Shane Baz

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #4 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 60/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The Pirates drafted Baz 12th overall in 2017 then made him the player to be named in the 2018 trade with the Rays trade that sent Chris Archer to Pittsburgh for Baz, Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. Baz reached the majors in 2021, and even made a start for Tampa Bay in the 2021 postseason, but he needed surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow at the start of the 2022 season. He suffered further elbow pain upon his return and ended up having Tommy John surgery in September 2022 that sidelined him for all of 2023. Baz’s development has taken long enough that Archer has both returned to the Rays post-trade and now been out of baseball. He didn’t pitch anywhere in 2023.
  
  Scouting Report: No one will know for sure what Baz looks like now until he returns to the mound. The Rays say his rehabilitation has gone as expected and that he should be full speed for the opening of spring training. Before the injury, Baz had a Gerrit Cole-like high-90s plus-plus fastball that can overwhelm hitters with its combination of exceptional velocity and above-average carry. He complements his heater with a high-80s bullet slider that relies more on velocity than movement to handcuff hitters. Baz will flip over a low-80s fringe-average curveball to get ahead in counts, and he has used an average high-80s changeup to combat lefthanded hitters.
  
  The Future: The Rays may start Baz slowly in 2024 as he re-acclimates to the mound, but he’s a big part of Tampa Bay’s big league rotation plans, with the stuff to serve as a front-of-the-rotation playoff starter. The Rays ran out of starters in 2023 as elbow injuries claimed Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen, so having a healthy Baz pitch in October 2024 would be a big improvement.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #1 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 65/Very High
  
  Track Record: After a 2021 season full of highlights, Baz's 2022 season never got going. In 2021, he pitched for Team USA's silver medal-winning Olympic team, emerged as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, earned a late callup to the Rays and started a game in the postseason. In 2022, Baz got off to a late start thanks to surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow during spring training. The surgery foreshadowed further problems. Baz returned to action in mid May and joined the Rays rotation in early June. He pitched extremely effectively in his first five starts--2.92 ERA with 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 24.2 innings--but gave up seven runs and three home runs in just 2.1 innings before being lifted with elbow pain in his final start on July 10. He spent the rest of the season on the injured list and had Tommy John surgery in late September. The Rays initially acquired Baz as the player to be named in the trade that saw Tampa Bay acquire Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows from the Pirates for Chris Archer. In hindsight, any one of those prospects would have been a fair trade for Archer, but acquiring all three in the same deal proved to be one of the best trades a team has made this century.
  
  Scouting Report: When healthy, Baz has some of the best pure stuff in baseball. His 94-99 mph fastball is very similar to Gerrit Cole's in terms of velocity and movement. It has well above-average carry at the top of the zone to generate an above-average rate of swings-and-misses. It also has the flat plane that accentuates its liveliness. As importantly, Baz does an excellent job of locating it in and around the strike zone. His plus slider is a hard pitch at 86-89 mph with minimal sweep. It's effective because of its power. Baz has an average 87-88 mph changeup he uses only against lefthanded hitters, and it pairs well with his slider. His fringe-average low-80s curveball is a useful early-count pitch to steal a strike against a hitter geared up for his fastball or slider. His curve moves north-south, so he's comfortable throwing it to both lefties and righties. When Baz was drafted 12th overall out of high school in 2017, evaluators had significant concerns about his control and command, but as he's gotten stronger and matured, he's developed into a much more consistent strike-thrower. His plus control backed up a little in 2022, but that may have been related to his lingering elbow issues.
  
