Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ATL | RHP | 17 | 40 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 60 | 50 | 45 | 45/40 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Justin Lada
Age: 21 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 200 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 Draft, Round 14
RuleV: 2021
Physical Description: Short, stocky, athletic build. Powerful legs. Has added some good strength since being drafted. No significant room left for good size to be added to his frame.
Delivery & Mechanics: Works first base side of the rubber with left leg step towards first from the windup. Slight pelvis and upper half tilt towards the hitter moving into a drop and drive motion where he gets into his drive leg strongly. Uses drop into his lower half to hide the ball well. Uses long arm swing out of drive as he pushes force up through his upper half. Shoulders and upper body shift towards first base side to unwind force up his body and allows him to create a high 3/4 arm slot that's about as high as you can get without being a true over the top release. Uses a slide step with same motion from the stretch. Gets good extension on his delivery for his lack of length in legs or wing spn in arms. High arm slot allows him to get good plane on his pitches. Falls off towards first base side often thanks to the effort in his delivery, especially with the tilt needed in his shoulders and upper half to create his high arm slot. Loses release point at times due to effort. Reliever delivery.
Fastball: 93-95 t98. The late, great John Calvagno caught him at 100 in April of 2019. Velocity has reportedly bounced around. Was 91-94 pre-draft and then sat around 93-95. Jumps out of his hand. Gets good plane on it thanks to his arm slot. Inconsistent command. Extension on his delivery appears to make it play above its velocity at times. Misses bats at the top of the zone and in it. Above-average spin and has some arm side run to it. Doesn't need to locate it to be an effective pitch. Grade: 60
Slider: Falls off the table late. Inconsistent shape but more drop than sweep, but sharp action that dives under bats. Good at tunneling with the fastball. Right handers have a hard time laying off on the outer half. Not afraid to front-door it to right handers. Gets swing and misses from left handers with it finishing at their feet. Inconsistent control and below-average spin. Grade: 50
Changeup: 86-88. Power, vertical change. Arm speed slows when he throws the pitch. Very noticeable 'hump' in pitch with late drop. Low-usage third offering that flashes average with good fade, but lacks the arm speed, confidence and separation from fastball at present. Grade: 45
Control and Command: Control over command profile. Misses both arm side and down to the glove side with the fastball often due to efforted follow through when he loses his release point. Misses around the zone enough to be effective. Better command of the fastball working north-south due to the arm slot. Fringe-average command of secondaries. Control: 45 | Command: 40
Overall: A rare prep-arm that's been mostly used as a reliever out of the draft, the Braves used Vodnik in multi-inning stints in 2019 up to four innings out of the pen. He made one start where he went five innings in 2019. The effort in his delivery, particularly how his upper half shifts to create his arm slot that causes him to fall off to the first base side make him a better fit for the bullpen. The fastball and slider are enough of weapons to profile as a reliever who can get swings and misses in high leverage spots thanks to the velocity and tunneling of the two offerings. He doesn't need above-average command of either thanks to the fastball velocity and late, sharp movement of his slider. Too firm changeup with slower arm speed need to be improved upon if there is a chance to start long term, but ultimately his delivery, and subsequently, command, should keep him in the bullpen, where he could be an effective leverage option. Power profile that could move fast with average control.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Spot Starter or Long Reliever
Risk: Moderate
