Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55 

The top pitching prospect in the Draft, Porter won three Michigan state titles in three seasons at St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake), Division 2 crowns in 2019 and 2021 and a Division 1 championship at part of a 44-0 team in 2022. Gatorade's state player of the year in 2021, he repeated this spring and earned Gatorade's national honor as well after going 9-0 with a 0.41 ERA, 115 strikeouts in 58 innings and three no-hitters. He's the state's best prep pitcher since Steve Avery went No. 3 overall to the Braves in the 1988 Draft. 

Porter has the best fastball in the high school crop, sitting at 94-97 mph for innings at a time, topping out at 100 and generating that velocity and plenty of armside run and carry with relative ease. He also owns one of the better changeups in the Draft, as he throws his with deceptive arm speed, good velocity separation in the low 80s and outstanding horizontal action. He has made encouraging progress with his slider this spring, flashing some plus slide pieces as hard as 87 mph, and he'll mix in a downer curveball in the upper 70s. 

Other than continuing to refine his feel for spin, Porter doesn't need much beyond experience and continued good health. He has a strong 6-foot-4 frame with some projection remaining, repeats a delivery that features little effort and provides plenty of strikes. He's committed to Clemson and would be Draft-eligible in 2024 as a sophomore if he doesn't turn pro this summer. 

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

Porter had a decorated high school career at St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.), winning three state championships in three seasons, Gatorade state player of the year honors in 2021 and 2022 and Gatorade's national award in his senior season. Though he was MLB Pipeline's top-rated pitching prospect in the 2022 Draft, the Rangers managed to float him to the 109th pick, where they used the savings from taking Kumar Rocker at No. 3 to pay Porter a fourth-round-record $3.7 million. He logged a 2.47 ERA with a .160 opponent average and 95 strikeouts in 69 1/3 Single-A innings during his 2023 pro debut, though he also walked 42.

Porter's fastball and changeup ranked among the best in the 2022 prep class, and the latter pitch continues to confound hitters with its tumble and fade. But after operating at 94-97 mph and touching 100 with his four-seamer in the past, he has sat at 90-93 mph for much of 2024, and his command and confidence with his heater have plummeted as well. He made just three starts in High-A in April before Texas sent him to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, where he didn't appear in a game for another two months and continued to struggled when he returned.

After showing inconsistent feel for spinning the ball in high school, Porter has scrapped an upper-70s curveball to focus on a mid-80s slider that's becoming a solid offering. But his control has gone from below average last year to a disaster this season, making him a wild card as a prospect. He once looked like he'd pitch in the front half of a rotation, but even before his struggles in 2024, several scouts outside the organization were projecting him as more of a late-inning reliever.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 65 | Control: 45 | Overall: 55 

MLB Pipeline's top-rated pitching prospect in the 2022 Draft, Porter won three state titles in three seasons at St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) and was Gatorade's state player of the year in both 2021 and 2022. He also earned Gatorade's national award last spring, when he went 9-0 with a 0.41 ERA, 115 strikeouts in 58 innings and three no-hitters for a 44-0 team. After the Rangers saved money by taking Kumar Rocker with the third overall pick last July, they floated Porter all the way down to pick 109, where they destroyed the fourth-round bonus record by paying him $3.7 million.

Porter had the best fastball and one of the best changeups in the 2022 high school class. He's able to sit at 94-97 mph for several innings at a time and reach triple digits with plenty of run and carry on his four-seamer. He achieves excellent velocity separation between his fastball and his low-80s changeup, which has devastating tumble and fade.

Porter upgraded his slider significantly as a high school senior, flashing some plus mid-80s slide pieces, and also has a downer curveball in the upper 70s. His strong 6-foot-4 build should lend itself to durability and still has some remaining projection, and he does a nice job of repeating his low-effort delivery. Though Texas decided to defer his pro debut until 2023, he still should advance quickly for a prep pitcher.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55 

The Rangers saved enough money by selecting Kumar Rocker No. 3 overall in July that they were able to float Porter all the way down to pick 109, where they blew away the fourth-round bonus record by paying him $3.7 million. MLB Pipeline's top-rated pitching prospect in the 2022 Draft, he won three Michigan state titles in three seasons at St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake), including a Division 1 championship at part of a 44-0 team this spring. Gatorade's state player of the year in 2021, he repeated this year and earned Gatorade's national honor as well after going 9-0 with a 0.41 ERA, 115 strikeouts in 58 innings and three no-hitters. 

Porter had the best fastball in this year's prep class, showing the ability to sit at 94-97 mph for several innings and top out at 100 with plenty of arm-side run and carry. He also had one of the better changeups in the Draft, getting good velocity separation in the low 80s and outstanding horizontal action while selling it with deceptive arm speed. He significantly improved his slider as a high school senior, flashing some plus ones up to 87 mph, and he also possesses a downer curveball in the upper 70s. 

Porter doesn't have much to work on besides continuing to refine his feel for spin and soaking up some pro experience. He has a strong 6-foot-4 build with some projection remaining, and he repeats a delivery that features little effort. He throws consistent strikes and could move quickly for a high school pitcher. 

Awards

Baseball America Low Class A All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/27/2024	RHP Brock Porter assigned to ACL Rangers from Hickory Crawdads.
	04/01/2024	RHP Brock Porter assigned to Hickory Crawdads from Down East Wood Ducks.
	03/07/2024	Texas Rangers Prospects activated RHP Brock Porter.
	09/12/2023	Down East Wood Ducks activated RHP Brock Porter.
	09/12/2023	Down East Wood Ducks activated RHP Brock Porter.
	09/04/2023	Down East Wood Ducks transferred RHP Brock Porter to the Development List.
	04/06/2023	RHP Brock Porter and assigned to Down East Wood Ducks from ACL Rangers.
	03/06/2023	RHP Brock Porter assigned to ACL Rangers from Rangers Organization.
	08/16/2022	RHP Brock Porter assigned to Rangers Organization.
	07/27/2022	Texas Rangers signed RHP Brock Porter.
	05/19/2022	RHP Brock Porter, , , and assigned to High School Workout.
	08/18/2021	RHP Brock Porter and assigned to PG West.
	07/13/2021	PG National 6 - Navy activated RHP Brock Porter.