  The Future: Baz's 2023 season will be spent rehabbing from elbow surgery, but assuming his rehab goes as planned, he should be a valuable part of the Rays' rotation in 2024. In a Tampa Bay system that is thinner in pitching prospects than it has been in years, Baz has the best combination of multiple effective pitches, pure stuff and pitchability. If he makes a full recovery, he could give the Rays another front-of-the-rotation starter to go with Shane McClanahan.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 80. Slider: 60. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #1 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: If the Pirates had traded Baz for Chris Archer as a one-for-one deal, the Rays would have reason to be pleased. The fact that Baz was the player to be named in a trade that also included Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows makes it one of the most lopsided deals of the 21st century. Baz, whom the Pirates initially drafted 12th overall in 2017, struggled to throw strikes early in his career, was prone to over-throwing and had a pronounced head whack. His delivery has calmed down, as much from improved core strength as any significant tweaks to his delivery. He’s allayed concerns that he would be too wild to start by developing into a consistent strike-thrower. After throwing strikes on 59% of his pitches in 2018, Baz upped that figure to 68% in 2021. His 8.7 strikeouts for every walk led all minor league pitchers with 70 or more innings. After pitching for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics, Baz made his major league debut on Sept. 20. After three regular-season starts, he stepped right into the Rays’ playoff rotation.
  
  Scouting Report: As a Pirates prospect, Baz threw two-seam fastballs and curveballs, which didn’t really fit his skillset. Now he blows hitters away with four-seam fastballs and sliders. Baz had both those pitches in high school—he touched 98 at his best in high school and flashed a plus slider—but the Rays made a point of getting him to re-emphasize them. Baz has one of the best fastballs in baseball. He can touch 100 mph and carries 96-97 mph throughout his starts. The life and movement on his four-seam fastball is just as exceptional as its velocity. The vertical movement on his fastball ranked among the most of any MLB starting pitcher. The combination of velocity and life means he can consistently attack hitters in the strike zone, knowing that hitters have trouble squaring him up, especially in the upper third of the strike zone. Baz’s mid-80s, plus slider is a relatively tight pitch with lots of gyro spin. It has solid depth but not a lot of tilt. His low-80s fringe-average curveball can be effective, but he almost always throws it as an early-count surprise to steal a strike against hitters not expecting it. Baz’s high-80s changeup remains the most important item on his to-do list. It lacks the deception or movement profile to be a true weapon. If he keeps it away from lefties, it can produce foul balls and grounders, but if he misses his spot, it can be pounded. Its development may determine whether he works deeper than the fifth or sixth inning.
  
  The Future: The Rays consistently are slow to promote their prospects, but after Baz earned a spot in the club’s postseason rotation, he should be a key part of Tampa Bay’s rotation in 2022 and beyond. He has front-of-the-rotation potential and the highest upside of any Rays starting pitching prospect in years thanks to his rare combination of premium stuff and plus control.
  
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #6 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 70. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 45. Control: 40.
  Track Record: The Rays getting Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow from the Pirates for Chris Archer is a heist of a trade, but the fact that they also acquired Baz as the player to be named seems like piling on. Baz, the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft, had a solid Rays organizational debut in 2019 before struggling in the Arizona Fall League. He spent 2020 at the Rays’ alternate training site.
  
  Scouting Report: Much like Glasnow, Baz has responded well to the Rays’ tweaks to his approach. He’s now pumping upper-90s, high-spin, four-seam fastballs up in the strike zone and pairing them with a dastardly plus-plus 84-87 mph slider with tight, two-plane break. Everything else is still a work in progress. Baz’s tempo in his delivery is too energetic and his lower half isn’t always in sync with his arm, leading to below-average command and control. His fringe-average changeup improved at the alternate training site, but still has further to go. His curveball has become less of a factor every year.
  
  The Future: Many scouts are confident Baz will wind up in the bullpen as a potentially dominant reliever. The Rays still see a path for him to be a starter, noting he’s still quite young and has continued to improve his control. .
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #4 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Baz battled Hunter Greene for the title of best pure arm in the 2017 high school class, and the Rays pushed hard to make him the third piece in the trade that also imported Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow while sending Chris Archer to the Pirates. Baz was the player to be named in a deal that quickly became a massive win for the Rays.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When the Rays acquired Baz, they helped the righthander shift from a predominantly two-seam fastball/curveball pitcher to a four-seam/slider pitcher, which proved to fit his strengths. Baz's arm is exceptionally fast—his fastball sits 92-98 mph and can touch 100. That arm speed means he sometimes struggles to keep his arm timed with his lower body and sometimes means he lands jarringly into a stiff front side, but his arm path is clear and he is direct to the plate. With an easier-to-command fastball, Baz went from throwing strikes on 59.5 percent of pitches in 2018 to 61.5 percent in 2019. Baz's 84-87 mph slider is a plus pitch with a short, tight two-plane break. His changeup ranges between below-average to average. His curveball, a weapon in high school, is now more of a fringy early-count pitch but flashes 12-to-6 depth at its best. Baz is now regularly around the strike zone, but he sporadically spikes a pitch badly.
  
