Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50 

Watts-Brown originally committed to Texas Tech as a California high schooler, but the Red Raiders backed off him when he injured his shoulder playing quarterback as a senior and he wound up at Long Beach State. After redshirting while getting healthy in 2021, he made his college debut last spring, threw the school's first nine-inning no-hitter and set a school record with 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings (the fifth-best rate in NCAA Division I). He starred in the Cape Cod League during the summer before transferring to Oklahoma State, where he led the Big 12 Conference in strikeouts (124) and strikeout rate (13.6) despite an up-and-down spring. 

Watts-Brown's best weapon is a plus 83-86 slider that he commands better than his other offerings, showing the ability to get swings and misses in and out of the strike zone. His fastball parks at 90-93 mph and tops out at 96 with decent running action, but it's fairly ordinary in terms of velocity and life and gets hit harder than any of his pitches. He also employs a solid low-80s curveball with bigger break than his slider and an average mid-80s changeup with some fade and tumble. 

More athletic than physical, Watts-Brown has a slender 6-foot-3 frame and some questions about how well he'll handle a pro starter's workload. He shows some feel for pitching and should be able to refine his control and command as he gets more innings. His biggest need is to add some power or movement to his fastball so he can keep it off barrels. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Following a stint at Long Beach State and some success in the Cape Cod League, Watts-Brown landed at Oklahoma State, where he led the Big 12 Conference in strikeouts (124) and K/9 (13.6) despite an up-and-down spring. The Blue Jays selected him in the third round at 89th overall before signing him to an above-slot $1 million bonus. Watts-Brown will be making his pro debut in ’24, and the Blue Jays are looking to find upside after envisioning some physical growth out of the Draft. 

Early reviews indicate that this is still a work in progress. Watts-Brown has a natural feel for pitching, which enabled him to have success in NCAA ball, but could still benefit greatly from adding weight and velocity. As it sits today, his fastball is on the lighter side at 90-93 mph, so it would need to be landed with precision to set up his slider and curveball, which could be legitimate out pitches at the upper levels. There should be room for Watts-Brown to add some bulk to his slender frame, but whether that happens still remains to be seen. 

Watts-Brown should have the feel and experience to succeed at the lower levels, but the important factors to watch are the development of his fastball and how he holds up physically through the year. It’s possible that Watts-Brown ramps up slower than some other pitchers in the early months. There’s still plenty of time to make good on the upside that the Blue Jays and evaluators envisioned around the Draft, given how early he is in his career, so he’s facing an important first step in ‘24.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45 

Watts-Brown originally committed to Texas Tech as a California high schooler, but the Red Raiders backed off him when he injured his shoulder playing quarterback as a senior and he wound up at Long Beach State. After redshirting while getting healthy in 2021, he made his college debut last spring, threw the school's first nine-inning no-hitter and set a school record with 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings (the fifth-best rate in NCAA Division I). He starred in the Cape Cod League during the summer before transferring to Oklahoma State, where he led the Big 12 Conference in strikeouts (124) and strikeout rate (13.6) despite an up-and-down spring. The Jays selected him in the third round at 89th overall before signing him to an above-slot $1 million bonus.

Watts-Brown's best weapon is a plus 83-86 mph slider that he commands better than his other offerings, showing the ability to get swings-and-misses in and out of the strike zone. His fastball parks at 90-93 and tops out at 96 with decent running action, but it's fairly ordinary in terms of velocity and life and gets hit harder than any of his other pitches. He also employs a solid low-80s curveball with bigger break than his slider and an average mid-80s changeup with some fade and tumble. 

More athletic than physical, Watts-Brown has a slender 6-foot-3 frame and some questions about how well he'll handle a pro starter's workload. He shows some feel for pitching and should be able to refine his control and command as he gets more innings. His biggest need is to add some power or movement to his fastball so he can keep it off barrels.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	06/30/2024	RHP Juaron Watts-Brown assigned to Vancouver Canadians from Dunedin Blue Jays.
	04/04/2024	RHP Juaron Watts-Brown assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays.
	11/14/2023	RHP Juaron Watts-Brown assigned to FCL Blue Jays.
	08/10/2023	RHP Juaron Watts-Brown assigned to Blue Jays Organization.
	07/23/2023	Toronto Blue Jays signed RHP Juaron Watts-Brown.
	06/06/2023	RHP Juaron Watts-Brown assigned to College Workout.
	02/14/2023	RHP Juaron Watts-Brown assigned to Oklahoma State Cowboys.
	02/14/2023	Oklahoma State Cowboys activated RHP Juaron Watts-Brown.