The MLB Draft will get underway in just a few more weeks on July 11. University of Virginia left-hander Andrew Abbott is a guy who could hear his name called within the first couple of rounds after being solid as a starter in his first year in the Cavaliers rotation in 2021. Abbott is coming off a dominant outing Sunday afternoon, striking out 10 over six shutout innings, to help Virginia win their first game of the College World Series against Tennesse.
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Andrew Abbott, LHP, Virginia
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 180 lbs
Age: 22
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
2018: 24 G, 1 GS, 3-4, 3.18 ERA, 78/16 K/BB, 6 SV, 51 IP
2019: 24 G, 2 GS, 2-3, 3.89 ERA, 59/25 K/BB, 44 IP
2020: 9 G, 3-0, 1.35 ERA, 28/8 K/BB, 13.1 IP
2021: 18 G, 16 GS, 8-6, 3.04 ERA, 152/30 K/BB, 100.2 IP
Scouting Grades
Fastball: 55
Curveball: 60
Changeup: 45
Control: 55
Overall: 55
Abbott was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Halifax County High School in South Boston, Virginia. He decided to keep his commitment to Virginia and spent most o four-year career coming out of the bullpen as a dominant reliever. The southpaw is an absolute bulldog and will give a team whatever they need from him, whether that’s innings out of the bullpen or making starts in the rotation. He made the transition to the Virginia rotation in 2021 and proved to be the ace of their staff.
Andrew Abbott, Wicked 81mph Breaking Ball (CF view and Umpire Cam). 🤢 pic.twitter.com/sOUZyNf35W
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 20, 2021
Strengths
Abbott relies a lot on his fastball-curveball combination as both a reliever and a starter. His fastball sits 89-92 mph and tops out at 95 mph while he shows a tremendous command of the pitch. Abbott gets swings and misses despite not sporting premium velocity as he paints the corners and has some late movement on the pitch. His curveball is a great secondary pitch. At its best, it will land on the back foot against lefties and work the backdoor against right-handers. It is a true out pitch and really tails away from left-handers. The pitch creates a good amount of deception and generates a lot of groundball contact. He hasn’t utilized his third pitch in his changeup much up until this season, but it creates a lot of bad contact with minimal swing-and-miss action. There is still a lot of room for projection with the pitch, as he uses it more and gets a better feel for it. Abbott projects as a high leverage reliever at the next level but could also come through as a fringe fifth or sixth starter in certain spots. In 2020, he led the ACC in strikeouts as a reliever.
Weaknesses
Although his strikeout rate has been high, Abbott otherwise has some struggle with his command. He can sometimes leave pitches too far over the plate, leading to hard contact, especially since his fastball lacks high velocity. He has shown the ability to improve his command and feel for his pitches working as a starter this season, so this won’t be too big of a concern. Abbott is a true competitor and will do anything that is needed for a team.
Pro Comparison: Diego Castillo
Although Castillo has come out of the bullpen for all 26 of his appearances this season, in the past he has been used by the Tampa Bay Rays as a spot starter. Abbott is that type of guy who could wind up finding a home in the bullpen but still step up to make starts here and there. Abbott and Castillo have much different pitch mixes, but they are similar in how they go about pitching and controlling the strike zone. Castillo uses a slider and sinker along with a four-seam fastball. Also I really just wanted to say Abbott and Castillo, because it sounds so much like Abbott and Costello.
Draft Projection: Late Second, Early Third Round
A number of teams can use a pitcher like Abbott with the way the game is going now, with big-time relievers being more in than having a full five-man rotation. Teams nowadays are more on the side of throwing together arms to work through a game, especially in the postseason. Abbott’s mentality of pitching whenever and whatever situation he is needed will certainly play up in the majors.
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Main Image Credit: Archy Sport
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