Jesse Biddle

Name: Jesse Biddle
Position: LHP
Bats: RH
Throws: LH
DOB: 10/22/91 (19 as of April 1, 2011)
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 225 lbs
Drafted: 1st round, 2010 ($1,160,000 bonus)

Pre Draft Report: Jesse Biddle was selected in the first round of the 2010 draft out of Germantown Friends HS in Philadelphia.  Biddle first rose to scouts’ attention during the 2009 Area Code Games.  Baseball Beginnings wrote this after seeing Biddle throw five innings in the ACG:

FB 90-93 with room for more, above-average FB movement, late life. Curveball 73, some shape, was developing power when I saw him. CH at 85, a little too hard. Good extension, balance and downhill for a tall pitcher.

A few weeks later, PG Crosscheckers saw him at the National Showcase and filed a glowing report:

Jesse Biddle is a 2010 LHP/OF with a 6’6”, 225 lb. frame from Philadelphia, PA who attends Germantown Friends HS. Outstanding physical athletic build, loose and long, still plenty of projection. Throws very easy, low effort out front, repeats very well from wind up. FB touched 91 mph in the dome, lots of velo projection. Big and soft CB with proper shape, can tighten up and add velocity to CB. Appeared less comfortable from stretch. Strongly resembles Andy Pettitte. Huge sky is the limit protential. Early draft possibilities. Excellent student, verbal to Oregon.

Heading into the draft, Baseball America ranked Biddle as the 3^rd best prospect in Pennsylvania and the 116^th best in the nation.  They had him sitting at 90-92, hitting 93-94 with sinking and cutting action on his fastball.  Given his body type and coming from a cold weather state, projectability and rawness were the key takeaways.

ESPN also posted a report (Insider Only) on Biddle, where it noted that he pitched on a good downhill plane, but noted that he needs to develop his secondary pitches to hit his upside of a #2 starter.

MLBBonusbaby also posted a report on a Biddle; it is similar to the others and you can read it in its entirety here.

Biddle signed almost immediately and was sent to Florida to begin his career.

Career Synopsis: Biddle began his season with the GCL Phillies.  Generally limited to three or four innings per start as he built up arm strength, Biddle was not overmatched in his first pro experience, pitching 33.1 innings, striking out 41, walking 9, allowing 35 hits and two homers.  He was moved up to Williamsport in late-August and made three starts covering 10.1 innings.  His control fell off a bit as he compiled a 9/11 K/BB ratio, but he only allowed five hits in the brief stretch and ended up with a sub-3.00 ERA.  All told across the two stops, Biddle posted very respectable 10.3 K/9 and 2.5 K/BB ratios.

Scouting Report: Below is an assessment of Biddle’s raw tools, rated on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale. The grades are my estimation based on what I’ve read and those I’ve talked to. The second number is a future projection, the first number is the current assessment

Arm Strength:60/65

Fastball:60/65

Control:50/60

Command:50/60

Mechanics:60

Durability:60

Secondary Pitches:45/60

Summary: There is a whole lot to like in Biddle. His arm strength and fastball are both above average for a lefty, and if he fills out and adds more velocity, he could regularly sit in the 92-95 range, touching more, which is borderline elite for a LHP. He has sound mechanics and the last piece is really the development of his secondary pitches, both of which are currently fringy now, but project to be above average offerings as he gains experience.

Upside:  Biddle is a power lefty, with a big frame that the Phillies are trying to get him to add weight to.  His fastball works anywhere from 90-94 and while reports vary on his slider and change (some have the slider as the better pitch currently, others have the change), both pitches project as above-average.  While there are hopes that Biddle develops into a top of the rotation starter, that road to development may be a long one.  A cold weather high school pitcher who played his high school ball in a far from elite league, Biddle will have to learn to make adjustments as the competition gets better while simultaneously refining his secondary pitches.  Given his age and the glut of starting pitching ahead of him, look for Biddle to spend the entire season at Lakewood, where a good season would place him among Cosart, Colvin, and May as the elite pitching prospects in the system.

Videos:

Honestly, when I look at these videos I see Barry Zito in his prime. He has long arms and legs, and uses them to create excellent leverage. He gets good extension to the plate, which helps create deception. I don’t see any red flags in his delivery, he is very free and easy in his delivery and incorporates his core well, taking stress off his arm. The ultimate question is how much velocity he will add when he is fully developed physically.

Articles:

Profile Updated: 5 February 2011