Trevor Rogers | LHP
Background
The 19-year-old Rogers attends Carlsbad High School in New Mexico. So far this spring he has a 0.33 ERA with 134 strikeouts and 13 walks in 63.1 innings, and he’s hitting .394/.506/.788 with three homers in 89 plate appearances. It’s worth noting he’s not facing the best competition in southeastern New Mexico, though he has performed well in various summer showcase events. Rogers and former big leaguer Cody Ross are cousins.
Scouting Report
At 6-foot-6 and 185 lbs., Rogers has the big and sturdy frame everyone looks for in a high school pitching prospect. His fastball sits mostly in the 89-92 mph range, though he has run it up as high as 95 mph in short bursts. The pitch also plays up a bit because he has a big stride and long arms, so he releases it closer to the plate than the average pitcher. Rogers has a hard breaking ball that is more of a true slider than a curveball, and when he’s at his best, the pitch is allergic to bats. Like most top high school pitchers, he hasn’t developed much of a changeup because he hasn’t needed it. Rogers is a really good athlete and his arm is loose. There’s not much effort in his delivery at all, though, like most young pitchers this tall, his mechanics can come and go.
Miscellany
The various scouting publications all agree Rogers is a first round talent. Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranks him as the 18th best prospect in the 2017 draft class while MLB.com and Baseball America rank him 23rd and 28th, respectively. The Yankees hold the 16th overall pick. The biggest knock on Rogers is his age. He’s already 19 with an November birthday, making him one of the oldest prep prospects in the draft class. Last year Blake Rutherford slipped in the draft partly because he turned 19 in May, a few weeks before the draft. Rogers will turn 20 this fall. They don’t check IDs on the mound though, and athletic 6-foot-6 lefties with good velocity and a promising breaking ball sure are hard to pass up.
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