  THE FUTURE: Baz should at least be an effective fastball/slider reliever, but his strong frame and improvement portends hope that he can remain a starter. He is ready for high Class A Charlotte.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #11 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Baz was viewed as one of the best arms in the 2017 draft class, but he never got to pitch in full-season ball with his original team as Pittsburgh sent him to the Rays as the player to be named in last July's Chris Archer trade.
  
  Scouting Report: Baz is many innings and many years away from his ceiling. He struggles to sync up his lower half with his arm, and his arm often ends up trying to make up for inconsistencies in how he drives off the mound, which leads to timing issues in his delivery. He also gets too rotational at times and ends up spinning off the mound. He currently has near bottom-of-the-scale control. But Baz has one of the fastest arms in the minors. He can touch 99 mph with his fastball (it sits 92-95 mph) and unleashes high-80s sliders. Both could end up being plus-plus pitches eventually, but he struggles to land his slider and potentially above-average curve right now. His fastball has some natural cut and he mixes in a changeup as well. Nothing is consistent yet, but Baz's arm works well and his delivery is promising.
  
  The Future: Baz could end up being a fire-breathing Noah Syndergaard-esque ace, but he needs to improve his control by three or four grades to reach that potential. A more likely landing spot is as a closer.
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #3 prospect in 2018
  Baz was a two-way star at Concordia Lutheran High, the same program that produced system-mate Ke'Bryan Hayes. As a senior, he played on USA Baseball's 18U National Team and recorded an 0.93 ERA and hit .431. The Pirates took him No. 12 overall in 2017 and gave him a slightly over-slot bonus of $4.1 million, buying him out of a commitment to Texas Christian. Baz finished the season strong in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, allowing only one run in nine innings in his final three starts. Baz has a long athletic frame that can support additional weight. His double-plus fastball sits between 94-96 mph with late heavy life--both armside run and late sink that makes it exceptionally difficult on righthanded hitters. He's working with both a slider and a curveball, and both have bite, depth and plus potential. Baz's changeup isn't quite as developed but shows late fade. His control is advanced for his age. Baz will require time to develop, but he has all the ingredients to eventually be a front-of-the-rotation starter. The Pirates haven't taken a prep pitcher in the first round since Jameson Taillon in 2010, and Taillon began at low Class A West Virginia in his first full season.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #11 prospect in 2017 draft
  Baz is the top prospect in the Lone Star State this year thanks to electric stuff and promising athleticism. His fastball consistently works in the low to mid-90s and can reach 98. In the summer prior to his senior year, Baz pitched off a bat-breaking upper 80s cutter and used his four-seam fastball as an out pitch. Baz also entered the spring with a more physical frame, clearly having put in the work to get stronger during the offseason season. This spring, Baz showed more of a true slider in the mid-80s with tight, slurvy break. He also throws a sharp curveball with more top-to-bottom action on it and late vertical dive to it. Scouts have projected each of his breaking pitches to develop into plus pitches, though he'll have to work on being more consistent with both. He is a very good athlete with a loose lower half and plus arm speed. He has a relatively compact arm action and outstanding body control, giving him the ingredients to repeat his delivery. Baz is a Texas Christian recruit and is a legitimate two-way prospect for the collegiate level thanks to his plus raw power from the right side. Most evaluators see him as the second-best prep righty in the class behind Hunter Greene, but Baz has the ingredients to surpass Greene going forward due to his more potent breaking pitches.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #6 prospect in 2021
