2018 Draft Preview: Brady Singer

RHP Brady Singer (Florida): 6'5", 180 lbs, born 8/4/1996

Overview

Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 55.

Brady Singer's stock has had a bit of a roller coaster ride this year, as he was the consensus front runner to be picked first overall coming into the season, but his stock slipped considerably early in the season before building itself back up as the season progressed. When he's right, he's your prototypical top of the draft arm, having dominated the SEC for the past two seasons with a clean delivery, three plus pitches, good command, and well-regarded makeup. However, he hasn't always been at his best, leading to questions. At this point, he's most likely set to go pretty much anywhere in the top ten, but he's unlikely to reclaim that first overall spot from Casey Mize. As of May 20th, he is 10-1 with a 2.25 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP over 13 starts, striking out 92 and walking 18 in 88 innings for the Florida Gators.

Strengths

Singer has a lot of strengths. Starting with his build, he stands 6'5" with broad shoulders a lot of room to add good weight, and though he reportedly had some problems with his physical after being drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft out of high school, he has been completely healthy during his time in Gainesville. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball, but he can easily crank it up as high as 96 when he needs to, and its running life makes it very difficult to square up. He plays it off his at-times plus slider very well, as it breaks hard away from right handers and is nearly unhittable when he is at his best. His changeup is very good as well, showing good depth and coming along nicely with the rest of his arsenal. His command isn't quite pinpoint, but he has walked just 5.1% of his opponents this year and walked just 6% last season, showing the ability to fill the strike zone and help all of his pitches play up. Scouts are impressed with his makeup, as he is extremely competitive on the mound and receptive to coaching. That 2.25 ERA and 92/18 strikeout to walk ratio on the season include some very good starts against some very good teams, including Texas A&M (9 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K), Missouri (7 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 6 K), Vanderbilt (7 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K), South Carolina (6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K), and Kentucky (7 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 10 K).

Weaknesses

Singer's biggest weakness this season has been his inconsistency. Despite those dominant starts against SEC programs (plus Siena and Rhode Island), he has also had some dud starts, including against Miami (5 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 4 K), Tennessee (5 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 K), and a exceptionally strong Arkansas offense (7 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 7 K). Though he has righted the ship recently, those starts do exist, and his stuff looked more average than plus in them. Teams are also a little worried about his mechanics, which resemble those of Max Scherzer because of his lower arm slot, and inconsistency in those mechanics may have caused his early season inconsistency. Otherwise, I'm not exactly sure why people seem to be so down on him, and I wouldn't mind him at all as a top five pick