May posted some of the best spin rates at the World Wood Bat Association World Championships in October 2015, spurring Los Angeles to draft him in the third round and sign him for an above-slot $997,500 bonus the next June. He developed faster than expected, succeeding Walker Buehler as the system's best pitching prospect and prompting the Dodgers to rebuff the Orioles when his name came up during the Manny Machado trade talks. His stuff seemingly gets better every year, and he reached the Majors last August at age 21 and pitched well in the National League Division Series.
May has one of the best 1-2 combinations of pitches among prospects. He primarily works with a harder-than-usual two-seam fastball that sits at 94-98 mph and has plenty of run with heavy sink, and a cutter that he added in 2018 that parks in the low 90s. He also has a sharp-breaking power curveball that creates groundouts and a decent changeup that he's still learning to trust.
Though he's a young pitcher with a long-limbed frame and a slingy arm action, May never has had any difficulty filling the strike zone. He earns high marks for his mound presence and feel for pitching, and he has all the attributes needed to become a frontline starter. The last item on his to-do list is to improve his changeup to better combat left-handers.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 60 | Cutter: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55
May stood out with some of the highest spin rates at the World Wood Bat Association World Championships in October 2015, setting the stage for going in the third round and signing for an above-slot $997,500 the following June. Within two years, he had developed into the Dodgers' best pitching prospect and they refused to part with him when the Orioles targeted him during Manny Machado trade talks. He advanced to Double-A at age 20 and thrived there, winning the clinching game of the Texas League playoffs.
Los Angeles has had May switch from a four-seam fastball to a two-seamer, which jumped 3 mph last season to sit at 92-97 mph with groundball-inducing run and sink. After he threw a curveball and slider that tended to blend together, the Dodgers had him concentrate on the curve, which has become a hard-breaking weapon that also creates groundouts. He added a cutter in 2018 and it has become equally as devastating while reaching the low 90s.
May also has a changeup, and while it's raw and gets too firm at times, he shows enough aptitude that it should become an average fourth offering. He has good body control for a young pitcher with a lanky, long-limbed frame, pounding the strike zone despite a slingy arm action. He also stands out for his mound presence and feel for pitching, which enhance his chances of becoming a No. 3 starter.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 60 | Cutter: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55
May boosted his 2016 Draft stock by recording some of the highest spin rates at the World Wood Bat Association World Championships in the fall before his senior year, helping him become the first player ever selected out of Northwest High (Justin, Texas). Signed for an above-slot $997,500 in the third round, he easily handled low Class A at age 19 in his first full pro season and finished it with a strong start in the high Class A California League playoffs. He has taken another step forward in 2018, leading the Dodgers to refuse to include him in the trade package for Manny Machado.
May has taken well to a number of adjustments that Los Angeles has had him make. They had him shift from a four-seam fastball to a two-seamer, which has jumped 3 mph this year to 92-97 mph while generating a lot of groundouts with its run and sink. He threw both a curveball and a slider as a high school senior with little differentiation between the two breaking balls, so Los Angeles had him focus on a power curve that also elicits grounders and should become a solid offering.
Adding another quality offering to his repertoire this season, May has developed a hard cutter that reaches the low 90s. Though his changeup is in its early stages and is too firm at this point, he shows some aptitude for the pitch. For a pitcher who's just growing into his tall frame and works with a slingy delivery, he throws a surprising amount of strikes, and the Dodgers love his pitchability and competitiveness
