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Abbott doesn’t throw hard, but he throws harder than you think. The UC Irvine bound left-hander is listed at 6-3 and has plenty of room for physical projection and power. He pitches predominantly with a straight change-up that, when sharp, he has above-average control of. The secondary pitch is a curveball, which appears to be the type that rolls off the fingers. It’s not a hard breaking ball and I don’t think Abbott intends for it to be. It has two planes and he gets on top of the pitch and isn’t afraid to pitch to contact.
Abbott is what you call sneaky fast with the fastball. This is the kind of guy that bad scouts miss every single time. I don’t have gun readings on him, partly because I don’t need them here to tell me the guy is a follow prospect. I can tell he’s going to be able to bump 90 when he needs it in the coming years and that he will be able to pitch comfortably with control and command at 86-89 in the coming years. Abbott is a rarity among high school pitchers because, well, he’s already a pitcher. You can tell because he’s not afraid to pitch backwards as a way of life. Most left-handed prospects at this stage have some power and lack the consistency with the secondary weapons. Abbott shows the beginnings of consistency and does not lack for confidence.
In the coming years, he will have to learn to pitch more with his fastball, or at least become more willing to do so. Or at least take orders from the boss to throw with it. Stamina and durability are also factors that will need to come up in the next few years. It would be hard to find anyone who would be willing to say that this should be considered a premier left-handed prospect, but with the correct imagination and the right diligence on the player’s part, this guy has a chance to be better than he might look right now
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Abbott doesn’t throw hard, but he throws harder than you think. The UC Irvine bound left-hander is listed at 6-3 and has plenty of room for physical projection and power. He pitches predominantly with a straight change-up that, when sharp, he has above-average control of. The secondary pitch is a curveball, which appears to be the type that rolls off the fingers. It’s not a hard breaking ball and I don’t think Abbott intends for it to be. It has two planes and he gets on top of the pitch and isn’t afraid to pitch to contact.
Abbott is what you call sneaky fast with the fastball. This is the kind of guy that bad scouts miss every single time. I don’t have gun readings on him, partly because I don’t need them here to tell me the guy is a follow prospect. I can tell he’s going to be able to bump 90 when he needs it in the coming years and that he will be able to pitch comfortably with control and command at 86-89 in the coming years. Abbott is a rarity among high school pitchers because, well, he’s already a pitcher. You can tell because he’s not afraid to pitch backwards as a way of life. Most left-handed prospects at this stage have some power and lack the consistency with the secondary weapons. Abbott shows the beginnings of consistency and does not lack for confidence.
In the coming years, he will have to learn to pitch more with his fastball, or at least become more willing to do so. Or at least take orders from the boss to throw with it. Stamina and durability are also factors that will need to come up in the next few years. It would be hard to find anyone who would be willing to say that this should be considered a premier left-handed prospect, but with the correct imagination and the right diligence on the player’s part, this guy has a chance to be better than he might look right now
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