Written By: Nathan Hutchinson
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RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson | 20 Years Old
Bats: Right | Throws: Right | 6’3 210Ibs | ETA: 2021
| Fastball | Slider | Curveball | Changeup | Command | FV |
| 55/60 | 45/55 | 45/50 | 45/55 | 55/60 | 55 |
Drafted in the 2nd Round by New York Mets and traded to Blue Jays at the 2019 trade deadline, Simeon Woods-Richardson has become one of the top RHP prospects in baseball. As an 18-year-old he pitched in advanced A-Ball for the Columbia Fireflies and the Dunedin Blue Jays. Pitching at such a level for an 18-year-old pitcher is incredibly impressive and shows how high the Blue Jays think of SWR.
Fastball 55/60
Mid-90s with some run-up in the zone. It might end up as more of a two-seam/sinker due to his mechanics and arm slot. He uses the pitch primarily up or down in the zone, he doesn’t pitch middle in and middle-out very often. He keeps batters on edge and rarely gives them anything to hit.
Slider 45/55
A developing strikeout pitch for SWR, his slider low 80s to mid-80s with some sharp break that plays well vs both RHB and LHB. The hMOV patterns almost like a cutter but with some added vMOV it plays well and generates enough swing and miss to be to a strikeout offering.
Curveball 45/50
Used primarily vs RHB as a secondary pitch, it’s a classic mid-70s 11-7 curve with some extra juice if needed. Still developing but it seems to be nothing more than a 4th pitch to be used when the hitter needs a different lock 2nd or 3rd time through the order.
Changeup 45/55
His changeup has the most upside out of all of his pitches. During his time at the alternate site, he made an emphasis to improve his changeup and it now looks like it could eventually be a plus pitch. Nice depth and fade on the mid-80s offering, it plays nicely off the FB and SL.
Command/Mechanics
The biggest reason why many people including myself on high on SWR is because of his command, it grades out as above-average with some room to improve. His mechanics are solid, he uses his legs well and generates downhill momentum. He’s smooth and his arm speed is controlled.
Future Value
Prospect with a high floor normally don’t also have a high ceiling but that’s the case with SWR, at worst he’s an effective backend of the rotation starter, his ceiling could be anywhere from a low end 3 to a high end 2. Prospect with good command and 4 average or better pitches are extremely valuable and Blue Jays found themselves an excellent asset.
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