  Baz boosted his stock as much as any pitching prospect in 2021, vastly refining his strike-throwing to emerge as one of the game’s top pitching prospects in 2021. Triple-A East managers voted Baz the top pitching prospect in the league, and the righthander now looks far more like a future mid-rotation starter after many projected him as a future power reliever even a year ago. Baz has impressive arm speed and two plus pitches. His fastball sits 96-98 mph, and he can throttle it up or down to manipulate the velocity with ease. He pairs it with a wicked, plus slider, and the Rays were encouraged with the progress of Baz’s changeup, which he’s beginning to trust in higher leverage situations. Baz cut his walk rate nearly in half in 2021, an impressive development considering he walked more than four batters per nine innings in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #4 prospect in 2019
  With one of the most electric fastballs in the Rays’ pitching stockpile, Baz has been focusing on pacing while his pure stuff continues to develop its identity. “He’s a wild pony who needs to be maintained,” a scout said. “His pure stuff jumps at you, but he needs time. The arm is so big and so easy he just hasn’t needed to learn how to incorporate his lower body. That’s where consistency and command and release point come in.” Baz works off an easy-effort, triple-digit fastball, and his slider can be devastating at times. And while there were moments of inconsistency this season, he displayed enough pure feel for his three-pitch mix to build a major league arsenal as he continues to learn his body.
• 
  Ranked American League #8 prospect in 2018
  The Pirates drafted Baz 12th overall in 2017 but traded him to the Rays as part of the three-player package for Chris Archer. Baz spent his second season in Rookie ball in 2018, but his 4.47 ERA and walk rate of 5.0 per nine innings speak to his inconsistent performance. Baz had some of the best raw stuff in the Appy League, but he looked like a different pitcher depending on the day scouts saw him. He sits in the low 90s but touches 96 mph regularly, and he pairs that with a curveball, slider and changeup that all project as future above-average offerings or better. Despite Baz’s high walk rate, many scouts believe he will improve his control thanks to a clean, athletic delivery and repeatable mechanics. Landing his breaking balls for strikes will help immensely.
• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #3 prospect in 2017
  The No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Baz signed for $4.1 million and made 10 starts in the GCL. However, the Pirates kept him on a tight leash, so he never threw more than three innings in any of those starts. Baz showed the physical indicators and high-end stuff that typically excites scouts. With a strong, athletic frame, Baz has a plus fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s and peaks at 98 mph. He flashed a plus curveball that's a potential putaway pitch for him with more consistency, and during the spring he added a slider to his repertoire as well. While Baz leaned more on his fastball and breaking stuff in the GCL, he did show feel for a changeup as well. Baz's athleticism and body control should help him repeat his delivery going forward, but he did struggle throwing strikes in his pro debut.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #38 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #31 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #8 prospect in 2022
• Ranked Baseball America's #71 prospect in 2020

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 65/Very High
  
  Track Record: After a 2021 season full of highlights, Baz's 2022 season never got going. In 2021, he pitched for Team USA's silver medal-winning Olympic team, emerged as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, earned a late callup to the Rays and started a game in the postseason. In 2022, Baz got off to a late start thanks to surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow during spring training. The surgery foreshadowed further problems. Baz returned to action in mid May and joined the Rays rotation in early June. He pitched extremely effectively in his first five starts--2.92 ERA with 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 24.2 innings--but gave up seven runs and three home runs in just 2.1 innings before being lifted with elbow pain in his final start on July 10. He spent the rest of the season on the injured list and had Tommy John surgery in late September. The Rays initially acquired Baz as the player to be named in the trade that saw Tampa Bay acquire Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows from the Pirates for Chris Archer. In hindsight, any one of those prospects would have been a fair trade for Archer, but acquiring all three in the same deal proved to be one of the best trades a team has made this century.
  
