This past spring, I went down to see Dylan Tate (RHP, So) at Jefferson Community College. Tate was an Oklahoma commit so it wasn’t like he was a complete unknown, but there were no scouts in the stands and he was not in serious contention to be drafted. I came away impressed with him though due to his arm action, fastball, and general demeanor on the mound, and had him as a middle of Day 3 pick, with a signing bonus of 150k. I’m not super familiar with Oklahoma’s staff and so I’m not sure if the plan is for him to start or relieve, but I personally think he should be a starter, and it will be interesting to see how he is utilized.
Bio:
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 200
B/T: R/R
Hometown: Eureka, MO
Prev School: Jefferson Community College (MO), Eureka HS
Delivery:
Fairly compact arm action with a medium length arm circle, and a medium high leg kick. The lower half is a bit stiff, doesn’t get very deep into his load, limited hip shoulder separation. Good arm speed in general, has a bit of a hesitation after separating ball from glove but is still on time. Stride is inline, varying degrees of a head wack, but is in control of himself throughout. Delivery will not impede starting ability, like the arm action overall.
Physical Description:
On the shorter side but with a strong frame, square shoulders. Limited physical projection.
| Category |
Future |
Velocity |
Comments |
| Fastball |
55 |
90-94 |
T96, flatter approach angle + carrying shape lets it live up in the zone effectively |
| Slider |
45 |
79-83 |
Mostly downer shape, not a ton of feel, best show avg bite, but inconsistent and lets it sail frequently |
| Changeup |
40 |
83-85 |
Straight change w/o a ton of velo difference, has some late fade at its best |
| Control |
55 |
|
Throws quality strikes, lives in the zone. Precise w FB, not really w offspeed |
Summation:
Despite lack of physical projection and a true out pitch, I think the fastball, arm action and command provides a starter package. Offspeed needs a lot of work, but went to a smaller HS in Missouri (Eureka), and then went JeffCo, which I don’t think has much in the way of advanced pitching tech/coaching. I think there is more room for pitch grip / design growth with his offspeed pitches than the typical B10/SEC type pitcher who has access to that stuff, could see a spike in quality at Oklahoma. Strong presence on the mound, gets fired up coming off the mound at the end of the inning but doesn’t get overly emotional while pitching. Swingman / spot starter potential.
Bonus: $150,000