Steven Echavarria Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, Mlb Draft, Prospects

Track Record: Echavarria’s velocity jumped during the spring of his senior year at Millburn (N.J.) High and he was just 17 years old on draft day, which helped propel him up draft boards. Still, even Echavarria expected to make it to college and honor his commitment to Florida. The Athletics pounced in the third round and signed him for $3 million--equivalent to late first-round money--to pry him away from the college ranks. The bonus is the largest the A’s have given to a prep pitcher and their biggest draft deal for a pitcher since signing A.J. Puk--himself a former Florida Gator--for $4,069,200 as the no. 6 overall pick in 2016. Echavarria needed time to build back up and did not make his professional debut in 2023, but he did pitch in Oakland’s fall instructional camp.

Scouting Report: Echavarria’s ease of operation and chance for three above-average pitches is intriguing. The well-rested righthander sat 94-96 mph and touched 97 in instructs. There’s room for more physical projection on his 6-foot-1 frame, too. Echavarria has shown feel to spin a slider--which showed sharp break and 2,500-2,600 rpm spin at its best in high school--and has shown feel for a changeup. Neither was a particularly dominant swing-and-miss offering as an amateur, but the A’s believe both have above-average potential with a chance for more because he has shown a feel for throwing strikes. Echavarria is athletic and generates solid velocity with a loose, easy delivery that he repeats well. He employs a rather large leg swing in his delivery and gets down the mound well.

The Future: Some in the Oakland organization believe they’ve landed a gem in Echavarria. He has midrotation upside and will make his pro debut in 2024.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50