Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Control: 55 | Overall: 45
A 14th-round Draft selection by the D-backs out of Dallas Baptist in 2016, Poche was dealt to the Rays in May 2018 as the PTBNL from the offseason Steven Souza trade. He was already having a breakout campaign when the Rays acquired him, and that only continued after the trade. The best reliever in the Minors in 2018, Poche recorded a 0.82 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and .151 BAA in 66 innings (40 appearances) between Double-A and Triple-A. What's more, the left-hander racked up 110 strikeouts (against 19 walks), fanned 45.6 percent of his batters faced and averaged 15.0 strikeouts-per-nine. No Minor League pitcher with as many innings recorded a better strikeout rate in 2018 than Poche.
The left-hander racks up most of his whiffs with a fastball that sits at 92-94 mph on the radar gun but plays at a much, much higher effective velocity thanks to a high spin rate and because Poche's delivery and arm action are both highly deceptive. He hides the ball extremely well and gets considerable extension over his front side, leaving hitters with little time to pick up the ball out of his hand. Poche also throws an above-average slider with late, horizontal action, and both offerings play up because he commands them well.
Poche may not have prototypical late-inning stuff, but it's not going to keep him from emerging as a bullpen force at the highest level. His ability to miss bats and generate weak contact against hitters on both sides of the plate is elite, and those traits, as well as his ability to cover multiple innings, give him huge upside as a fireman reliever. Statcast - Pitching Season Pitches Batted Balls Barrels Barrel % Exit Velocity Launch Angle XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON Hard Hit % K % BB % 2019 870 111 10 9.0 88.7 29.8 .170 .334 .279 .261 .341 37.3 34.8 9.2 ALL 870 111 10 9.0 88.7 29.8 .170 .334 .279 .261 .341 37.3 34.8 9.2 MLB 40553 6.3 87.5 11.2 .251 .412 .317 .318 .371 34.5 21.7 8.3 Transactions Team Date Transaction 06/08/2019 Tampa Bay Rays selected the contract of LHP Colin Poche from Durham Bulls. 01/31/2019 Tampa Bay Rays invited non-roster LHP Colin Poche to spring training. 05/11/2018 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Durham Bulls from Montgomery Biscuits. 05/01/2018 Arizona Diamondbacks traded LHP Colin Poche and RHP Sam McWilliams to Tampa Bay Rays. 05/01/2018 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Montgomery Biscuits. 04/04/2018 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Jackson Generals from Visalia Rawhide. 02/26/2018 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Arizona Diamondbacks. 08/30/2017 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Salt River Rafters. 07/28/2017 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Visalia Rawhide from Kane County Cougars. 04/25/2017 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Visalia Rawhide from Hillsboro Hops. 06/15/2016 LHP Colin Poche assigned to Hillsboro Hops. 06/13/2016 Arizona Diamondbacks signed LHP Colin Poche.
