Ryan Weathers | LHP
Background
Weathers, 18, is the son of former Yankee and longtime big leaguer David Weathers. He attends Loretto High School outside Nashville and plays both baseball and basketball. Weathers is committed to Vanderbilt, where he is expected to get a chance to be a two-way player.
Scouting Report
Like his father, Weathers is a big dude at 6-foot-2 and 210 lbs., and he’s a gutsy pitcher who doesn’t shy away from hitters. He does have better stuff than his father, however. Weathers will sit 90-92 mph and touch 95 mph with his high spin fastball, and he commands his heater very well. A quality curveball and a very advanced changeup (by high school standards) round out his repertoire. Weathers is the son of a big leaguer and it shows — his mechanics are refined, he knows how to set hitters up, and his command is strong. Also, he’s a good athlete who can hit a little, though his long-term future lies on the mound. At this point, the biggest knock on Weathers is that neither his curveball nor his changeup are clear cut future out pitches.
Miscellany
The various scouting publications all have Weathers ranked similarly in their latest rankings. MLB.com and Keith Law (subs. req’d) both have Weathers as the 16th best prospect in the draft class and Baseball America has him 17th. The Yankees hold the 23rd pick. The Yankees have used high picks on similar fastball/curveball/changeup advanced prep arms in the recent past (Ian Clarkin, Drew Finley, Nolan Martinez, Austin DeCarr) and Weathers would be good value with that first round pick.
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