Angelswin.com Top 30 Prospects: #23 Joe Gatto

[AngelsWin.com]

Prospect: Joe Gatto Rank: 23

2015/16: 5                         Position(s): Right Handed Pitcher

Level: A Ball                    Age: Entering Age 22 season in 2017.

Height: 6’3”                       Weight: 220 lb.

Present - Future

Fastball         55 60

Curve 55 60

Change 40 50

Mechanics 60 60

Command    45 60

Control         45 50

Overall         45 55

Floor: Swing Starter or bullpen depth. Ceiling: A mid-rotation, workhorse starter.

Likely Outcome: A back-end starter that can go 180+ innings. 

Summary: Gatto's career hasn't taken off the way many thought it would after being taken in the second round of the draft.  Generally speaking, prep pitchers taken in the second round have quite a bit of upside and can climb the ladder rather quickly.  Gatto sort of bucks that trend.  While he has some upside, it isn't the front of the rotation type attached to prep arms from his draft position.  But his floor is also higher than that of most pitchers taken in that position, because it looked like from the get-go that Gatto is all starter.  He has the right frame, mechanics and arsenal to log a lot of major league innings.  His upside is that of a John Lackey type of starter, which Angels fans are familiar with.  Joe comes straight downhill with his pitches, all of which have sink or a straight downward break, which makes Gatto a ground-ball inducing machine.  His fastball sits 92-93, his curveball in the low 80's with a 12-6 break and his change up at times can look like a bugs-bunny type of pause.  For the most part, his change up still isn't a consistent weapon yet, and he's missing low a lot with his fastball and curve (could be worse).   

The results this past season in A Ball weren't quite what I or anyone else was expecting.  Gatto was shelled in a pitching friendly environment to the tune of an ERA over 7.00 and only 15 starts.  The Angels mercifully shut him down for the remainder of the year to rest his arm and try to figure out exactly what was happening.  But the thing that Gatto has in his favor is time.  He's only 21 years old, and repeating A Ball wouldn't be the worst thing for a pitcher like himself.  Once Gatto is settled in and figures out how to get hitters out, he should have a steady climb to the majors.  At that's something we can say with a degree of relative certainty, is that Joe Gatto looks like a future major leaguer.  He has all the tools, now he just needs to put it all together.      

What to expect next season: We should see Gatto get another shot as a starting pitcher in the Midwest League this year.  He'll likely spend the entire season there, which isn't a bad thing by any means.  What Gatto needs right now are quality innings, and if he can rack those up in A Ball and get his season innings up into the 150 range, the foundation will be set and we could see Gatto experience considerable future success.  It may not be a make or break season for Joe, but I do think this will likely be his final opportunity to show he can succeed as a starting pitcher before the Angels try tinkering with him in the bullpen. 

Estimated Time of Arrival: Middle of 2020, Gatto's age 25 season. 

Grade as a prospect: C+ 

Grades are given from the 20-80 scouting scale.  20-being non-existent ability, 80-being the best I’ve ever seen.  MLB average is 50.

[Glen]

What a joker.

[Second Base]

2 minutes ago, Glen said:

What a joker.

An impractical reply to such a series scouting report. 

[Docwaukee]

Nice job Scotty.  I am not overly optimistic that Gatto is ever going to be a major leaguer.  He's the kind of guy that ends up a rule 5 pick in 3 years.  

[Second Base]

2 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

Nice job Scotty.  I am not overly optimistic that Gatto is ever going to be a major leaguer.  He's the kind of guy that ends up a rule 5 pick in 3 years.  

Thanks Doc.  Joe strikes me as the type of player that has the ability to be a major leaguer.  He has more upside than most guys that rank 20-30 on our list the past few years.  But after watching him in Burlington, he just catches far too much of the plate.  Hitters had no trouble at all squaring up everything he threw.  He needs to make some kind of an adjustment though. 

[Chuck]

@Dave Saltzer interviewed Gatto last season. 

If you haven't checked it out yet, here it is.

 

[Angel Oracle]

Since his mechanics are already solid, he has a solid build, and he has a solid heater and breaking pitch, they are very good first steps.                            The command and the changeup development are what stands between him being a mid-to-upper rotation starter a la Lackey circa 2005-2009.

[Junkballer]

I'm not understanding the reasoning behind the discrepancy in projected Command & Control, with Command projected 10 pts higher.  A pretty big difference. I know that although they are related but different, it seems to me that Command is more difficult to attain than Control.  My understanding is that Control is mostly consistency of location, being able to throw strikes, and Command is both location and pitch movement, being able to make the pitch move or break in a repeatable advantageous manner while still making location.  If that is close to correct, and I'm sure its an incomplete understanding, wouldn't Control be a much easier category to project highly in?  If so, why would Command be projected so much higher than Control with Gatto?  What am I missing?

