Asa
Lacy

09.09.16
6-foot-4, 195-pound frame, long, lean body. Works from high-3/4 slot with long, easy arm action. He threw his fastball from 85-88 mph. He showed a 72 mph curveball with good downward action. He threw his changeup from 77-79 mph with heavy downward action. Showed the ability to command offspeed in second and third inning of work.

DRAFT 2020: As a slender 6-foot-2, 180 pound high school senior throwing in the upper-80s, Lacy was selected in the 31st round of the 2017 draft by Cleveland. Now standing strong and durable at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and armed with an elite fastball up to 97 he could be the poster boy for projectable high school arms who opt for college and develop into top picks. Last summer during an appearance for the USA CNT, Lacy sat 92-95 mph with his fastball and good downplane from a high three-quarter slot. He landed soft with good balance and direction to the plate. There's some effort and head dunk to his delivery, but nothing that detracts from his starter profile at this point as his upper and lower halves stay in sync and his arm works. This spring his fastball touched 97 mph with a 2150-2350 rpm spin rate and elite spin efficiency. His secondary offerings continue to improve. Last summer he showed an 80-83 mph breaking ball and an 87 mph changeup, but now his breaker is a plus slider/cutter that he stays behind, sitting 88-90 mph with a spin rate approaching the 2400s. His above average changeup plays well off his fastball and sits 85-87 mph with a 1550-1600 spin rate. He also mixes in a downer curveball, but overall Lacy is a lefty power pitcher who excels at getting the punchout (115 SO in 76 IP in 2019, 46 in 24 IP this spring). He can still use further refinement of his command (4.5 BB/9 in 2019, 3.0 in 2020), but it, too, is improving. His bonus demands in 2017 as a high school senior now seem very reasonable for where he likely will be selected this summer, which is likely as one of the top three overall picks.

7/3/19: Physical with broad shoulders and strength in the lower half, listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. Easy, stable, repeatable delivery. Long arm swing, with good rhythm, to an over-the-top release. Fastball ranged 92-95 mph, holding for four innings. Attacked with the fastball, looking to elevate to get strikeouts. Control over command. Worked ahead in the count for most of the night but lacked the ability to finish, elongating some counts. When he did locate the fastball late it produced a high percentage of ground ball outs. 35 strikes in 61 total pitches. Good feel for a change-up at 86 with solid hand speed and fade. Out of the stretch, maintained stuff and velocity with times to the plate ranging 1.45-1.55 on fastballs. Occasional slide step, again maintaining velocity at 1.20. (B Hall)

6/30/19: As a slender 6-foot-3, 180 pound high school senior, Lacy was selected in the 31st round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Kerrville, TX by Cleveland, but did not sign. During my cross-check look that spring he threw exclusively fastballs throughout his six-inning start ranging from 84-89 mph. Now standing strong and durable at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and armed with a heater up to 97 he could be the poster boy for what projectable high school arms who opt for college and develop into a potential top picks look like. On this most recent look with the CNT, Lacy sat 92-95 mph with his fastball which showed good downplane from a high three-quarter slot. He set up on the far third base side of the rubber, landed soft with good balance and direction to the plate. There is some effort and head dunk to his delivery, but nothing that detracts from his starter profile at this point as his upper and lower halves stay in sync and his arm works. His command was a bit rusty as he missed spots and allowed two hits and one walk in two-thirds of an inning. His secondary offerings continue to develop, showing an 80-83 mph breaking ball and an 87 mph changeup on this look. The changeup in particular has improved since my previous look this spring at the Shriners Classic in Houston. He now cuts it to his glove side and shows slight fade to his armside. He struck out the CNT’s best hitter, Spencer Torkelson, on three consecutive changeups in the first inning. Overall, Lacy is a lefty power pitcher who excels at getting the punchout (115 SO in 76 IP this spring) but can still use refinement of his command (4.5 BB/9) and off speed. His bonus demands in 2017 as a high school senior now seem very reasonable for where he potentially will be selected next June, which looks to be the top half of the first round. (Seifert)

3/2/19: Asa Lacy (Texas A&M) struck out nine TCU hitters over seven scoreless, allowing just one hit while walking three in the contest. Though he had some early command issues, the lefty gets downhill with a plus fastball at 92-95 mph, velocity he was able to maintain though the duration of the start (his 102nd and final pitch was 95). While there's a high level of effort in the delivery, his upper and lower halves remain fairly in sync throughout. He missed bats with an above-average curveball with depth and 1/7 movement, while his firm 83-85 mph changeup is a usable third pitch. He also showed a seldom-used flat mid-80s slider that needs additional refinement. (Granger)