In this section, we'll give you scouting reports on MAJOR LEAGUE CALLUPS, mostly starters that will be making their pitching debuts. If you want an update or scouting report on any call-up, be it pitcher or everyday player, feel free to ask on Twitter or email me anytime and I would be happy to oblige.

August 22

Triston McKenzie (RHP - CLE)

The wild card has arrived. Perhaps no MLB player can don the moniker “Slenderman” better than McKenzie, at 6’5” and a cool 165 pounds (that’s well below less than a pound per centimeter for those keeping track). Taken in the first round in 2015, the dream was that McKenzie would be able to put on some good weight to allow his frame to last through a full season of starting pitching rigors. And… that never happened, as McKenzie’s draft weight (160 lbs) is only five pounds lighter than his current. Forearm soreness cost the 23-year-old McKenzie the last two months of 2018 and he then lost all of 2019 to a nagging upper-back and shoulder strain that refused to get better and caused increased worry about his future.

The repertoire is still premium: two plus pitches in his fastball and curve, alongside an above-average change-up and above-average control. Even more frustrating is that when McKenzie’s been healthy, his results have also been premium, finishing second in the minors in 2017 in strikeouts with 186 and superb surface and peripheral stats. The frontline status has waned now but possibly no starting pitcher with these kinds of skills is more at risk of becoming a bullpen piece than McKenzie for the simple reason that he just doesn’t look like a guy who will hold up through an entire season. In the bullpen, he’d have easy closer upside, but Cleveland has worked with McKenzie on building up his shoulder strength and will give him every opportunity to stick in the rotation, as his upside there is still considerable. Expect strict innings limits. For awhile. Maybe forever. 2019 STATS: Did Not Play. Be careful

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August 8

Matt Foster (RHP - CHW)

A former starter for Gulf State Junior College, Foster moved to the bullpen after his transfer to the University of Alabama, and still maintains a starter’s repertoire rather than a traditional two-pitch relief piece. 6’0” and 210 pounds, the 25-year-old has a fastball that can reach the mid-90s, alongside a slider, cutter, and changeup, all of which are average pitches outside of his changeup, which elicits above-average grades and is his go to offering when he needs a strike. Foster featured solid control rates up the ladder but things got more difficult upon reaching the high minors, where his control rates bumped up to over 3 walks per nine. Still, he features average control of his entire arsenal and walks shouldn’t be too big a feature of his game. Foster’s an interesting prospect who needs to be checked at the highest level to see if his stuff is real, as despite lacking premium heat nor elite batted ball outcomes, has maintained a plus 10 K’s/9 K-rate in the high minors. There’s a shot here at some leveraged role should his stuff make it, but he enters the majors as more of a monitor guy. He’s made three relief appearances this year and has whiffed six batters in four frames with an off-the charts  23% swing and miss rate. He’ll be starting for the South Side today against the Indians but also note that his groundball/line-drive/fly-ball rates in his four innings was 14%/43%/43%. That has danger written all over it.

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July 31 

Kris Bubic (LHP - KC)

Dude makes his major-league debut here. The 22-year-old lefty (he’ll be 23 in August) was taken 40th overall out of Stanford in 2018, made 10 so-so starts in the Pioneer League that year, and began 2019 with Lexington in the Sally. He dominated there, striking out 75 in 47⅔ innings, earning himself a promotion to High-A Wilmington in late May. He passed the summer in the Carolina League, posting a 2.30 ERA in just over 100 innings. His strikeout rate dipped considerably following the jump, but he still managed to clear more than one per frame and was generally quite effective.

Bubic is most often lauded for his changeup, but it’s his mix of three average to above-average pitches, along with advanced pitchability and solid command, that has allowed him to attain this level of success. The deception he creates with his delivery doesn’t hurt either; it’s been compared to Clayton Kershaw’s with a post-kick bend that brings the ball way behind the back before somehow finishing almost over-the-top. The differences between Bubic and the Dodger legend begin but certainly don’t end with the body, where the Stanford man is listed at 6-foot-3 but with a thickness that could almost be called stocky. This is hardly a negative, as his sturdy lower half has afforded Bubic balance and repeatability even as his motion is somewhat unorthodox. He’ll need command and durability to be successful in the majors, and at present there is no reason not to project both.

The fastball might be his weakest offering, but is by no means a bad pitch at 90-94 with considerable run and sink. He’ll get some swing and miss and generates a lot of weak contact with it in the form of sawed-off pops when located up and grounders when located down. His main strikeout pitches are the mid-80s change with plenty of fade and a curveball that he can manipulate from the mid-70s to the low-80s, with sharper, slurvier break in the upper reaches and a truer shape on the lower end. The stuff and sequencing gives him a mid-rotation ceiling and a backend floor. 

Honestly, the lack of high level experience makes it hard to predict. However, when looking for a longshot pitching flier that might be worth taking, this is the kind of guy who often checks the boxes we’re looking for. He's a lefty, has good control, and has a plus-plus out-pitch. Bubic flashed superior command last year in the minors. We deliberately use the word “chance.” If you’re planning to bet Bubic, you need to keep in mind the significant risk. As good as Bubic could be now—and could be even better in future years—he has pitched exactly zero innings above High-A entering 2020. Furthermore, the White Sox have been one of the hottest hitting teams against left-handed pitching. They’ve posted a combined 1.161 OPS, .469 OBP, and .481 wOBA. There is a definite small-sample alert attached to those numbers, but considering that Bubic hasn’t even faced Double-A hitters as a professional, a tough matchup like the White Sox should set off alarm bells. 

2019 STATS: Wilmington (A): 17 g, 17 gs, 7-4, 2.30 ERA, 101.2 IP, 2.4 BB’s/9, 9.7 K’s/9, 3 HR, .164 oppBA

Lexington (A): 9 g, 9 gs, 4-1, 2.08 ERA, 47.2 IP, 2.8 Ctl, 5.1 Cmd, 14.2 Dom, 3 HR, .164 oppBA

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