like this Cal Quantrill game video, please click here and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Cal Quantrill Scouting Report — Notes
Cal Quantrill features a 92-96 mph fastball with good arm-side run and some sink, and when he commands it well down in the zone there’s good life on the pitch to both sides of the plate. He’s a Tommy John surgery survivor, but arm strength in recovery doesn’t appear to have been an issue as the San Diego Padres prospect’s velocity and fastball life were both above-average in his June 12 start in Lancaster. He’s free and easy on the mound with no obvious discomfort and commands the ball well enough to indicate he’s fully healthy and ready for more innings.
In addition to the fastball, Quantrill features a 78-81 mph slider that is very tight with late break, and an 80-84 mph changeup that he has great feel for to the point where he can throw it in virtually any count to both induce weak contact and miss bats. The slider, tight as it may be with that late 11-to-5 drop, isn’t a true wipeout pitch yet and can be so compact in its break that it looks like a cutter at times. It has good vertical depth at times, though, and should play well—especially against righties. The changeup is Quantrill’s best pitch. He has great feel for it and plainly trusts it against hitters on both sides of the plate, and it tumbles late and arm-side to miss barrels and get weak contact. Some moderate deception in his motion and good arm speed both further help him sell the pitch out of his hand.
Regarding his Tommy John surgery of a couple years ago while at Stanford, you can tell Cal Quantrill is still rusty at times now though healthy he may be. Not only have the San Diego Padres limited his innings thus far in his pro career, Quantrill is also fighting through minor mechanical inconstancies as he continues to adjust to pro ball one calendar year after being drafted. The righty looked consistent enough the first time through Lancaster’s lineup on Monday, but his mechanics started getting out of whack—and he started leaving pitches up in the zone—the longer he worked in that game, necessitating an early exit. That’ll be ironed out with more innings under his belt, though, and the most important thing at this juncture is getting further acclimated to pro ball while being sure elbow issues forever remain a thing of the past.
Cal Quantrill Scouting Report — Projection
Cal Quantrill is impressive for High-A and should move quickly through the minors thanks to advanced sequencing and that very good changeup which complements his above-average fastball. He’ll need to further refine his slider to give him a true third pitch with some wipeout potential, but he’s got more than enough arm strength and a good command profile to help the breaking ball come along in time. A great competitor on the mound with a solid pedigree—he’s the son of former big leaguer Paul Quantrill—not much from here on out should phase the younger Quantrill as the San Diego Padres continue to loosen the reins and allow him to work deeper into games as he gets further removed from the aftermath of surgery.
Long term, he’s a safe bet as a #3 or #4 starter—solid, with good stuff and enough in the repertoire to survive multiple times through an order, but not quite enough plus raw stuff so as to warrant the ‘ace’ label. That projection may change depending on the development of his slider, but as far as being a polished, projectable pitcher with a good frame and great competitiveness, the San Diego Padres found themselves a good one here.
+++
Follow Baseball Census on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Google+ | SoundCloud | Tumblr | Reddit | Giphy
San Diego Padres: Up-and-down Jerry Keel would be perfect for the AFL
August 28, 2017 at 9:35 pm
[…] Not quite as good as the complete game he just twirled, and certainly not as bad as some of his more forgettable outings throughout the season, Jerry Keel sits somewhere in the middle — a shrewd hurler eager to change speeds from nearly the very first pitch of the game who, frankly, is fighting for his life every fifth day to remain a starter among the San Diego Padres impressive group of pitching prospects far more talented than Jerry Keel. […]