Gasser spent his 2018 freshman season at New Mexico, then transferred to Delta JC and led California junior college pitchers in wins (14-0, 2.38) and strikeouts (139 in 102 innings). He still didn't get drafted in 2019 and didn't make much of an impression last year after transferring to Houston. He opened eyes when he pitched seven scoreless innings against Texas and projected first-rounder Ty Madden this February, and he now should go in the top two or three rounds as one of the best college left-handers available.
After previously operating in the upper 80s, Gasser's fastball has made a jump this spring, now parking in the low 90s and topping out at 96 mph with running action. His hybrid breaking ball has added power as well, sitting in the low 80s and showing flashes of becoming a plus pitch. He rounds out his repertoire with an effective changeup that he trusts.
Gasser moves his pitches all around the zone, keeping hitters off balance by throwing four-seamers up, sliders down and changeups away. He's not especially tall or physical, but he has a decent delivery and the strike-throwing efficiency to remain a starter.
After bouncing around colleges, Gasser settled in at Houston and turned himself into the 71st overall pick in the 2021 Draft, taken in that spot by the Padres. San Diego moved the left-hander to Milwaukee a year later as part of a four-player package for All-Star closer Josh Hader, and the Brewers got more aggressive with him, getting him to Double-A and Triple-A by the end of his first full season. Gasser spent the entire 2023 campaign with Nashville, where he led Triple-A pitchers with 166 strikeouts and finished second among qualifiers with a 3.79 ERA over 135 1/3 innings.
The 6-foot southpaw throws both a four-seamer and sinker around 91-94 mph -- the former working up in the zone and the latter dropping low to limit damage (no batter managed an extra-base hit off Gasser’s sinker in 2023). He uses both more as table-setters while his 79-82 mph slider can be a true putaway pitch -- one that can run away from lefties or backfoot righties with sweep and even some lift. He’s added an upper-80s cutter that hovers right around the 0-inch horizontal mark, giving him a pitch he can pinpoint with relative ease. His upper-80s changeup has dwindled in usage as Gasser has worked on its command.
The cambio aside, walks have never been a huge roadblock in Gasser’s profile, and his solid control has continually fueled his high strikeout numbers and climb toward the bigs. Without a true second plus pitch, the left-hander doesn’t have a particularly high ceiling, although he was close to meeting it as a back end starter before elbow issues after five MLB starts led to Tommy John surgery in June. He will be out until 2025.
Starting in 2018, Gasser bounced around from New Mexico to Delta Junior College (Calif.) to Houston in his collegiate days but didn’t quite place himself squarely onto Draft boards until he posted a 2.63 ERA with 105 K’s in 85 2/3 innings in his second season with the Cougars in 2021. The Padres snagged him in the second round that July, opened him at High-A Fort Wayne in his first full season and then traded him to the Brewers for another southpaw (Josh Hader) in August. Gasser finished out 2022 with nine starts split between Double-A and Triple-A as Milwaukee got more aggressive with his assignments.
Having thrown in the upper-80s in college, Gasser improved his velocity as a pro into the low-90s with both a four-seamer and a sinker from a low arm slot. His low-80s slider has developed into a plus pitch with impressive horizontal sweep that can be used against both lefties and righties, and he also works heavily with an upper-80s cutter. A mid-80s changeup remains a work in progress but looks like an at least average pitch with its own movement across the plate.
The 6-foot left-hander’s control backed up against him at Triple-A in 2023, befuddling Brewers officials somewhat, though fatigue could have been a factor. He generally does a good job of mixing his fastball and offspeed pitches, giving him an upper hand despite a relative lack of overpowering stuff. He’s close to establishing himself as a back-end starter and gives Milwaukee a much-needed promising lefty arm.
Gasser spent his 2018 freshman season at New Mexico, then transferred to Delta JC and led California junior college pitchers in wins (14-0, 2.38 ERA) and strikeouts (139 in 102 innings). He still didn't get drafted in 2019 and didn't make much of an impression in 2020 after transferring to Houston. He opened eyes when he pitched seven scoreless innings against Texas right-hander and Tigers pick Ty Madden last February, and he ended up going 71st overall to the Padres, with whom he signed for slot value ($884,200) in 2021. Gasser's pro debut was brief -- 15 innings in rookie ball and Low-A -- but his stuff exceeded expectations. He was exciting Padres officials before San Diego traded him to the Brewers in the deal for Josh Hader.
After previously operating in the upper 80s, Gasser's fastball ticked up last season and now sits in the low-to-mid 90s with running action. His slider has added power as well, sitting in the low 80s and showing flashes of becoming a plus pitch. Gasser also throws an above-average changeup, which surprised some in the Padres organization. The left-hander didn't use the pitch much as an amateur, but it's shown well so far in his pro career and could become a truly effective offering.
At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Gasser doesn't have a massive frame or overpowering stuff. However, he commands all his pitches well and knows how to pitch. He effectively moves the ball around the zone and could develop into an effective back-of-the-rotation starter.
Gasser spent his 2018 freshman season at New Mexico, then transferred to Delta JC and led California junior college pitchers in wins (14-0, 2.38 ERA) and strikeouts (139 in 102 innings). He still didn't get drafted in 2019 and didn't make much of an impression last year after transferring to Houston. He opened eyes when he pitched seven scoreless innings against Texas right-hander and Tigers pick Ty Madden this February, and he ended up going 71st overall to the Padres, with whom he signed for exactly slot at $884,200.
After previously operating in the upper 80s, Gasser's fastball made a jump this spring, now parking in the low 90s and topping out at 96 mph with running action. His hybrid breaking ball has added power as well, sitting in the low 80s and showing flashes of becoming a plus pitch. He rounds out his repertoire with an effective changeup that he trusts.
Gasser moves his pitches all around the zone, keeping hitters off balance by throwing four-seamers up, sliders down and changeups away. He's not especially tall or physical, but he has a decent delivery and the strike-throwing efficiency to remain a starter.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2024
25.1
2
2.0
0
0
0
2
100.0
Player
25.1
2
2.0
0
0
0
2
100.0
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Player
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here