Cleveland Guardians scouting report: #29 RHP Jacob Zibin
The projectable right-hander partners with a reputable pitching development organization. Where does the "marriage" of talent and discipline lead?
Build, Background, and Delivery
The former South Carolina Gamecocks commit was drafted in the tenth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Zibin received a $1.2 million signing bonus to forego his collegiate commitment and to jump into pro ball. On the bump, he displays an athletic, projectable large frame at 6’4, 218 with room for addition weight as he continues to mature. The righty has a strong base with thick thighs. He utilizes a low-three-quarters arm slot with a quick delivery.
What Zibin does well
Zibin’s combination of raw projectable stuff and unique approach angle thanks to his aforementioned delivery/arm path creates deception. The right-hander deploys two variants of his fastball. The first is a four-seamer that sat 92-95 and touched 97, with reports of 98 mph, which he deploys up on the zone. The second fastball variant is a sinker that comes in at 91-92 mph that works down in the zone. He pairs his fastball with a sinking changeup that sits 83-85 mph with plus potential. While he rounds out his repertoire with a low-to-mid 80s slider with projection. It is a north/south attack approach from a horizontal arm path and glove side run.
Where Zibin needs to improve
Consistency and developing professional routines are developmental keys in 2023. This is a foundational year for the right-hander in his development. Zibin will be 18 all season and Cleveland will slowly build him up. On the mound, Zibin appeared to get on top of some of his pitches trying to locate them. That is not uncommon for young pitchers as they learn to trust their stuff and let their natural movement do the work. Command-wise there is room for growth, but plenty of projection and athleticism to believe he continues to improve. The slider needs work/consistency but is a projectable pitch with natural glove side run.
Intangibles
Ranked as the 69th overall prospect entering the 2022 MLB Draft by this writer, the talented righty slipped to the tenth round last July. He has a projectable frame with room for additional strength. The British Columbia native re-classified to the 2022 draft class making him one of the younger players available for the draft class. Zibin entered 2022 as a top 30 ranked prospect (first round talent) for the 2023 MLB Draft at Baseball America. There is significant potential and room for growth, he’s both competitive on the mound and athletic. According to Prospects Live he added 2 inches and 25 pounds to his frame before the draft and there’s room for more strength in his frame.
Future
The righty should make his professional debut in the Arizona Complex League. Once his season is finished there he could bounce out to Lynchburg for acclimation’ sake (alongside fellow 2022 prep arm Jackson Humphries?). In terms of where his talent takes him his developmental path could any number of directions. His ceiling might be a number 2 starter if everything clicks. There is plenty of work to be done to maximize his talents and he is partnered with an organization that is arguably the best in baseball at developing pitching. The reverse of course is there is so much risk with such a young pitcher.Â
Role - 40 young immensely projectable middle of the rotation arm?