  Scouting Report: When healthy, Baz has some of the best pure stuff in baseball. His 94-99 mph fastball is very similar to Gerrit Cole's in terms of velocity and movement. It has well above-average carry at the top of the zone to generate an above-average rate of swings-and-misses. It also has the flat plane that accentuates its liveliness. As importantly, Baz does an excellent job of locating it in and around the strike zone. His plus slider is a hard pitch at 86-89 mph with minimal sweep. It's effective because of its power. Baz has an average 87-88 mph changeup he uses only against lefthanded hitters, and it pairs well with his slider. His fringe-average low-80s curveball is a useful early-count pitch to steal a strike against a hitter geared up for his fastball or slider. His curve moves north-south, so he's comfortable throwing it to both lefties and righties. When Baz was drafted 12th overall out of high school in 2017, evaluators had significant concerns about his control and command, but as he's gotten stronger and matured, he's developed into a much more consistent strike-thrower. His plus control backed up a little in 2022, but that may have been related to his lingering elbow issues.
  
  The Future: Baz's 2023 season will be spent rehabbing from elbow surgery, but assuming his rehab goes as planned, he should be a valuable part of the Rays' rotation in 2024. In a Tampa Bay system that is thinner in pitching prospects than it has been in years, Baz has the best combination of multiple effective pitches, pure stuff and pitchability. If he makes a full recovery, he could give the Rays another front-of-the-rotation starter to go with Shane McClanahan.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 80. Slider: 60. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 65/Very High
  
  Track Record: After a 2021 season full of highlights, Baz's 2022 season never got going. In 2021, he pitched for Team USA's silver medal-winning Olympic team, emerged as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, earned a late callup to the Rays and started a game in the postseason. In 2022, Baz got off to a late start thanks to surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow during spring training. The surgery foreshadowed further problems. Baz returned to action in mid May and joined the Rays rotation in early June. He pitched extremely effectively in his first five starts--2.92 ERA with 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 24.2 innings--but gave up seven runs and three home runs in just 2.1 innings before being lifted with elbow pain in his final start on July 10. He spent the rest of the season on the injured list and had Tommy John surgery in late September. The Rays initially acquired Baz as the player to be named in the trade that saw Tampa Bay acquire Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows from the Pirates for Chris Archer. In hindsight, any one of those prospects would have been a fair trade for Archer, but acquiring all three in the same deal proved to be one of the best trades a team has made this century.
  
  Scouting Report: When healthy, Baz has some of the best pure stuff in baseball. His 94-99 mph fastball is very similar to Gerrit Cole's in terms of velocity and movement. It has well above-average carry at the top of the zone to generate an above-average rate of swings-and-misses. It also has the flat plane that accentuates its liveliness. As importantly, Baz does an excellent job of locating it in and around the strike zone. His plus slider is a hard pitch at 86-89 mph with minimal sweep. It's effective because of its power. Baz has an average 87-88 mph changeup he uses only against lefthanded hitters, and it pairs well with his slider. His fringe-average low-80s curveball is a useful early-count pitch to steal a strike against a hitter geared up for his fastball or slider. His curve moves north-south, so he's comfortable throwing it to both lefties and righties. When Baz was drafted 12th overall out of high school in 2017, evaluators had significant concerns about his control and command, but as he's gotten stronger and matured, he's developed into a much more consistent strike-thrower. His plus control backed up a little in 2022, but that may have been related to his lingering elbow issues.
  
  The Future: Baz's 2023 season will be spent rehabbing from elbow surgery, but assuming his rehab goes as planned, he should be a valuable part of the Rays' rotation in 2024. In a Tampa Bay system that is thinner in pitching prospects than it has been in years, Baz has the best combination of multiple effective pitches, pure stuff and pitchability. If he makes a full recovery, he could give the Rays another front-of-the-rotation starter to go with Shane McClanahan.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 80. Slider: 60. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 65/Extreme
  
  Track Record: If the Pirates had traded Baz for Chris Archer as a one-for-one deal, the Rays would have reason to be pleased. The fact that Baz was the player to be named in a trade that also included Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows makes it one of the most lopsided deals of the 21st century. When younger, Baz struggled to throw strikes, was prone to over-throwing and had a pronounced head whack. His delivery has calmed down, as much from improved core strength as any significant tweaks to his delivery. He&#39s allayed concerns that he would be too wild to start by developing into a consistent strike-thrower. After throwing strikes on 59% of his pitches in 2018, Baz upped that figure to 68% in 2021. His 8.7 strikeouts for every walk led all minor league pitchers with 70 or more innings. After pitching for Team USA in the Olympics, Baz made his MLB debut on Sept. 20. After three regular-season starts, he stepped right into the Rays&#39 playoff rotation.
  
