Cleveland Guardians 2024 Prospect Scouting Report: #36 RHP Davis Sharpe

Sharpe has a swing-and-miss type slider, good control, an interesting arsenal, and an athletic background

Davis Sharpe Bio

• Age (2024 season): 24

• Acquired: 2021 Draft (Round 13)

• 2023 Level: Double-A

• Height: 6’4

• Weight: 215

• Throws: Right

Davis Sharpe 2023 Stats

• G/GS: 41

• IP: 60.2

• ERA/FIP: 4.30/3.92

• K/BB: 64/16

• K%/BB%: 23.8%/5.9%

• WHIP: 1.37

Davis Sharpe 2024 Scouting Grades

• Fastball: 45

• Cutter: 50

• Slider: 55

• Changeup: 45

• Command: 50

• Overall: 40

• Risk: Low

• ETA: 2025

Build & Background

Sharpe has a medium frame and athletic build. He has some long levers, especially in his legs to use as his leverage. Strong upper body build. Looks the part of a potentially durable type arm. Utilizes a lower 3/4 arm slide wih good extension from his legs. Has a slight midsection leg kick, but fairly quick to home out of the stretch. Sort of a ride the slide type delivery that is pretty simple and repeatable. Was an infielder at Clemson as well as a reliever. Has focused on pitching since being drafted. 

What Sharpe Does Well

The slider is Sharpe’s money pitch. It’s not a true sweeper because there’s still some vertical movement to it, but it’s more horizontal in nature than vertical. He runs it in the high-70s to mid-80s at times. Double-A hitters have chased it out of the zone, especially right handers. It can be a really good bat misser if he establishes it for strikes (without hanging it), to entice hitters to chase. It’s most effective against right-handers when it’s low and away. His second-best offering might be his cutter, which is a mid-high-80s offering. It sort of splits the movement between his fastball and slider and he can backdoor it to lefties and also throw it high for misses as well. His fastball has good ride and sink at times. His low release from the low 3/4 arm slot pushes it up above its velo sometimes. Sharpe also has a changeup that looks like a near split-change. It’s very vertical with fade but not much run. It’s about mid-80s. Control is also where Sharpe excels. He doesn’t issue a lot of free passes. He can throw all his offerings for strikes. Cleveland has used Sharpe as a multi-inning reliever at times, so he has the ability and the physicality to go out there and face more than three hitters.

Where Sharpe Needs to Improve

Focusing on pitching instead of playing two ways, plus his physical frame, I would have thought Sharpe was going to add more velocity. Perhaps he still will. He can sit 89-92 at times and other times 91-93. His fastball does get some bonus play due to movement and control, but the velocity overall makes it very hittable in the zone and he’d be a more high end reliever option if he could throw 95 consistently. He will hang his slider at times, which makes it easy for hitters of either side to punish. He does tend to allow a lot more fly balls. Cleveland seems to prefer or not get too concerned about fly ball pitchers though, because most fly balls are harmless and less subject to BABIP luck, but it could still lead to higher home run rates. The cutter is a solid offering but is definitely still average. His changeup is ill-used but looks like it could be average with more reps.

Key Stats

Going from High-A to Double-A, Sharpe’s walk rate didn’t really jump much (3.9% to 5.9%) but impressive that his swinging strike rate (SwStr%) jumped from 13.7% to 15.2%, despite the fact his strikeout rate fell (27% to 23.8%). He also did see his BABIP jump from a somewhat lucky number at High-A in 2022 (.246) to a little unlucky in 2023 (.335). Some of that could explain a very low 65% left-on base rate. All of this could go into his higher ERA despite the strike throwing ability and solid stuff.

Intangibles

Sharpe put in the work in college to be a two way player for a good time. That gives him a good background of hard work and athleticism now that he’s focused on only pitching. Was coached in high school by former Cleveland closer Doug Jones.

Future

Cleveland has used Sharpe like a multi-inning relief type, so that’s about where he tracks. I would assume he’d lose velocity if used as a starter, but he might work as a starter if he added more velo. His other three pitches flash between average and above average at all times. He’s not a closer. But he could be a good set up guy. He does need to get to a higher velocity band consistently to be more impactful, but as he is based on 2023, Sharpe has a safe floor as a 6th inning type reliever with a true swing and miss pitch in his slider and plenty of control. Ranking a middle reliever this high seems strange but some added velocity could make him jump more into a 7th/8th inning guy, and it wouldn’t shock me.

Role

40 - Safer middle/up and down relief option