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Brandon Workman
Born: 08/13/1988 (Age: 24) |
| Bats: Right |
Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 5" |
Weight: 235 |
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| ¾ arm slot; shorter with arm action; effort in the delivery; some jerk and head snap; improvement becoming smoother; balanced motion; uses body to finish; expends extra energy; body to handle rigors of the position and the long baseball season; not the best of feet, but lands soft enough. |
| Chris Mellen |
| 05/05/2013 |
| Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA, Red Sox) |
| 5/5/2013 |
| 55 |
| 2013 |
| No |
| Fastball |
60 |
90-94 |
95 |
Fastball: 90-94, top 95. Command: solid-average. Movement: downward glove-side finish in lower tier of strike zone; flat when elevated above the thighs. Threw quality strikes; improved command; generated swings and misses; stayed on top of offering well; controlled outing with pitch; used heavily throughout the start; touched for home run when elevated; spots glove side better than arm side; around the plate.
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| Curveball |
55 |
75-78 |
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Curveball: 75-78. Command: fringe-average. Movement: two-plane, overhand break. Flashed deep, hard break; struggled staying on top of ball; wraps around and behind ball during release; shows ability to pull down; drops release point a tad; held onto too long; used sparingly in outing; have seen when better, but pitch comes and goes. |
| Cutter |
60 |
86-89 |
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Cutter: 86-89. Command: average. Movement: dive and dart; late break across the line of sight. Over-threw pitch on occasion; short, sharp break makes it effective; enhanced by command of fastball; weapon against lefties; primarily throws glove side; will grab too much of the plate and back up arm side. |
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Fastball-dominant outing; commanded offering very well in lower tier of zone; pounded zone with heater; got ahead of hitters; missed bats with the fastball; limited solid contact; one major mistake with pitch was taken deep; lacks life and movement at 90-91; better at throwing pitch glove side; got away from him arm side; inconsistent snapping curveball; soft when wraps wrist around ball; hard break when stayed on top; delivery looked looser than previously; arm action on the short side; didn’t have best feel of cutter; will need secondary stuff against advanced hitters.
Overall, project Workman as a seventh/eighth inning reliever, with a set-up man ceiling. The pitcher has a chance to continue starting in the near term and at the very least get a shot at Triple-A, but I feel he is best suited for relief over the long run. Workman has made strides improving his fastball command, which showed in this outing. He consistently hit the target in the lower tier of the strike zone and avoided working elevated too often. He had an easier time hitting spots glove side than arm side. Workman’s fastball tended to get away from him in that spot due to the way he releases the ball. I was impressed with the amount of swings and misses he got with the heater, but it was a very weak Double-A lineup. I don’t think he’ll be able to churn through an advanced lineup without having his secondary stuff, which was very inconsistent in this start. Workman’s curve showed some flashes, but he struggled snapping it off and staying on top of it. The pitcher does expend some extra energy during his delivery and wear down when he labors. The mechanics and arm action can get jerky as well, although in this outing things were smoother. For me, Workman’s stuff has a chance to play up well in a relief role. While his stuff is good, the secondary stuff is on the inconsistent side and shorter outings may allow him to strip down to what is working. It is a good sign he is making progress at the level. I will be interesting to see how Workman handles making adjustments now that lineups are seeing him for the second time.
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