2023 Cleveland Guardians prospect scouting report: #50 RHP Ross Carver
Acquired for RHP Carlos Vargas from the Diamondbacks in November of 2022, Carver missed a lot of bats between High-A/Double-A and isn't Rule 5 eligible until winter '24.
Background, Build and Delivery
Carver was selected by the D-backs in the 20th round of the 2021 Draft after pitching sparingly as a reliever for Dallas Baptist University. Carver briefly pitched in A ball after the draft for Arizona. In 2022, he excelled at High-A Hillsboro with a 29% K rate, 8% BB rate and 3.10 ERA in 81.1 innings before struggling immensely at hitter-friendly Amarillo, where he posted a 9.50 ERA in 36 innings. The Guardians acquired Carver in a trade with the Diamondbacks in exchange for fireballing RP Carlos Vargas. Carver has a medium 6’2 190 lb frame and displays good athleticism on the mound. He hides the ball well in his delivery, keeping it hidden behind his right thigh before executing a short arm path and releasing the pitch.
What Carver Does Well
Carver shows a good feel for spin, featuring two plus breaking balls. His slider has solid two-plane action and he locates it well to the glove-side. The curveball has a bigger shape and Carver often uses it to steal called strikes. His fastball flashes plus, with solid arm-side movement and velocity that reaches into the mid-90s. These three pitches give Carver a solid foundation to attack hitters.
What Carver Needs to Improve
To succeed as an MLB starter, Carver will have to develop his changeup, a pitch that he showed little feel for in 2022. An improved changeup, together with his plus curveball, would give him sufficient weapons to attack left-handed batters. Carver was very susceptible to the home run ball in 2023, allowing 23 long balls in 117 innings (though AA Amarillo, where he allowed 15 HR, was the most homer-friendly park in MiLB in 2022). His fastball is a flyball inducing pitch, so it will be critical for Carver to locate his fastball towards the edges of the plate.
Per Baseball America, the Guardians will also look to improve Carver’s delivery, perhaps in the hopes of adding more velocity to his pitches, which is something they’ve had success with in the past.
Intangibles
Carver has already shown tremendous capacity for improvement in his first season in pro ball, progressing from a 20th round college reliever to a starter in AA.Â
Future
Carver will begin the season as part of the rotation for AA Akron. The Guardians will likely look to give him a substantial innings load as a starter to gauge his potential to impact their rotation in the future. If Carver struggles, a move to the bullpen is possible, where his fastball should play up and give him 3 plus pitches as a medium-leverage reliever.
Role
Medium Leverage RP
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