Scouting Report

Video scouting report »

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

The New Jersey high school ranks may always be best known for producing Mike Trout, but the Garden State has had a healthy bounty of early-round Draft picks of late, with five picks in the top four rounds since 2019, headlined by first-rounders Anthony Volpe in 2019 and Chase Petty in 2021. While Echavarria doesn’t quite look like an opening-round arm just yet, appearances at the Area Code Games and the WWBA World Championships have put him much more firmly on the map, with strong performances this spring moving him further up Draft boards.

A 6-foot-1 right-hander, Echavarria does have an intriguing combination of present feel for pitching and projection of his stuff, with a potential four-pitch mix. While he’s been described as having “sneaky” velocity in the past with his fastball, up to 93-94 mph consistently, he had gained a tick early this spring, consistently hitting 96 and touching 98 mph. He misses a good amount of bats with it thanks to its ride up in the zone, and he also can throw a 92-93 mph two-seamer down in the zone, with more consistent velocity to come as he matures. He’s shown two distinct breaking pitches, with both the slider and curve usable offerings, the sweeping slider perhaps a bit more effective. They can blend at times, and some scouts like it better when it has more of a curve-like shape to it. He shows feel for a low-80s changeup as well.

Especially for a prep arm in a cold-weather state, Echavarria shows off very good pitchability and can throw all of his pitches for strikes. He reminds some area scouts of eastern Pennsylvania product Michael Morales, a 2021 third-round pick of the Mariners who got second-round money to sign, and it’s not hard to envision Echavarria, a Florida recruit, going in the same vicinity.

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

Echavarria boosted his Draft stock on the strength of his performances on the showcase circuit and an uptick in velocity that helped him dominate his senior season by going 8-1 with a 0.28 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 50 innings. Though he was committed to the University of Florida, the A’s managed to sway him with first-round money ($3 million) as a third-round selection (72nd pick) in the 2023 Draft. The A’s liked what they saw in the handful of innings he pitched in the instructional league, and there is a lot of anticipation within the organization about watching his first season of pro ball unfold.

Echavarria brings a four-pitch mix that features a fastball that consistently hits 96 mph and has reached up to 98, carrying ride up in the zone that lends to a good amount of swing-and-miss. Other pitches in the arsenal include a sweeping slider, curveball and low-80s changeup. He also throws a 92-93 mph two-seamer down in the zone, which should develop more consistent velocity as he grows into his 6-foot-1 frame.

For a prep arm in a cold-weather state, Echavarria shows off very good pitchability with an ability to consistently throw all his offerings for strikes. Continuing the recent run of early-round Draft picks from the New Jersey high school ranks, headlined by first-rounders Anthony Volpe in 2019 and Chase Petty in 2021, he enters his first full year as a pro with high expectations.

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

The New Jersey high school ranks have had a healthy bounty of early-round Draft picks of late, with five in the top four rounds since 2019, headlined by first-rounders Anthony Volpe in 2019 and Chase Petty in 2021. Echavarria didn’t quite look like an opening-round arm to many, though strong performances on the showcase circuit had helped his stock, as did an uptick in velocity this spring. He went in the third round to the A’s, who gave him first-round money ($3 million) to sign him away from his commitment to Florida.

The 6-foot-1 Echavarria has a potential four-pitch mix. While he’s been described as having “sneaky” velocity in the past with his fastball, up to 93-94 mph consistently, he had gained a tick early this past spring, consistently hitting 96 and touching 98. He misses bats with it thanks to its ride up in the zone, and he also can throw a 92-93 mph two-seamer down in the zone, with more consistent velocity to come as he matures. He’s shown two distinct breaking pitches, with both the slider and curve usable offerings and the sweeping slider perhaps a bit more effective. They can blend at times, and some scouts like it better when it has more of a curve-like shape to it. He shows feel for a low-80s changeup as well.

Especially for a prep arm in a cold-weather state, Echavarria shows off very good pitchability and can throw all of his offerings for strikes. He reminded some area scouts of eastern Pennsylvania product Michael Morales, a 2021 third-round pick of the Mariners who got second-round money to sign.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	10/02/2024	Stockton Ports activated RHP Steven Echavarria from the 7-day injured list.
	08/31/2024	Stockton Ports placed RHP Steven Echavarria on the 7-day injured list retroactive to August 30, 2024.
	04/30/2024	RHP Steven Echavarria assigned to Stockton Ports from ACL Athletics.
	04/30/2024	Stockton Ports activated RHP Steven Echavarria.
	03/07/2024	Oakland Athletics Prospects activated RHP Steven Echavarria.
	08/05/2023	RHP Steven Echavarria assigned to ACL Athletics.
	07/17/2023	Oakland Athletics signed RHP Steven Echavarria.
	07/14/2022	RHP Steven Echavarria and assigned to High School Workout.