Bryce Cunningham
P | Bats/Throws: R/R | 6' 5" 230LBS | Age: 21
Draft: 2024 | Rd: 2, #53, New York Yankees | Vanderbilt
MLB Pipeline Rank
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Scouting Report

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

Cunningham had sporadic success in his first two years at Vanderbilt, recording a 6.33 ERA as a swingman. He was much more effective as a starter in the Cape Cod League, making two all-star game appearances and winning a pair of championships with Bourne. The summer version of Cunningham has shown up more often this spring as he has taken a step forward with his stuff and command, secured a rotation spot and worked his way into the top two rounds.

While Cunningham's mid-90s fastball velocity with a peak of 97 mph is nothing new, he's doing a better job of locating his heater and keeping it off barrels with carry up in the zone. It plays extremely well with one of the best swing-and-miss changeups in college baseball, a hard upper-80s cambio that plummets at the plate. His sweeping mid-80s slider is an effective third offering.

Improving his strength and athleticism has helped Cunningham do a better job of repeating his clean delivery. He's throwing more strikes and maintaining his stuff deeper into games. He exhibits the upside of a No. 2 or 3 starter and unlocking a better slider could help him get there.


2024

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

Cunningham recorded a 6.33 ERA as a swingman during his first two years at Vanderbilt but was much more effective as a starter in the Cape Cod League, making two all-star game appearances and winning a pair of championships with Bourne. The summer version showed up more this spring as he took a step forward with his stuff and command and enthralled analysts with some of the best pitch metrics in college baseball. The Yankees were delighted to float him down to the 53rd overall pick and sign him for a well-over-slot $2,297,500.

While Cunningham's mid-90s fastball velocity with a peak of 97 mph was nothing new, he did a better job of locating his heater and keeping it off barrels with carry at the letters. It played extremely well with one of the best swing-and-miss changeups in the Draft, a hard upper-80s cambio with so much fade and sink that he has trouble landing it in the zone. His sweeping mid-80s slider is an effective third offering.

Improving his strength and athleticism has helped Cunningham do a better job of repeating his clean delivery. That allowed him to throw more strikes and maintain his stuff deeper into games. He exhibits the upside of a No. 2 or 3 starter and unlocking a better slider -- something New York specializes in -- could help him get there.


Transactions

Team Date Transaction
08/05/2024 RHP Bryce Cunningham assigned to FCL Yankees.
07/22/2024 New York Yankees signed RHP Bryce Cunningham.
06/16/2024 College Workout activated RHP Bryce Cunningham.
02/25/2024 RHP Bryce Cunningham assigned to Vanderbilt Commodores.
06/09/2023 Bourne Braves activated RHP Bryce Cunningham.
02/08/2023 RHP Bryce Cunningham assigned to Vanderbilt Commodores.