  Scouting Report: As a Pirates prospect, Baz threw two-seam fastballs and curveballs, which didn&#39t really fit his skillset. Now he blows hitters away with four-seam fastballs and sliders. Baz had both those pitches in high school—he touched 98 at his best in high school and flashed a plus slider--but the Rays made a point of getting him to re-emphasize them. Baz has one of the best fastballs in baseball. He can touch 100 mph and carries 96-97 mph throughout his starts. The life and movement on his four-seam fastball is just as exceptional as its velocity. His 11.2 inches of vertical movement is among the most of any MLB starting pitcher. The combination of velocity and life means he can consistently attack hitters in the strike zone, knowing that hitters have trouble squaring him up, especially in the upper-third of the strike zone. Baz&#39s mid-80s plus slider is a relatively tight pitch with lots of gyro spin. It has solid depth but not a lot of tilt. His low-80s fringe-average curveball can be effective, but he almost always throws it as an early-count surprise to steal a strike against hitters not expecting it. Baz&#39s high-80s changeup remains the most important item on his to-do list. It lacks the deception or movement profile at this time to be a true weapon. If he keeps it away from lefties, it can produce foul balls and grounders, but if he misses his spot, it can be pounded.
  
  The Future: The Rays consistently are slow to promote their prospects, but after Baz earned a spot in the club&#39s postseason rotation, he should be a key part of Tampa Bay&#39s rotation in 2022 and beyond. He has front-of-the-rotation potential and the highest upside of any Rays starting pitching prospect in years thanks to his rare combination of premium stuff and plus control.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 80. Slider: 60. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 60.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: If the Pirates had traded Baz for Chris Archer as a one-for-one deal, the Rays would have reason to be pleased. The fact that Baz was the player to be named in a trade that also included Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows makes it one of the most lopsided deals of the 21st century. Baz, whom the Pirates initially drafted 12th overall in 2017, struggled to throw strikes early in his career, was prone to over-throwing and had a pronounced head whack. His delivery has calmed down, as much from improved core strength as any significant tweaks to his delivery. He’s allayed concerns that he would be too wild to start by developing into a consistent strike-thrower. After throwing strikes on 59% of his pitches in 2018, Baz upped that figure to 68% in 2021. His 8.7 strikeouts for every walk led all minor league pitchers with 70 or more innings. After pitching for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics, Baz made his major league debut on Sept. 20. After three regular-season starts, he stepped right into the Rays’ playoff rotation.
  
  Scouting Report: As a Pirates prospect, Baz threw two-seam fastballs and curveballs, which didn’t really fit his skillset. Now he blows hitters away with four-seam fastballs and sliders. Baz had both those pitches in high school—he touched 98 at his best in high school and flashed a plus slider—but the Rays made a point of getting him to re-emphasize them. Baz has one of the best fastballs in baseball. He can touch 100 mph and carries 96-97 mph throughout his starts. The life and movement on his four-seam fastball is just as exceptional as its velocity. The vertical movement on his fastball ranked among the most of any MLB starting pitcher. The combination of velocity and life means he can consistently attack hitters in the strike zone, knowing that hitters have trouble squaring him up, especially in the upper third of the strike zone. Baz’s mid-80s, plus slider is a relatively tight pitch with lots of gyro spin. It has solid depth but not a lot of tilt. His low-80s fringe-average curveball can be effective, but he almost always throws it as an early-count surprise to steal a strike against hitters not expecting it. Baz’s high-80s changeup remains the most important item on his to-do list. It lacks the deception or movement profile to be a true weapon. If he keeps it away from lefties, it can produce foul balls and grounders, but if he misses his spot, it can be pounded. Its development may determine whether he works deeper than the fifth or sixth inning.
  
