Scouting Report

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

After recovering from 2019 Tommy John surgery that cost him his high school senior year, McGraw projected as perhaps the best Saturday starter in the 2023 Draft, but his elbow gave out again right before this season started. He was sitting at 95-98 mph with a wipeout slider in intrasquad action when he went down and required a second elbow reconstruction with an internal brace. He may have more upside than fellow Wake Forest right-hander Rhett Lowder, a lock first-rounder, but McGraw can't match his consistency or health. 

A healthy McGraw usually operates at 92-95 mph and tops out at 98 with his fastball, though it gets a lot more grounders than swings and misses because it features sinking action rather than carry. His best pitch is a mid-80s slider with sweep and depth that grades as plus when he lands it in the zone. He also dodges bats with an upper-80s changeup with fade and tumble.  

While McGraw has the potential for three solid or better pitches, he has yet to harness them on a regular basis. He has the athleticism and delivery for at least average control and command, but he walked 5.8 batters per nine innings in his first two years with the Demon Deacons. A potential first-rounder before he got hurt, he's now a wild card. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

With first-round potential leading into the 2023 season, McGraw’s stock dropped after needing his second Tommy John surgery just prior to his junior campaign at Wake Forest. He underwent the previous one in 2019, which cost him his senior year of high school. Yet a Mariners organization that’s thrived drafting injured arms with upside snagged him in the third round and signed him well-below slot value, at $600,000.

For those reasons, McGraw is maybe Seattle’s most intriguing prospect arm entering ‘24 -- along with Cole Phillips, who also hasn’t pitched since 2022. A healthy McGraw operated in the 93-96 mph range on his fastball, which generated more grounders than whiffs due to its sinking action. His upper-80s changeup has the fade and tumble to miss bats. But it’s the slider that’s his best offering -- with plus-plus potential -- and which he consistently lands in the zone.

There’s much potential for each of his three pitches, though if there is a knock on McGraw, it’s that he has not harnessed them all at once on a consistent basis, evidenced by walking 5.8 batters per nine innings in his first two seasons at Wake Forest. Those are typically fixable issues, though, which makes him a potentially smart gamble within a pitching-driven organization. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

McGraw had Tommy John surgery in 2019, costing him his senior year of high school, but was poised to give Wake Forest another potential first-round arm, along with Rhett Lowder, in 2023. But his elbow gave out again right before the season started, leading to another reconstructive surgery with an internal brace. The Mariners thought his upside was too much to pass up in the third round of the Draft and they were able to sign him for a blow slot bonus of $600,000.

A healthy McGraw usually operates at 92-95 mph and tops out at 98 with his fastball, though it gets a lot more grounders than swings and misses because it features sinking action rather than carry. His best pitch is a mid-80s slider with sweep and depth that grades as plus when he lands it in the zone. He also dodges bats with an upper-80s changeup with fade and tumble. 

While McGraw has the potential for three solid or better pitches, he has yet to harness them on a regular basis. He has the athleticism and delivery for at least average control and command, but he walked 5.8 batters per nine innings in his first two years with the Demon Deacons. The first order of business is for him to get healthy and return to the mound to shake off the rust in 2024.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/04/2024	RHP Teddy McGraw assigned to Modesto Nuts from ACL Mariners.
	03/21/2024	ACL Mariners placed RHP Teddy McGraw on the 60-day injured list.
	11/14/2023	RHP Teddy McGraw assigned to ACL Mariners.
	08/10/2023	RHP Teddy McGraw assigned to Mariners Organization.
	07/18/2023	Seattle Mariners signed RHP Teddy McGraw.
	05/26/2023	College Workout activated RHP Teddy McGraw.
	05/24/2023	College Workout activated RHP Teddy McGraw.
	05/20/2023	RHP Teddy McGraw assigned to Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
	05/20/2023	Wake Forest Demon Deacons activated RHP Teddy McGraw.
	07/04/2022	RHP Teddy McGraw assigned to USAB Stars Team.
	07/02/2022	USAB Stripes Team activated RHP Teddy McGraw.
	07/02/2022	USAB Stripes Team activated RHP Teddy McGraw.
	07/01/2022	RHP Teddy McGraw and assigned to College Workout.
	05/02/2022	RHP Teddy McGraw and assigned to Wake Forest Demon Deacons.