It’s been a long, winding road to the big leagues for Tate, whom the Rangers made the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 Draft out of UC Santa Barbara and signed for $4.2 million. He was considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball then, but he quickly fell out of favor in Texas after his stuff regressed. Fourteen months after drafting him, the Rangers traded Tate to the Yankees as part of a three-player package for Carlos Beltran. He reclaimed some of his prospect shine over parts of three seasons in New York’s system before being shipped to the Orioles in the 2018 Trade Deadline deal for Zack Britton, then made his MLB debut in July 2019. Tate spent most of the season’s final two months coming out of the Orioles’ bullpen in a longman role.
Though his fastball velocity dipped into the upper-80s during his first season in pro ball, Tate is back to living in the low-90s with both his four- and two-seamer, flashing 95-96 mph. He is predominately a sinker-baller now, relying on a two-seamer that he throws more than half the time. He complements it with a mid-80s changeup that showed well in the Majors last summer, a hard slider that could grow into a plus pitch with more consistent command, and a developing curveball.
The Orioles converted Tate to the bullpen a full-time in 2019 and the results were positive. His stuff played up in shorter stints, and he missed more bats last season than at any other point in his career. Tate’s history starting allows him to provide length when necessary; 11 of his first 16 MLB appearances were of at least a full inning or more. The move could also alleviate durability concerns after Tate missed time due to hamstring (2016), shoulder (2017) and quad (2018) injuries. While he isn’t the high-impact prospect he once was, Tate still projects as a useful swingman-type who can start in a pinch.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
After barely pitching during his freshman year and then starring as a reliever as a sophomore, Tate moved into UC Santa Barbara's rotation as a junior and emerged as college baseball's top pitching prospect, ultimately going to the Rangers with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 Draft. After he signed for $4.2 million, his stuff regressed and he fell out of favor quickly. Texas dealt him with Erik Swanson and Nick Green to get Carlos Beltran from the Yankees in the summer of 2016, and after parts of three seasons in New York's system, Tate was sent to the Orioles, along with Cody Carroll and Josh Rogers, in the 2018 Trade Deadline deal for Zack Britton.
Tate resisted incorporating some delivery changes the Rangers wanted in his first full pro season, after which his fastball dipped into the upper 80s and his secondary pitches flattened out. Since New York allowed him to return to his college mechanics after the trade, his four-seam fastball is sitting in the low 90s and touching higher. More important has been development of Tate's two-seamer, a pitch that he throws with late sinking action that helped him generate ground balls at a 54 percent clip in 2018. His hard slider and changeup show signs of becoming above-average offerings, though both can be inconsistent, as Tate struggles to execute both pitches in the same outing.
Whether Tate will wind up as a starter or reliever is unclear. Though he throws strikes with all four of his pitches, he doesn't miss as many bats as he should with his pure stuff, which could play up in shorter stints. He has added some strength since turning pro but still has to prove his durability after missing time with hamstring issues (2016), shoulder woes (2017) and a quad injury (2018).
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
In three years at UC Santa Barbara, Tate went from pitching three innings as a freshman to starring as a reliever as a sophomore to moving into the rotation and becoming the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 Draft as a junior. After he signed with the Rangers for $4.2 million, his stuff regressed and he fell out of favor quickly. Texas dealt him with relief prospects Erik Swanson and Nick Green to get Carlos Beltran from the Yankees in the summer of 2016, and after parts of three seasons in New York's system, Tate was traded once again -- this time to Baltimore along with Cody Carroll and Josh Rogers in exchange for Zach Britton.
Tate resisted incorporating some delivery changes the Rangers wanted in his first full pro season, after which his fastball dipped into the upper 80s and his secondary pitches flattened out. Since New York allowed him to return to his college mechanics after the trade, his four-seam fastball again sits at 93-95 mph and tops out at 98, and he's incorporated a two-seamer to induce ground balls. Both his hard slider and changeup show signs of becoming plus offerings, though his slider isn't as sharp as it was at UCSB while his changeup has improved.