[Brent Maguire]

I wish I shared the same optimism about Gatto. Struggling in the minors is one thing. Getting shellacked in the lower minors like he did in 2016 is another. I like his build and arsenal but many reports I've seen on the guy have not been fairly encouraging for him. 

[Docwaukee]

54 minutes ago, Junkballer said:

I'm not understanding the reasoning behind the discrepancy in projected Command & Control, with Command projected 10 pts higher.  A pretty big difference. I know that although they are related but different, it seems to me that Command is more difficult to attain than Control.  My understanding is that Control is mostly consistency of location, being able to throw strikes, and Command is both location and pitch movement, being able to make the pitch move or break in a repeatable advantageous manner while still making location.  If that is close to correct, and I'm sure its an incomplete understanding, wouldn't Control be a much easier category to project highly in?  If so, why would Command be projected so much higher than Control with Gatto?  What am I missing?

command is a subset of control.  Control is basically the ability to throw strikes.  Command is the ability to put the pitch where you want.  Not just in the zone.  Not sure how you could have 60 command and 50 control.  

[Second Base]

Those two are supposed to be switched. That's a mistake on my part gents. It's supposed to be a future control of 60, and command of 50. I feel his ability to pound the zone will be the result of approach, mechanics and experience. Because his command is as off as it is right now, I put 50 as league average, generic. 

In other words, I think he'll end up throwing lots of strikes, but dictating which side of the plate and high or low will be more of an average skill set. And really, this can change pitch to pitch. 

[Inside Pitch]

Scout in the Yankees system that does nothing but track pitchers tells me that of all the pitchers he graded in the Midwest League nobody did a worse job of missing his spots than Gatto.  Specifically, catcher sets a target and positions himself and then Gatto throws a ball that is nowhere near where the catcher was setting up or wanting it.  This despite him saying that he thinks part of the problem is Gatto is trying to aim his pitches.   Something needs to click mechanically for this kid soon or he's just going to bust.  Great arm but hasn't found how to put it together yet.

Side note, he also says no matter how bad he's getting raked, he doesn't seem to get all that flustered.  So the kid has some fight in him ... As long as he's got that will to keep trying he's worth wishing on.

[Adam]

LARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Docwaukee]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

Scout in the Yankees system that does nothing but track pitchers tells me that of all the pitchers he graded in the Midwest League nobody did a worse job of missing his spots than Gatto.  Specifically, catcher sets a target and positions himself and then Gatto throws a ball that is nowhere near where the catcher was setting up or wanting it.  This despite him saying that he thinks part of the problem is Gatto is trying to aim his pitches.   Something needs to click mechanically for this kid soon or he's just going to bust.  Great arm but hasn't found how to put it together yet.

Side note, he also says no matter how bad he's getting raked, he doesn't seem to get all that flustered.  So the kid has some fight in him ... As long as he's got that will to keep trying he's worth wishing on.

Oddly enough, this makes me feel better about him.  He's the type where the light goes on and he's in the majors a year later.  At least it's not that he lacks the stuff.  

[Second Base]

2 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Scout in the Yankees system that does nothing but track pitchers tells me that of all the pitchers he graded in the Midwest League nobody did a worse job of missing his spots than Gatto.  Specifically, catcher sets a target and positions himself and then Gatto throws a ball that is nowhere near where the catcher was setting up or wanting it.  This despite him saying that he thinks part of the problem is Gatto is trying to aim his pitches.   Something needs to click mechanically for this kid soon or he's just going to bust.  Great arm but hasn't found how to put it together yet.

Side note, he also says no matter how bad he's getting raked, he doesn't seem to get all that flustered.  So the kid has some fight in him ... As long as he's got that will to keep trying he's worth wishing on.

I observed the very same thing when I watched Gatto a couple times this year. One outing was solid, the other was a shortened disaster, but his body language for the both was the same.

Good arm, solid throwing motion. He's the type I wouldn't cut just because he's one adjustment away from being really good. It might not come until he's 24 and a reliever, or it could come as a starter at age 21, but my guess is it's coming.

FWIW, Gatto was rocked in high school as well. He played for a few different scout teams and never had the greatest results. But the fun part about those is that teams don't look for performance as much potential. Gatto has lots of potential.

[Inside Pitch]

2 hours ago, Dochalo said:

Oddly enough, this makes me feel better about him.  He's the type where the light goes on and he's in the majors a year later.  At least it's not that he lacks the stuff.  

That's the interesting thing -- he wasn't really down on him..  He talked more about how he was unfazed than the location issues and he loves his arm.  Basically he believes Gatto is still just searching for something.   Like you said, guys like that might never find it, but if they do.  Boom.