Miami Marlins Draft Prospect: Pitcher Shane McClanahan

In our final player spotlight before the MLB Draft on Monday, we will be focusing Shane McClanahan. The pitcher out of the University of South Florida owns one of the liveliest fastballs in the entire draft to go along with a plus changeup. The Miami Marlins could always use more starting pitching.

 LHP Shane McClanahan

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 173

Age: 21

School: University of South Florida

Coming into the spring, Shane McClanahan was a conscientious top-five selection, but after an inconsistent season from the left-hander, he may last on the board long enough for the Miami Marlins to take him.

In 13 starts this spring, McClanahan ran up some big strikeout numbers. Unfortunately, his walk numbers were also on the rise. McClanahan posted a ridiculous 14.8 K/9 rate pitching against tough competition.

On opening day, McClanahan struck out 11 UNC batters who were ranked as the no. 7 team in the nation at the time. This impressive showing had scouts talking about McClanahan going 1:1 overall.

Unfortunately, since then he has shown some holes in his armor. His BB/9 rate for the season sits a 5.6. A walk rate that high is concerning for a pitcher who is supposed to be selected at the very top of his draft class. This has resulted in a slight fall in his stock.

MLB.com has McClanahan rated as their no. 14 prospect in the entire draft and most mock drafts have him going somewhere in the mid-first round. McClanahan has definitely shown his potential during his time at USF, yet now to take the next step forward he must show a little more consistency on the mound.

Miami Marlins Scouting Report

All grades can be found on MLB.com

Fastball: 70

McClanahan’s fastball is his calling card. It lives in the mid to upper 90s and has been known to register in the triple digits. Most evaluators agree that the pitch is deserving of the 70-grade that many have put on it.

Coming back from Tommy John that kept McClanahan out his freshman year, he has experienced no ill effects when it comes to the life on his heater. The pitch has made a name for itself as one of the best fastballs in this year’s draft.

Slider: 50

The slider is a pitch that has been steadily improving for McClanahan. He has struggled to get a feel for it at times, which has led to inconsistency in the strike zone as well as the pitch flattening out on occasion. Many believe that his struggles with the slider come from him trying to overthrow the pitch.

Changeup: 60

While the fastball gets all of the hype, the changeup is truly elite as well. The pitch has a great late life and bite to it. McClanahan maintains his arm action while throwing it which produces a late, deep run arm side. The changeup is a true swing and miss pitch and will continue to be at the next level.

Control: 45

Control can very well be McClanahan’s limiting factor as a pitcher. His delivery is violent and at times he struggles to repeat it consistently enough. The biggest issue scouts find with his delivery is that they don’t know if he will be able to repeat it and find his release point to throw enough strikes to remain a starter.