2023 Cleveland Guardians prospect scouting report: #44 LHP Jackson Humphries
2023 Cleveland Guardians prospect scouting report: #44 LHP Jackson Humphries
The high school lefty with big stuff took a step back at the end of his senior season but still showed enough for Cleveland to bring him in late on an overslot deal in the draft.
Background, Build, and Delivery
Drafted by Cleveland in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, from Fuquay-Varina HS, NC. Humphries received an over-slot bonus to forego his commitment to Campbell. The lefty flashed his talents at the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 Regional where he emerged as a prep arm to follow entering his initial draft-eligible season. At 6'1, 208 the lefty is mostly maxed out physically. On the bump, he displays a strong athletic medium frame. He has a quick arm and a relatively clean athletic delivery.
What Humphries does well
The North Carolina native has a solid four-pitch mix with both his slider and curveball flashing above-average or better potential. Spin is in and Humphries features a plethora of high spin pitches in his repertoire. His fastball sits, at 91-94 and touches 95-96 with room for a tick more (more consistently) with above-average spin rates (2,350+ rpm) per Prep Baseball Report. He compliments the heater with a changeup plays at 85-86 (1,940 rpm+). The left-hander potential hammer 12-to-6 high spin (2,950+ rpm) curve sits upper 70s and touches the low 80s. He features a high spin (2,550+ rpm) low-to-mid 80s sweeping slider with 14–17 inches of break.
Where Humphries needs to improve
Consistency and developing professional routines - those two areas are essential to his growth and future development. Humphries will need to continue to progressively make command gains. He has the stuff and athleticism to make appropriate gains and sit in the average range. With that in mind staying healthy, logging innings, and developing his stuff will be macro goals. Micro goals will include his developing command, consistency, and his overall stuff.
Intangibles
As mentioned there is high spin stuff creating deception which should help his stuff play up. Humphries boasts a potential average to above-average fastball with two promising secondaries. His curveball flashes plus potential thanks to near the top of the scale spin. While his slider is hardly behind either of those two in terms of potential damage infliction and his change should be more than just a useful fourth pitch. That is a pretty sweet-sounding young pitching prospect to top it off with his left-handedness and hopes should be high for the North Carolina native.
Future
Assessed a third-round (94th overall) arm talent by this writer, Humphries came to the organization with an over-slot bonus to forego college. Speculatively, had he gone to school, he would have been a top-three-round selection in 2025. The lefty has a long development path in front of him but flashes potential for a middle-of-the-rotation type of arm if it all clicks. He joins a club rich in pitching development (both resources and personnel) with fellow 2022 draftee Jacob Zibin also receiving a sizable over-slot bonus. Humphries likely sees time in the Arizona Complex League in 2023 before potentially moving out to Low-A Lynchburg in the later half of the season.
Role- 40- backend starting pitcher