  The Future: The Rays consistently are slow to promote their prospects, but after Baz earned a spot in the club’s postseason rotation, he should be a key part of Tampa Bay’s rotation in 2022 and beyond. He has front-of-the-rotation potential and the highest upside of any Rays starting pitching prospect in years thanks to his rare combination of premium stuff and plus control.
  
• October, 2021 Scouting Report
  Baz boosted his stock as much as any pitching prospect in 2021, vastly refining his strike-throwing to emerge as one of the game’s top pitching prospects in 2021. Triple-A East managers voted Baz the top pitching prospect in the league, and the righthander now looks far more like a future mid-rotation starter after many projected him as a future power reliever even a year ago. Baz has impressive arm speed and two plus pitches. His fastball sits 96-98 mph, and he can throttle it up or down to manipulate the velocity with ease. He pairs it with a wicked, plus slider, and the Rays were encouraged with the progress of Baz’s changeup, which he’s beginning to trust in higher leverage situations. Baz cut his walk rate nearly in half in 2021, an impressive development considering he walked more than four batters per nine innings in 2019.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 70. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 45. Control: 40.
  Track Record: The Rays getting Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow from the Pirates for Chris Archer is a heist of a trade, but the fact that they also acquired Baz as the player to be named seems like piling on. Baz, the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft, had a solid Rays organizational debut in 2019 before struggling in the Arizona Fall League. He spent 2020 at the Rays' alternate training site.
  
  Scouting Report: Much like Glasnow, Baz has responded well to the Rays' tweaks to his approach. He's now pumping upper-90s, high-spin, four-seam fastballs up in the strike zone and pairing them with a dastardly plus-plus 84-87 mph slider with tight, two-plane break. Everything else is still a work in progress. Baz's tempo in his delivery is too energetic and his lower half isn't always in sync with his arm, leading to below-average command and control. His fringe-average changeup improved at the alternate training site, but still has further to go. His curveball has become less of a factor every year.
  
  The Future: Many scouts are confident Baz will wind up in the bullpen as a potentially dominant reliever. The Rays still see a path for him to be a starter, noting he's still quite young and has continued to improve his control. .
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 70. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 45. Control: 40.
  Track Record: The Rays getting Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow from the Pirates for Chris Archer is a heist of a trade, but the fact that they also acquired Baz as the player to be named seems like piling on. Baz, the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft, had a solid Rays organizational debut in 2019 before struggling in the Arizona Fall League. He spent 2020 at the Rays’ alternate training site.
  
  Scouting Report: Much like Glasnow, Baz has responded well to the Rays’ tweaks to his approach. He’s now pumping upper-90s, high-spin, four-seam fastballs up in the strike zone and pairing them with a dastardly plus-plus 84-87 mph slider with tight, two-plane break. Everything else is still a work in progress. Baz’s tempo in his delivery is too energetic and his lower half isn’t always in sync with his arm, leading to below-average command and control. His fringe-average changeup improved at the alternate training site, but still has further to go. His curveball has become less of a factor every year.
  
  The Future: Many scouts are confident Baz will wind up in the bullpen as a potentially dominant reliever. The Rays still see a path for him to be a starter, noting he’s still quite young and has continued to improve his control. .
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 70. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 45. Control: 40.
  Track Record: The Rays getting Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow from the Pirates for Chris Archer is a heist of a trade, but the fact that they also acquired Baz as the player to be named seems like piling on. Baz, the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft, had a solid Rays organizational debut in 2019 before struggling in the Arizona Fall League. He spent 2020 at the Rays’ alternate training site.
  
  Scouting Report: Much like Glasnow, Baz has responded well to the Rays’ tweaks to his approach. He’s now pumping upper-90s, high-spin, four-seam fastballs up in the strike zone and pairing them with a dastardly plus-plus 84-87 mph slider with tight, two-plane break. Everything else is still a work in progress. Baz’s tempo in his delivery is too energetic and his lower half isn’t always in sync with his arm, leading to below-average command and control. His fringe-average changeup improved at the alternate training site, but still has further to go. His curveball has become less of a factor every year.
  
