Cleveland Guardians 2023 prospect scouting report: #21 RHP Hunter Gaddis

Are his double-plus changeup and average command enough to land him a consistent big league role?

Background, Build and Delivery

Gaddis was picked by Cleveland in the 5th round of the 2019 draft out of Georgia State. He had immediate success following the draft, performing excellently both in the Arizona Complex League and Low-A Mahoning Valley. Gaddis spent the 2021 season at Lake County and split 2022 between Akron and Columbus, while also making 2 starts for the Guardians. Gaddis has a massive 6’6 260 lb frame and throws with a violent delivery that has been toned down somewhat over his career.

What Gaddis Does Well

Gaddis’s separator pitch is his changeup, a nasty pitch with screwball-like action. The pitch averaged over 17” of fade during his brief 2022 MLB stint. Gaddis’s changeup generates both whiffs and weak contact and he does a good job of locating it to his arm-side. Gaddis also features a slider/cutter with good two-plane break that he primarily throws to his glove-side and is especially potent against right handed hitters. Despite having a delivery that often looks off-balance, Gaddis does a very good job of locating his pitches, especially his secondary offerings, in locations where they are most effective.

Where Gaddis Needs to Improve

The main improvement that Gaddis must make to be a good MLB starter is to alter his fastball shape. While he has increased his velocity from 90-92 to 92-94 over his minor league career, the movement of the pitch is fairly generic. This is a major concern as Gaddis’s fastball is a flyball pitch and the hard contact it allows often goes for extra bases. Another potential solution to this issue is for Gaddis to lessen his reliance on his four-seamer. Despite having several dependable secondary offerings, Gaddis uses fastball at a very high rate, particularly in early counts. A change to the usage and/or shape of Gaddis’s fastball could be the missing piece for him to succeed in the majors.

Intangibles

Gaddis is a hard worker who has consistently improved his arsenal every year in the minors. In 2022 he increased his fastball velocity significantly. He has a hard-nosed mentality with controlled aggression that is perfect for a workhorse starter.

Future

Gaddis entered spring training in 2022 fighting for a spot on the big league roster. He was set to be in the bulen due to Cody Morrys’ injury but then shifted to the rotation in light of Triston McKenzie’s injury. With improvement to his fastball utility he has the tools to be a 4-5 starter. The Guardians may also look to shift him to the bullpen where his fastball will play up, similar to Eli Morgan and Sam Hentges.