Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Next up in our MLB Draft Profile series is one of the biggest popup prospects in the limited action we saw this spring. It’s Duke’s Bryce Jarvis.
——
Previous Entries
- RHP Bobby Miller, Louisville [May 15]
- OF Daniel Cabrera, LSU [May 18]
- RHP Jared Kelley, Refugio HS (Texas) [May 21]
- RHP Slade Cecconi, Miami(FL) [May 25]
- SS Ed Howard, Mount Carmel HS (Ill.) [May 28]
- SS Jordan Westburg, Mississippi State [May 29]
- RHP Clayton Beeter, Texas Tech [June 1]
- C/3B/OF Tyler Soderstrom, Turlock HS (Calif.) [June 2]
——
Vitals
6’2, 195 pounds
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Bats: Left
Throw: Right
DOB: Dec. 26, 1997
Location
Durham, NC
Year: Redshirt Junior
Rankings
The Athletic: NR
Baseball America: 45
CBS MLB: 31
ESPN: 21
FanGraphs: 24
MLB Pipeline: 25
Perfect Game: 50
Slot recommended bonus (No. 29): $2,424,600
Note: All information of draft prospects compiled from Internet sources, scouting reports and videos.
——
For as college-focused as the Dodgers have been in recent years, can you believe they haven’t taken a college pitcher in the first round since Walker Buehler and Kyle Funkhouser in 2015? True story. This year, that could change, as there could be plenty of solid options available at No. 29.
A year ago, someone suggesting Jarvis could be a 1st-rounder would have been insane. But an offseason trip to Driveline Baseball and adding 20 pounds to his frame resulted in a sustained velocity boost and improved his offspeed pitches. It showed in February, when he threw a perfect game against Cornell. He had a 40:2 K:BB ratio and allowed just 11 hits in 27 inning before the pandemic hit. He absolutely shoved.
Jarvis’ fastball now sits in the 93-96 MPH range after being a high-80s-to-low-90s guy in years past. He commands it very well and misses bats up in the strike zone. He already had a plus-changeup, and it’s even better with the fastball velocity boost. It features impressive fade and he’s not afraid to throw it at any time. He has also seen his breaking pitches improve since last year. His high-70s curveball and mid-80s slider both have above-average potential. Both have similar 11-5 shapes at times, but both end up a bit differently thanks to different velocities. When he snaps off the slider, it seems to be more effective than the curveball when it comes to missing bats.
What helps his pitches play up, aside from the velo, is the command. He has a little bit of a funky delivery, but he’s able to repeat his release point well. Because of that, he has some of the best command/control of any pitcher available in the draft.
Video
Videos courtesy of James Weisser, Victors Valiant and Perfect Game.
Jarvis has been getting projected in the 20s of most mock drafts. There are times he falls to the supplemental first round, but he has basically established himself as a guy who should be off the board in the last third of round 1. Being a little older, he might sign for a little cheaper than most pitchers will in his range. He has the look of a mid-rotation starter with a chance to be a low-end No. 2 starter. He’d be a solid pick for LA at No. 29, and that could allow them to spend a little more on a prep player at No. 60 or 66.
