Saw this report on on Sox farm hand with whom I was not familiar.
Tanner McDougal, RHP, Chicago White Sox, 22, A+
I went to Spartanburg on Saturday. Mostly to see Jeral Perez and Braden Montgomery, but McDougal stole the show. I saw him pitch last year, but he has ticked up even further this year with his fastball and showed a solid four-pitch mix.
McDougal tossed seven scoreless innings with just three hits allowed and eight strikeouts. He needed just 83 pitches to complete the seven innings and landed 77 percent of his pitches for strikes.
What impressed me the most about McDougal was the fastball. He sat 97-98 mph for the entire seven innings and even clipped a 100 mph. The curveball was a highly impressive secondary, missing a ton of bats with good depth, sitting in the upper-70s. The spin rates are absurd on the pitch and it is late drop to keep hitters on their toes.
McDougal also featured a firmer slider that worked in the upper-80s to 90 mph with a sharp movement profile. The changeup is not used often, but it is a solid pitch.
If McDougal can throw strikes like he did on Saturday, he is going to be a good starter. The year-long walk rate of 11.9 percent is concerning, but over his last five starts, that mark sits at just 6.8 percent.
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