Cal Quantrill | RHP
Background
Quantrill, 20, is indeed the son of former Yankee and longtime big leaguer Paul Quantrill. The Yankees selected Cal out of high school in the 26th round of the 2013 draft basically as a shot in the dark. They had no realistic chance of signing him given the draft pool and his strong commitment to Stanford. Quantrill had a 2.58 ERA with 118 strikeouts and 42 walks in 129 college innings. He made three starts as a sophomore last year, blew out his elbow, had Tommy John surgery, and hasn’t pitched since.
Scouting Report
Before elbow reconstruction, the 6-foot-3 and 185 lb. Quantrill was the early favorite to go first overall in this year’s draft. He ran his fastball in the 90-94 mph range and his changeup was already being touted as a big league out pitch. Quantrill also throws sharp sliders and curves and he located everything well. In addition to the impressive four-pitch mix, he also earned big time praise for his pitching aptitude and presence. Quantrill carried himself like a big leaguer on the mound, which I guess isn’t a surprise for a kid who grew up around the game. Although he did not pitch for Stanford this spring, Quantrill has worked out for teams in private showcases, so it’s not like no one has seen him since last year.
Miscellany
As you can imagine, the Tommy John surgery has clouded Quantrill’s draft outlook. MLB.com and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked him as the 22nd and 23rd best prospect in the draft class, respectively. Baseball America had him a little lower at 38th. The Yankees pick 18th and, obviously, they have a tiny little bit of history with Quantrill. Someone in the organization liked him enough to convince the bosses to pop him in 2013.
The Tommy John surgery is a no doubt risk. I know everyone likes to say it’s routine these days, but there’s always a chance Quantrill will continue to have elbow problems and/or his stuff won’t come all the way back. Teams have shown a willingness to take kids rehabbing from Tommy John surgery — Brady Aiken, Jeff Hoffman, and Erick Fedde were all first round picks in recent years despite having their elbows rebuilt prior to the draft — and really, only club needs to be willing to roll the dice.
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