  The Future: Many scouts are confident Baz will wind up in the bullpen as a potentially dominant reliever. The Rays still see a path for him to be a starter, noting he’s still quite young and has continued to improve his control. .
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Baz battled Hunter Greene for the title of best pure arm in the 2017 high school class, and the Rays pushed hard to make him the third piece in the trade that also imported Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow while sending Chris Archer to the Pirates. Baz was the player to be named in a deal that quickly became a massive win for the Rays.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When the Rays acquired Baz, they helped the righthander shift from a predominantly two-seam fastball/curveball pitcher to a four-seam/slider pitcher, which proved to fit his strengths. Baz’s arm is exceptionally fast—his fastball sits 92-98 mph and can touch 100. That arm speed means he sometimes struggles to keep his arm timed with his lower body and sometimes means he lands jarringly into a stiff front side, but his arm path is clear and he is direct to the plate. With an easier-to-command fastball, Baz went from throwing strikes on 59.5 percent of pitches in 2018 to 61.5 percent in 2019. Baz’s 84-87 mph slider is a plus pitch with a short, tight two-plane break. His changeup ranges between below-average to average. His curveball, a weapon in high school, is now more of a fringy early-count pitch but flashes 12-to-6 depth at its best. Baz is now regularly around the strike zone, but he sporadically spikes a pitch badly.
  
  THE FUTURE: Baz should at least be an effective fastball/slider reliever, but his strong frame and improvement portends hope that he can remain a starter. He is ready for high Class A Charlotte.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Baz battled Hunter Greene for the title of best pure arm in the 2017 high school class, and the Rays pushed hard to make him the third piece in the trade that also imported Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow while sending Chris Archer to the Pirates. Baz was the player to be named in a deal that quickly became a massive win for the Rays.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When the Rays acquired Baz, they helped the righthander shift from a predominantly two-seam fastball/curveball pitcher to a four-seam/slider pitcher, which proved to fit his strengths. Baz's arm is exceptionally fast—his fastball sits 92-98 mph and can touch 100. That arm speed means he sometimes struggles to keep his arm timed with his lower body and sometimes means he lands jarringly into a stiff front side, but his arm path is clear and he is direct to the plate. With an easier-to-command fastball, Baz went from throwing strikes on 59.5 percent of pitches in 2018 to 61.5 percent in 2019. Baz's 84-87 mph slider is a plus pitch with a short, tight two-plane break. His changeup ranges between below-average to average. His curveball, a weapon in high school, is now more of a fringy early-count pitch but flashes 12-to-6 depth at its best. Baz is now regularly around the strike zone, but he sporadically spikes a pitch badly.
  
  THE FUTURE: Baz should at least be an effective fastball/slider reliever, but his strong frame and improvement portends hope that he can remain a starter. He is ready for high Class A Charlotte.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  With one of the most electric fastballs in the Rays’ pitching stockpile, Baz has been focusing on pacing while his pure stuff continues to develop its identity. “He’s a wild pony who needs to be maintained,” a scout said. “His pure stuff jumps at you, but he needs time. The arm is so big and so easy he just hasn’t needed to learn how to incorporate his lower body. That’s where consistency and command and release point come in.” Baz works off an easy-effort, triple-digit fastball, and his slider can be devastating at times. And while there were moments of inconsistency this season, he displayed enough pure feel for his three-pitch mix to build a major league arsenal as he continues to learn his body.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  The Pirates tend to take it slow with pitchers they draft out of high school. Such was the case with Baz, their 2017 first-round pick. After spending last season in the Gulf Coast League, Baz began 2018 in extended spring training and will spend the summer in the Appalachian League, waiting to even go to Class A ball before 2019. The goal for Baz this summer is to focus on inducing weak contact to increase pitch efficiency as opposed to trying to miss bats.